Applicant Selection Process

Applicants to the Clinical Psychology Program are selected for an interview and admission through the following process:

1. Individual faculty members review applications and consider the following areas:

   • Grade point average (typically 3.50 or higher as an undergraduate) and an undergraduate major in psychology.
   • Research experience (typically one to two years post-undergraduate degree).
   • Letters of recommendation.
   • Fit with a faculty member in terms of research interests and ability to work on a team.
   • Writing sample (a sample of a research project or paper on which you were the primary author).
   • Curriculum vitae (CV), if provided
   • Cultural and individual characteristics that will enhance the diversity of our student body.

   Although faculty members consider all areas, it is important to note that there is not a minimum cut-off in any one area. Students are selected in part on their potential for achieving the competencies in research, clinical work, and teaching that the Clinical Program has adopted.

2. Typically at least three applicants are presented to the Clinical Faculty by each faculty member interested in accepting a student. The Clinical Faculty and student representatives vote on whether each applicant should be invited for an interview.

3. Applicants selected for an interview are invited to campus in February to interview. (Although on-campus interviews are strongly encouraged, telephone interviews can occur.)

4. Applicants interview for a specific faculty member's laboratory. Each applicant meets with at least three faculty members and at least two graduate students, all of whom evaluate the applicant on areas such as interest in the program, fit with the program, match with the faculty member's research program, maturity of research ideas, and readiness for clinical work.

5. Following interview day, evaluations of applicants are summarized and presented at a Clinical Psychology Faculty meeting. Each faculty member presents a list of applicants who are and are not acceptable and rank orders the acceptable list. The Clinical Faculty and student representatives vote on the acceptability of each applicant and on the rank ordering of applicants proposed by each faculty member. Availability of funding is also taken into consideration.

6. An e-mail typically is sent by the coordinator of admissions to each person who interviewed indicating whether they are accepted, wait listed, or not being considered further. The faculty member who proposed the applicant typically calls accepted and wait-listed applicants and discusses their status with them. Accepted applicants are encouraged to inform the program of their decision as soon as possible and are told that a decision has to be made by April 15th.The tables below summarize applicants' data, GPA and GRE scores of those admitted, time to degree completion for students admitted, internship data, attrition from the program, and licensure data.