The granting of advanced standing status to bachelor of social work (BSW) students, exempting them from foundation study in master of social work (MSW) programs, has been controversial. The authors examined differences between recent MSW graduates who had received (n = 87) and not received (n = 124) advanced standing status regarding their perceived preparedness and perceived knowledge to work with substance abuse issues. No statistically significant differences in mean scores were found. However, mean scores for both groups were moderate to low. Implications for substance abuse education and advanced standing in social work education are discussed.