Getting licensed as a social worker in Tennessee
Checked against the Tennessee Board of Social Worker Licensure on .
Get your Tennessee 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 Master's Social Worker
LMSWExam required before the license
The ASWB Masters exam is required before the license.
Known fees
| LMSW application fee | $50 |
|---|---|
| LMSW license fee | $75 |
| ASWB Masters examination | $230 |
| Known total | $355 |
What else it takes
- Supervised hours
- 3,000 hours, 100 supervision, for the LCSW
- 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
Meet Tennessee LMSW education requirements (master's or doctorate in social work, CSWE-accredited). Create an online account and apply through the Board's online system (lars.tn.gov).
The ladder
Tennessee has 4 rungs. 4 need an ASWB exam.
bachelors
LBSW
ASWB Bachelors
Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker.
masters
LMSW
ASWB Masters
Licensed Master's Social Worker.
advanced
LAPSW
ASWB Advanced Generalist
Licensed Advanced Practice Social Worker (nonclinical advanced practice).
clinical
LCSW
ASWB Clinical
Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
Requirements change
Nothing on our law calendar changes Tennessee'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 Tennessee moves, this page moves with it.
Already passed? Track your supervised hours toward your clinical license.
Tennessee asks for 3,000 hours of supervised experience and 100 hours of supervision.
Checked against the published rule. Last checked September 19, 2026.
Join the Hours waitlistPrograms in Tennessee
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.
Austin Peay State University
Tennessee
- Clinical first-time
- 70% of 10national 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- Too few to rate so farnational 73.9%
70% of Clinical first-timers from here passed in 2025. National rate 75.7%.
Belmont University
Tennessee
- 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.
East Tennessee State University
Tennessee
- Clinical first-time
- 80% of 55national 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- 71.9% of 32national 73.9%
80% of Clinical first-timers from here passed in 2025. National rate 75.7%.
Freed-Hardeman University
Tennessee
- 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.
King University
Tennessee
- Clinical first-time
- No exams reportednational 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- Too few to rate so farnational 73.9%
No Clinical first-time exams in the 2025 report for this school.
King University
Tennessee
- Clinical first-time
- No exams reportednational 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- 63.2% of 19national 73.9%
No Clinical first-time exams in the 2025 report for this school.
Lincoln Memorial University
Tennessee
- 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.
Lipscomb University
Tennessee
- 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.
Middle Tennessee State University
Tennessee
- Clinical first-time
- 93.8% of 16national 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- 75% of 16national 73.9%
93.8% of Clinical first-timers from here passed in 2025. National rate 75.7%.
Southern Adventist University
Tennessee
- Clinical first-time
- 72.2% of 18national 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- 75% of 12national 73.9%
72.2% of Clinical first-timers from here passed in 2025. National rate 75.7%.
Tennessee State University
Tennessee
- Clinical first-time
- 60% of 10national 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- 33.3% of 15national 73.9%
60% of Clinical first-timers from here passed in 2025. National rate 75.7%.
Trevecca Nazarene University
Tennessee
- 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.
Sources
We read the board's own pages. Nothing here is a guess.
- Tennessee Board of Social Worker Licensure · LMSW applicant resourceswww.tn.gov · Last checked
- Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1365-01-.04 Licensure Requirementswww.law.cornell.edu · Last checked
- Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1365-01-.05 Feeswww.law.cornell.edu · Last checked
- Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1365-01 (official, September 2024 revision)publications.tnsosfiles.com · Last checked
- LMSW fees · ASWB Masters examinationwww.aswb.org · Last checked
- Social Work Licensure Compact · member jurisdictionsswcompact.org · Last checked
- Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1365-01-.08 Supervisionwww.law.cornell.edu · 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.
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