Rhode Island licenses two levels of social workers: the Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), a master's-level license, and the Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW). There is no bachelor's-level license. Everything below comes from the board's own pages and rules, checked October 18, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm on the linked pages before you pay.
Check with your board. Social Work Ticket is a study aid. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) or any state social work board; ASWB is their mark, used here only to name the exam. Laws on confidentiality, reporting and licensing differ by state; follow your state's law, your agency and your supervisor.
Rhode Island at a glance
License
ASWB exam
What it takes
LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)
None for now
A CSWE-accredited MSW (or a clinical social work doctorate). No exam until at least August 15, 2030.
LICSW (Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker)
Clinical
An LCSW, 3,000 hours of supervised post-master's clinical practice over 24 to 72 months, and the ASWB Clinical exam.
Rhode Island's rules name the ASWB Masters (once called intermediate) exam for the LCSW, but a June 2025 change to the law suspends it until at least August 15, 2030.
Rhode Island, step by step
Rhode Island Board of Social Work Examiners (Rhode Island Department of Health)
LCSW: an MSW from a CSWE-accredited school; send the application, the $70 fee and your official transcript to RIDOH. Per R.I. Gen. Laws 5-39.1-8, no exam is required for the LCSW until at least August 15, 2030.
Experience for the LICSW:3,000 hours of post-master's clinical social work within the 24 to 72 months before you apply, at least 1,500 of them direct client services, done while licensed as an LCSW if you work in Rhode Island.
Supervision: face-to-face with an LICSW: at least two hours every two weeks and at least one hour per 20 hours of direct client contact, one-to-one at least 75% of the time. Your supervisor sends the Supervised Practice form to the board.
LICSW exam: the ASWB Clinical exam, with scores sent directly from ASWB.
Fees: LCSW application $70, LICSW license $70, renewals $70 every two years with 30 CE hours.
The steps that hold nearly everywhere: a CSWE-accredited degree, your board's approval (or ASWB's, in a few states), the ASWB exam at the level your license needs, then the license. Every ASWB level has 122 questions (110 scored) in 4 hours; Bachelors and Masters cost $230, Advanced Generalist and Clinical $260, and you wait at least 90 days to retake (ASWB Examination Guidebook, August 2026). A passing score counts in every state for the same exam level. The full walk-through: How to get your social work license.