ASWB counts 39 states plus D.C. that regulate bachelor's-level social work, usually as the LBSW or LSW. California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington fall outside that category. Most bachelor's licenses require the ASWB Bachelors exam and allow non-clinical practice, often under supervision.
A BSW is a professional degree, and in most of the country it leads to a license. The trouble is that "most" leaves out some large states, the license goes by at least four names, and what it allows you to do on your own ranges from almost nothing to independent practice after supervised experience.
Which states license bachelor's-level social workers?
ASWB's July 2025 workforce report tabulated its laws and regulations database and counted 40 jurisdictions, 39 states plus the District of Columbia, that regulate practice at the bachelor's level:
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
That leaves California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington outside ASWB's bachelor's category. Two qualifications:
- New York does not license BSWs at all. Its education department says the law "does not authorize the Department to license an individual with a bachelor's of social work (BSW) degree." A BSW may practice licensed master social work under an LMSW or LCSW's supervision, but may not do clinical work, "even under the supervision of an LCSW."
- Illinois lets a BSW graduate with three years of supervised experience qualify for its LSW, a license Illinois otherwise issues at the master's level.
What is the license called?
LBSW (Licensed Bachelor or Baccalaureate Social Worker) is the most common title: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Texas, among others. Several states use LSW for the bachelor's level instead, including Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Mississippi. Louisiana's bachelor's credential is the RSW, Registered Social Worker. Be careful with LSW: in Illinois and Pennsylvania it is a master's-level license.
What does the bachelor's license let you do?
Generalist, non-clinical practice, usually with supervision at least at first. The variation is in the details:
- Alabama requires an LBSW to work under a board-approved supervisor for two years, with at least 96 hours of supervision.
- Michigan issues a limited license (LLBSW) first; the full LBSW requires 4,000 hours of post-degree supervised experience over at least two years (Mich. Admin. Code R 338.2941).
- Maine's bachelor's-level LSW is non-clinical with no private practice.
- Louisiana's RSWs work only as agency employees and may not do clinical work. No exam is required for the RSW.
- Texas offers Independent Practice Recognition (LBSW-IPR) for bachelor's-level social workers who complete supervised non-clinical experience.
Independent clinical work, including diagnosis and psychotherapy, is not part of any bachelor's license we have seen. Arizona, for example, permits clinical practice by an LBSW only under direct supervision.
What about the ASWB Bachelors exam?
ASWB's Bachelors exam is designed for candidates with a bachelor's degree in social work, and it shares its questions with the Associate exam, which a few jurisdictions use for people licensed without a social work degree. Since August 3, 2026 it has the same format as the other ASWB exams: 122 questions, four hours, US$230. ASWB reported a 2025 first-time pass rate of 70.4 percent.
Some states let you test before you graduate. Texas, for example, allows a student in a qualifying program to sit for the Bachelors exam while still in school. Not every state requires the exam for the bachelor's level, either: Minnesota's provisional route since October 2024 and Louisiana's RSW are two that do not. See which ASWB exam do you need?
How does a bachelor's license travel?
Less smoothly than a master's or clinical one, for a structural reason: 11 jurisdictions have no bachelor's category to endorse you into. A Texas LBSW moving to Florida or New York has no equivalent license waiting. Between two states that both license BSWs, the usual endorsement process applies, often with a score transfer and verification of your license; see sending ASWB scores.
The Social Work Licensure Compact does have a bachelor's category. It requires a bachelor's degree in social work from an accredited program (or one in candidacy that later becomes accredited) and the ASWB Bachelors exam, or legacy licensure from before your state required an exam. The Commission's rules also require the home-state license to be independent and not provisional, temporary or limited, with any required supervision complete, so a bachelor's license that still requires supervision may not qualify. No state is issuing multistate licenses yet; see the compact hub.
Is it worth getting if I am starting an MSW?
If you will be working in social work while you study, it can be: it documents your experience in a form other boards recognize. If you are going straight into a full-time MSW program, the master's license will replace it soon enough. Advanced-standing MSW programs shorten that path for BSW graduates, but that is a program question, not a licensing one.
If you hold a bachelor's license and need it in a second state, our License by Endorsement service handles the application; see pricing or ask us whether the destination has a matching license first.
Common questions
- Can you get a social work license with a bachelor's degree?
- In most states, yes. ASWB counts 39 states and D.C. with a bachelor's-level category. New York, California and Florida are among those without one.
- What is the difference between an LBSW and an LSW?
- Often nothing but the name; both are used for the bachelor's level. But LSW means a master's-level license in Illinois and Pennsylvania, so check the state.
- Can an LBSW provide therapy?
- No. Bachelor's licenses cover generalist, non-clinical practice. New York says a BSW may not practice clinical social work even under an LCSW's supervision.
- Will my LBSW transfer to another state?
- Only to a state with a bachelor's-level license. Eleven jurisdictions in ASWB's count have none, so there is no equivalent license to transfer into there.
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