Do you have to pass the ASWB exam before you can be licensed in Alaska?

Yes. The ASWB Masters exam is required before the license. In Alaska the first credential after an MSW is the LMSW, and the ASWB Masters exam is a gate you pass before it is issued.

What is the first social work license you can get in Alaska after an MSW?

The LMSW (Master Social Worker). It is issued by the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners.

How much does the first social work license cost in Alaska?

The fees the board publishes for it add up to $605: Application fee (initial license) $100, Master social worker license fee (initial biennial period) $275, ASWB Masters examination $230. Other charges the board does not publish are not included.

How many supervised hours does Alaska require?

Two ways to qualify: 2 years of full-time clinical employment, or at least 3,000 hours part-time over at least 2 years; 100 supervision, for the LCSW. Read from the Alaska board's own rules on September 27, 2026.

Getting licensed as a social worker in Alaska

Compact member

Checked against the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners on September 27, 2026.

Get your Alaska licensing checklist

Your board, the portal you apply in, the fees, the supervised hours, and the order to do them in.

Your first license

Master Social Worker

LMSW

Exam required before the license

The ASWB Masters exam is required before the license.

Known fees

Fees the Alaska Board of Social Work Examiners publishes for the LMSW
Application fee (initial license)	$100
Master social worker license fee (initial biennial period)	$275
ASWB Masters examination	$230
Known total	$605

What else it takes

Supervised hours: Two ways to qualify: 2 years of full-time clinical employment, or at least 3,000 hours part-time over at least 2 years; 100 supervision, for the LCSW
ASWB exam level: Masters
Licensure compact: Member jurisdictionMultistate licenses are not yet being issued. Last checked October 18, 2026 against the compact's own site.
Last checked: September 27, 2026

Next step

Hold a master's degree in social work from a college or university approved by the board (AS 08.95.110(b)). Submit the application, required documents, and fees under 12 AAC 18.100.

The ladder

Alaska has 3 rungs. 3 need an ASWB exam.

bachelors
LBSW
ASWB Bachelors
Baccalaureate Social Worker.
masters
LMSW
ASWB Masters
Master Social Worker.
clinical
LCSW
ASWB Clinical
Clinical Social Worker.

Requirements change

Nothing on our law calendar changes Alaska's exam requirement today. The change that does touch you is national: ASWB launched the 2026 exams on August 3, 2026 with three content areas and 122 items, and held fees at $230 Masters and $260 Clinical. ASWB's announcement.

Law calendar read September 6, 2026. If Alaska moves, this page moves with it.

Already passed? Track your supervised hours toward your clinical license.

Alaska asks for 100 hours of supervision. Alaska gives two ways to qualify on experience hours: 2 years of full-time clinical employment, or at least 3,000 hours part-time over at least 2 years.

Checked against the published rule. Last checked September 27, 2026.

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Programs in Alaska

How first-timers from each accredited program here did on the ASWB exam. A rate built on fewer than 10 first-time exams is one or two people, so those programs show how close they are to that floor instead of a percent. Source: ASWB, 2025 report.

See all 2 programs in Alaska

Sources

We read the board's own pages. Nothing here is a guess.

SWTPA is not affiliated with any state board or with ASWB. Requirements change; the board's page is the source of record. This record is also available as JSON.

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