Social work licensure in Oregon

Requirements last verified August 16, 2026 against the Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers.

License levels

RBSWRegistered Baccalaureate Social Worker
Requires the ASWB Bachelors exam.
A BSW, ASWB Bachelors exam scores, and Oregon’s own laws and rules exam.
LMSWLicensed Master Social Worker
Requires the ASWB Masters exam.
An MSW, ASWB Masters exam scores, and the Oregon laws and rules exam.
CSWAClinical Social Work Associate
The board lists this level but does not state its ASWB exam on the pages we checked — confirm with them directly.
The registration you hold while accumulating post-MSW clinical hours. Notably it takes no ASWB exam at all — only the Oregon laws and rules exam — so the Clinical exam can wait until you apply for the LCSW itself.
LCSWLicensed Clinical Social Worker
Requires the ASWB Clinical exam.
An MSW, the ASWB Clinical exam and the Oregon laws and rules exam, on top of 3,500 post-MSW work hours — 2,000 of them direct client hours — with 100 supervision hours of which 50 must be individual, over a minimum of 24 months.

Worth knowing about Oregon

Every Oregon applicant sits a second exam that has nothing to do with ASWB: the Oregon laws and rules exam, which is self-directed and open book, and which LCSWs must also pass to become clinical supervisors. The other thing worth planning around is the CSWA. Oregon lets you register as a Clinical Social Work Associate on the strength of your MSW and the laws exam alone, so you can be working and accruing your 3,500 hours before you have sat the Clinical exam at all.

Common questions about Oregon

Which ASWB exam do I need for Oregon?: RBSW requires the ASWB Bachelors exam; LMSW requires the ASWB Masters exam; LCSW requires the ASWB Clinical exam. Your board tells ASWB which category you are approved to take, so confirm with them before you register — registration fees are nonrefundable.
What social work licenses does Oregon issue?: RBSW (Registered Baccalaureate Social Worker); LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker); CSWA (Clinical Social Work Associate); LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).
How many supervised hours does Oregon require?: LCSW: 3,500 hours. The board sets the conditions on those hours — who may supervise, over what period — so read its own rules before you begin accruing them.
Is this information current?: These requirements were last checked against Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers on 2026-08-16. Licensure rules change without much notice, so treat the board as the authority and this page as a starting point.

Which exam will you sit?

Whatever Oregon calls its license levels, the exam behind them is one of five.

License levels

RBSWRegistered Baccalaureate Social Worker

Requires the ASWB Bachelors exam.

A BSW, ASWB Bachelors exam scores, and Oregon’s own laws and rules exam.

LMSWLicensed Master Social Worker

Requires the ASWB Masters exam.

An MSW, ASWB Masters exam scores, and the Oregon laws and rules exam.

CSWAClinical Social Work Associate

The board lists this level but does not state its ASWB exam on the pages we checked — confirm with them directly.

The registration you hold while accumulating post-MSW clinical hours. Notably it takes no ASWB exam at all — only the Oregon laws and rules exam — so the Clinical exam can wait until you apply for the LCSW itself.

LCSWLicensed Clinical Social Worker

Requires the ASWB Clinical exam.

An MSW, the ASWB Clinical exam and the Oregon laws and rules exam, on top of 3,500 post-MSW work hours — 2,000 of them direct client hours — with 100 supervision hours of which 50 must be individual, over a minimum of 24 months.

Worth knowing about Oregon

Common questions about Oregon

Which ASWB exam do I need for Oregon?

RBSW requires the ASWB Bachelors exam; LMSW requires the ASWB Masters exam; LCSW requires the ASWB Clinical exam. Your board tells ASWB which category you are approved to take, so confirm with them before you register — registration fees are nonrefundable.

What social work licenses does Oregon issue?

RBSW (Registered Baccalaureate Social Worker); LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker); CSWA (Clinical Social Work Associate); LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).

How many supervised hours does Oregon require?

LCSW: 3,500 hours. The board sets the conditions on those hours — who may supervise, over what period — so read its own rules before you begin accruing them.

Is this information current?

These requirements were last checked against Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers on 2026-08-16. Licensure rules change without much notice, so treat the board as the authority and this page as a starting point.