PhD in Clinical Psychology Admissions

Complete an application online in the PSYCAS system. The application for fall 2024 will be available in early September 2023.

The application fee is $80.00 for the first program application in PSYCAS, and $40 for subsequent applications to additional programs. The APA offers a fee waiver opportunity for students who qualify. PAU does not require an additional application fee.

• All transcripts should be sent to PsyCAS. Applicants do not need to send duplicate transcripts to PAU.
• PAU can directly accept transcripts. However, PsyCAS will continue to show them as not received. 
• Classes taken during high school do not need to be entered. However, if you attended a college or university both in high school and in college, those courses will appear on that school’s transcript and be reflected in the GPA calculation. 
• PsyCAS requires transcripts from all colleges and universities attended post-high school graduation. Even if transfer credit appears on a more recent transcript, this is the case. 
• All students must complete manual entry of their courses into PsyCAS in addition to sending transcripts. This can take time and is tedious! Please plan ahead. This is required to fairly calculate GPAs for students who attend different schools with different grading scales. 

PsyCAS Transcript Directions 

• Report all institutions attended regardless of their relevance to the programs you apply to. Failure to report an institution may cause your application to be undelivered. This can significantly delay the processing of your application. Report all institutions attended, including but not limited to:
  • courses taken in high school for college or university credit
  • summer courses
  • community college courses
  • US military academies (note that this does not include courses on SMART or JST transcripts)
  • post-baccalaureate, graduate, and doctoral work
  • study abroad, Canadian, and foreign work, etc. 
• List all institutions on your application even if the coursework completed there was transferred to another institution.
• Report each institution only once, regardless of the number of degrees earned or gaps in the dates of attendance.
• Send official transcripts for each institution.

Transcripts from undergraduate and graduate institutions attended must be sent directly from the institution, even if a degree was not awarded. Official transcripts should be mailed or electronically delivered by the issuing institution directly to the PSYCAS Transcript Processing Center. Instructions for submitting transcripts can be found on the PSYCAS website.

After enrolling in the program, conditionally admitted students must submit final official transcripts directly to the Office of Admission as soon as possible. Failure to submit final official transcripts by the first day of classes will result in a registration hold. Any student who does not submit final transcripts by the end of the first quarter will be dropped from their courses.

The resume or CV should list professional and academic experience, education, awards, publications, etc.

• Resumes are generally one page long and do not need to be comprehensive. They should focus on experiences that relate to the degree program to some extent. Folks with more in-depth experience in the field, such as research or publication, may submit a longer document styled as a CV.
• While it is not required that you also enter work experience, volunteer experience, etc., into PsyCAS, it can be helpful to at least enter the highlights of your experience in this section so admissions committee members can see it at a glance. 
• Feel free to include unpaid or internship experiences if they are related to your interest in clinical psychology. 

Letters of recommendation from three academic or professional references are required. Personal references, such as family, friends, therapists or informal mentors, will not be accepted. Whenever possible, they should be faculty members in psychology or practicing professionals in psychology or other mental health discipline. If you have questions about whether a recommender is acceptable, please reach out to your admissions counselor. 

Letters are requested and submitted through the PSYCAS system. Applicants will electronically submit the names and email addresses of their recommenders who will receive a request to complete the recommendation form. Three letters are required.

• It is acceptable to request two letters of recommendation from people at the same organization or agency. We encourage you to try and ensure that each recommender can offer a distinct perspective on your personality and performance. 
• There is no specific format for the letters; however, most are offered on letterhead and written in a formal style. 
• While letters from psychology faculty are recommended, a broad range of letters is acceptable. They do not need to come from people only in psychology or the behavioral sciences, and recommenders do not require advanced degrees. Individuals with whom you have only a personal relationship (family friend, family member, etc.) are discouraged. 
• A joint letter (written by two or more people) is acceptable; however, the invitation can only be sent to one email address. Please clarify with your recommenders to whom the email invitation to complete the form should be sent. 
• Recommenders upload letters directly to PsyCAS. Applicants should enter the email address of their recommender into PsyCAS. PsyCAS will then email the recommender with a link to complete the form and upload the letter. 
• Letters of recommendation are uploaded to PsyCAS as PDFs or Word documents. Recommenders are also asked to provide standardized ratings, which PsyCAS will prompt.

• Provide a brief autobiographical sketch, including what led to your interest in the practice of clinical psychology. 
• Discuss your future career goals as a clinical psychologist, why you want to become a clinical psychologist, and how the PhD program's clinical and research training will help you reach these goals. 
• Address your strengths and accomplishments that have prepared you for graduate psychology training. This might include your professional development, including course preparation for research projects; history of publications and presentations at professional conferences; experience with and/or commitment to diverse populations; and/or clinical training or work experience. 
• Discuss the qualities you possess that you think will be important assets as a practicing clinical psychologist.

The most important advice is to respond to the questions asked in the prompt and adhere to length and style guidelines. Beyond that, the statement of purpose is the primary way for the Admissions Committee to hear your voice. There is no need to rehash your resume – take the opportunity to talk about your passions and interests specific to psychology.

You are welcome to address personal circumstances or hardships in your application if it helps frame your interest in the field. Please remember, however, that your statement of purpose is not a diary entry or a counseling session. Oversharing can raise concerns about boundary issues and personal judgment. If you address a past hardship, we encourage you to provide analysis and self-reflection of the situation rather than just describe what happened. If the situation is too fresh, and you feel you cannot distance yourself enough to provide analysis yet, it may be best to choose another topic for your statement of purpose.

For international applicants whose undergraduate studies were in a language other than English, the TOEFL or IELTS exam is required. Scores can be submitted through PSYCAS. However, international students may not need to submit scores from the TOEFL or IELTS. This is often because the student’s native language is English or they attended a college or university with English as the primary language of instruction. Please email the Office of Admissions to discuss and to request a waiver.

The GRE and GRE Psychology Subject Tests will not be required of applicants for the 2022-23 admissions cycle. Our process will be test-blind: test scores will not be considered by the Admissions Committee even if submitted by the student. 

• We strongly recommend applicants have at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average.
   

• PAU is atypical in terms of how students apply to research labs. Rather than applying directly to a research lab or faculty member, students apply to the PAU PhD program in general. Students can explore the broad range of labs available during the first year and even volunteer in labs. This allows students to make informed decisions about which labs they wish to apply to. Students apply for labs in the Spring of their first year.
• During the application process, we encourage students to mention a few faculty members with whom they would like to work. However, this is not binding. 

• We strongly recommend applicants have related volunteer or work experience in the mental health field and experience with research.
• Feel free to include non-psychology research experience.
• For applicants with no formal research experience, including research conducted within an academic class may be helpful and may be a way to highlight one’s preparation for doctoral-level study.
• Feel free to include papers or projects underway but not complete at the time of application. 

The following courses are required for entry into the PhD Clinical Psychology program:

• Biopsychology (e.g. Sensation and Perception, Brain and Behavior)
• Abnormal Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Statistics

The four mentioned courses will help ensure that all incoming students have a smooth transition into our rigorous doctoral program. They must be passed with a grade of B or better and completed before the start of classes in the PhD program. Prerequisite courses must be completed before an incoming student starts classes but do not need to be completed before applying. Students can mark that prerequisite courses are “in-progress.” Students with courses in progress or planned for a future term will be offered conditional admission, which will not be lifted until the pre-requisite courses are complete. 

• These courses can be completed at either the lower or upper-division level and may be completed at a community college or university extension program to save money. 
• Statistics can be completed in any discipline, not just in Psychology. 
• There is no statute of limitations on when these courses must have been taken, but we do encourage students who have been out of school for some time to consider whether a refresher course might be helpful. 
• Students with questions about whether a class will count toward a prerequisite should contact the Office of Admissions. An Admissions Counselor can review the course and determine its acceptability. 
• Courses graded on a pass/no pass scale are acceptable.

• Students are not required to have a master’s degree, and there is no preference given to students with master’s degrees. There is also no penalty for having a master’s degree. 
• Grades from both the undergraduate and graduate levels are considered in the selection of students. Admissions Committee members do pay attention to trends in grades over time.

• Students indicate their possible area(s) of emphasis on the PsyCAS application; however, this is not a binding choice. 
• For the PhD, each area of emphasis is distinctive and has differing entry requirements.

• The primary form of communication in the admissions process is email, and we will use the email address you list on your application. 
• All students will receive a decision, and we will provide updates as often as possible. 
• Offers of admissions are made in March. You are always welcome to reach out to the Office of Admissions for an update about your application status. 
• PhD and PsyD students have until April 15th to accept an offer of admission. This deadline may be extended due to extenuating circumstances.  

• Work-study awards are part of the financial aid package. Once awarded work-study, students may apply for any work-study job on the PAU campus. While it is technically possible for students to use their work-study award at Stanford, it is rare. 
• International students are generally allowed to work on campus but should check with the International Students Office to ensure an on-campus position is permitted based on visa type.