Become a Student Member

A student membership provides social work students a chance to participate in professional activities before they qualify for registration. Student members are not Registered Social Workers and may not use the title social worker or RSW.

Students can apply for student membership if they are currently enrolled in at least one class in an accredited social work education program..

Student memberships are $58 for a full year, or they are prorated for the fall semester at $20 (as of September 1st). Student memberships are subject to annual renewal.

You need to fill out the SASW online student application form, upload verification of current registration in at least one class toward completion of a social work degree and pay the student membership fee with a credit card (Visa/MasterCard). Please ensure you retain the username and password you create to complete the student member application as you will need it to access our online system to complete annual student renewals and eventually the Upgrade to RSW application.

Student Application Form

Discounts may be available to SASW branch workshops and conferences for student members. You will receive The Saskatchewan Social Worker (newsletter) and can participate in a variety of SASW activities, including serving on some SASW Committees. Joining branch and committee activities is an opportunity to network with social workers in the community and province. Student members may vote at the Annual General Meeting of the association. SASW offers a significant discount on the RSW membership fee when you complete the Upgrade to RSW Application, in the year that your degree is conferred by the University.

One of the benefits of the SASW student membership is that upon completion of your studies, SASW offers to upgrade your membership to a registered social worker at a discounted cost. This upgrade is available in the year that your degree is conferred by the University. You must still complete the registered social worker application process and submit a current resume outlining your work/volunteer experience, a current criminal record check (not more than 6 months old from date of issue), as well as a letter of reference submitted on the prescribed form. You can find the reference form here.

The table below shows when student members can Upgrade to RSW based on when they complete their studies and when the University confers the degree as well as the cost. The degree must be conferred by the University before the Upgrade to RSW application is considered completed and ready for review by the Registrar.

Student members who complete their studies in December and have their degree conferred in January of the next year are eligible to complete the upgrade to registered social worker at the student membership rate of $58.00. In order to qualify for the Upgrade to RSW you must have an active student membership. As our office works on a calendar year, students who complete their program in December cannot renew their student membership in January as they are no longer active students. Therefore, the upgrade is available to these students at the student membership rate of $58.00.

Completed Studies	Degree Conferred	Eligible for Upgrade	Fee
December	January	January	$58.00
April	May	May	$0.00
August	September	September	$0.00

Please note, only students with an active annual student membership are eligible to complete the Upgrade to RSW Application. The Upgrade is only available in the year your degree is conferred and covers your registration as a RSW until December 31 of that year. Once you are a registered member you will need to complete the annual member renewal to maintain your registration. Student members who complete their studies in December of a year must complete the Upgrade to RSW Application by March 31 of the next year (i.e., studies completed in December 2020, degree conferred in January 2021, upgrade must be completed by March 31, 2021).

Students who complete their studies in April and August are encouraged to complete the Upgrade to RSW Application as soon as they are eligible.

SASW sends three e-mails a year to active student members. The first e-mail is sent in January to advise that student renewals are open and the group of students who completed their studies in December are now eligible to complete the Upgrade to RSW Application. The e-mail will provide detailed instructions on how to complete either the annual renewal or Upgrade to RSW Application.

The second and third e-mails are sent to the student group in May and September advising on the eligibility for the Upgrade to RSW.

Please note, as SASW does not know when a student member completes their studies, you may receive the e-mail even though you are not yet eligible for the Upgrade to RSW.