Maryland Licensed Bachelor’s Social Worker (LBSW) Guide - 2024

AKA: Maryland LBSW License

Social Worker License

by Social Worker License Staff

Updated: February 16th, 2024

Maryland Licensed Bachelor’s Social Worker (LBSW) Licensure Process

This is the very first license you can get in your social work journey in Maryland. To get the license, you must meet the following requirements.

Educational Requirements

To get the LBSW license, you must have a Bachelor of Social Work degree from a board-approved social work program. The program must be accredited by the Council of Social Work Education(CSWE).

Here you can find all schools offering social work degree programs in Maryland.

Examination Requirements

Another important requirement is the passage of the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) qualifying exam. The examination can be scheduled on the ASWB site by clicking on “Register for the Exam” on the opening page.

The fee for the bachelor’s qualifying exam is $230 and payment is done using Visa, Mastercard, or Discover.

An Authorization to Test (ATT) will be sent to you which contains information on how you can schedule your exam on PearsonVue. The exam is done electronically and results are seen almost immediately. ASWB then sends the result to the board to continue the licensure process.

If you took an ASWB exam for another jurisdiction, you can request an official score report from ASWB. This report must be sent directly to the board.

You can contact ASWB by phone by calling 1-888-579-3926 or by filling the Score Transfer Form on the ASWB website.

Applying for Licensure as a Bachelor Social Worker

  • Fill out the application form through the board’s website.
  • Pay the application fee of $100 with an additional $30 for a criminal background check.
  • Send a request to the CSWE-accredited program you finished from to send your official transcript directly to the board.
  • Register for the ASWB qualifying exam and pay the examination fee of $230.
  • Schedule your exam date with Pearson Vue and sit for the exam.

Your results will be sent directly to the board within two weeks of taking the exam.

If you took the exam from another jurisdiction, visit ASWB’s site and fill out the Score Transfer Form to send your results to Maryland.

If all the requirements are met, you will be issued a license after paying a licensing fee of $75 to the board.