Admissions
Founded in 1975 as the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, Palo Alto University (PAU) is a non-profit and accredited institution dedicated to improving lives through education and research anchored in psychology, clinical training and practice in a diversity of cultures, and service to communities around the world.
Palo Alto University (PAU) offers a high-quality, tailored, competitive education with world-renowned faculty and instructors, at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels. At PAU, students experience the following:
- Faculty with rich, research-based backgrounds, and excellent teaching methods.
- Clinical training with potential licensure options.
- High internship placement rate including 97% APA-accredited internship match rate for the Ph.D. program,100% APA-accredited internship match rate for the PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium program (in 2013 and 2014; see APA Data), and 98% practicum placement rate for the M.A. Counseling Program.
- Tuition stabilization, guaranteeing no tuition increases for the duration of a student's program.
- Regional accreditation by the WASC Senior Colleges and Universities Commission (WSCUC) for all degrees. American Psychological Association (APA) accreditation for the Ph.D. and Psy.D. programs.
PAU Academic Programs
Undergraduate Programs
|
Program |
Entry Requirements |
Average Time to Completion |
Locations |
Costs Per Year* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
84 quarter units of transferable coursework from a regionally accredited university or community college. |
2 years |
De Anza College or Online |
$22,752 |
|
|
84 quarter units of transferable coursework from a regionally accredited university or community college. |
2 Years |
De Anza College or Online |
$22,752 |
Graduate Programs
|
Program |
Required Degree |
Average Time to Completion |
Locations |
Costs Per Year* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bachelor's Degree |
2 years, 3 months |
Palo Alto |
$23,044 |
|
| M.A Counseling Online | Bachelor's Degree | 2 years, 9 months | Online with 1-week residency | $17,070 |
|
Bachelor's Degree |
2 years |
Online; PhD-prep track requires a 1-week residency |
$21,687 |
|
|
Bachelor's Degree |
5 years** |
Palo Alto |
$52,527 |
|
|
Bachelor's Degree |
5 years** |
Palo Alto and Stanford |
$56,946 |
* Additional costs per year include books and supplies, computer and headset, possible travel or student membership dues, transportation, health insurance, and local living expenses for residential students. These expenses vary for residential versus online and graduate versus undergraduate. The financial aid office assists in outlining these expenses. PAU offers several funding options from federal, state, and local sources.
* 51.4% undergraduate students on Pell grants (35 of 68 active undergraduate students in Fall 2019)
** Includes culmination of both degrees, pre-doctoral internship and dissertation; does not include clinical licensure