Getting licensed as a social worker in Minnesota
Checked against the Minnesota Board of Social Work on .
Get your Minnesota licensing checklist
Your board, the portal you apply in, the fees, the supervised hours, and the order to do them in.
Your first license
Licensed Graduate Social Worker
LGSWWhen the exam comes depends on your situation
Minnesota: a provisional license under Minn. Stat. 148E.0551 substitutes 2,000 hours of supervised practice for the ASWB exam, so the exam is a route rather than a gate.
Known fees
| LGSW application fee | $75 |
|---|---|
| ASWB Masters examination | $230 |
| Known total | $305 |
What else it takes
- Supervised hours
- 4,000 hours, 1,800 client contact, 200 supervision, for the LICSW
- ASWB exam level
- Masters
- Licensure compact
- Member jurisdictionMultistate licenses are not yet being issued. Last checked against the compact's own site.
- Last checked
Next step
Complete a CSWE-accredited (or board-recognized) MSW or DSW degree. Submit the LGSW application and required fee to the Minnesota Board of Social Work.
The ladder
Minnesota has 3 rungs. 3 need an ASWB exam.
masters
LGSW
ASWB Masters
Licensed Graduate Social Worker.
advanced
LISW
ASWB Advanced Generalist
Licensed Independent Social Worker (non-clinical independent level).
clinical
LICSW
ASWB Clinical
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker.
Requirements change
Nothing on our law calendar changes Minnesota'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 . If Minnesota moves, this page moves with it.
Already passed? Track your supervised hours toward your clinical license.
Minnesota asks for 4,000 hours of supervised experience and 200 hours of supervision.
Checked against the published rule. Last checked September 19, 2026.
Join the Hours waitlistPrograms in Minnesota
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.
Augsburg University
Minnesota
- Clinical first-time
- 95.7% of 47national 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- 79.7% of 59national 73.9%
95.7% of Clinical first-timers from here passed in 2025. National rate 75.7%.
Bemidji State University
Minnesota
- Clinical first-time
- No exams reportednational 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- No exams reportednational 73.9%
No Clinical first-time exams in the 2025 report for this school.
Bethel University
Minnesota
- Clinical first-time
- No exams reportednational 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- 80% of 10national 73.9%
No Clinical first-time exams in the 2025 report for this school.
Capella University
Minnesota
- Clinical first-time
- 59.7% of 139national 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- 62.7% of 212national 73.9%
59.7% of Clinical first-timers from here passed in 2025. National rate 75.7%.
College of St. Benedict/St. John's University
Minnesota
- Clinical first-time
- No exams reportednational 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- No exams reportednational 73.9%
No Clinical first-time exams in the 2025 report for this school.
College of St. Scholastica
Minnesota
- Clinical first-time
- 70% of 20national 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- 82.9% of 35national 73.9%
70% of Clinical first-timers from here passed in 2025. National rate 75.7%.
Concordia College
Minnesota
- Clinical first-time
- No exams reportednational 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- No exams reportednational 73.9%
No Clinical first-time exams in the 2025 report for this school.
Metropolitan State University
Minnesota
- Clinical first-time
- No exams reportednational 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- No exams reportednational 73.9%
No Clinical first-time exams in the 2025 report for this school.
Minnesota State University - Mankato
Minnesota
- Clinical first-time
- 84.8% of 33national 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- 86.2% of 29national 73.9%
84.8% of Clinical first-timers from here passed in 2025. National rate 75.7%.
Minnesota State University - Moorhead
Minnesota
- Clinical first-time
- Too few to rate so farnational 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- 72% of 25national 73.9%
Too few first-time Clinical exams in 2025 to rate so far.
North Central University
Minnesota
- Clinical first-time
- No exams reportednational 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- No exams reportednational 73.9%
No Clinical first-time exams in the 2025 report for this school.
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
Minnesota
- Clinical first-time
- 85.7% of 42national 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- 73.2% of 82national 73.9%
85.7% of Clinical first-timers from here passed in 2025. National rate 75.7%.
Sources
We read the board's own pages. Nothing here is a guess.
- Minnesota Board of Social Work · LGSW applicant resourcesmn.gov · Last checked
- Minn. Stat. 148E.055 (LGSW licensure requirements)www.revisor.mn.gov · Last checked
- Minn. Stat. 148E.180 (fees)www.revisor.mn.gov · Last checked
- MN Board of Social Work standard license feesmn.gov · Last checked
- LGSW fees · ASWB Masters examinationwww.aswb.org · Last checked
- Social Work Licensure Compact · member jurisdictionsswcompact.org · Last checked
- Minn. Stat. 148E.110 (supervised clinical practice hours)www.revisor.mn.gov · Last checked
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.
See your path inside the app
Pick your state once. We keep the fees, the hours and the next step in front of you while you study.