Department of Psychology

Admission Requirements

Admission Requirements for the Clinical Psy.D. Program

Enrollment is generally limited to 8-10 students per year, with students selected on the basis of GRE scores, undergraduate and graduate grades, letters of reference, personal statements, and significant accomplishments. It is regrettable that the faculty cannot formally interview all persons interested in the program. However, approximately 50% of applicants are invited for an in-person interview in late February/early March. Applications received after January 1 will not be considered for admission. Decisions on admission and financial assistance usually are made by April 1. Indiana State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, handicap, veteran status, or age. The department actively recruits students from diverse backgrounds.

Prerequisites for admission to the Psy.D. program are a minimum of 24 undergraduate credit hours in psychology at an accredited university or college. These 24 hours must include coursework in Abnormal Psychology, Experimental Psychology, Learning or Cognition, Personality, and Statistics. While not a prerequisite, a course in Physiological Psychology is strongly recommended. Applicants lacking any prerequisite should be aware that all prerequisites must be completed before registration.

The Department expects an undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or a graduate GPA (at least nine hours of graduate courses) of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. The Department requires GRE scores from exams taken within the last five years. Verbal and Quantitative GRE scores of 575 or above are preferred, with neither score below 500. The GRE advanced test in psychology is not required. It is suggested that aplicants take the GRE by early November in order for test scores to be received by Jan. 1.

An applicant should have the potential to become a professional psychologist, as documented by letters of reference and assessed by formal interviews conducted by the faculty at Indiana State University. Three copies of recommendation forms are to be signed by you and given to professors and/or mental health professionals familiar with your academic and/or professional and interpersonal competence. Additional letters of recommendation beyond these three may be submitted.

Students entering the program with previous graduate work should not assume automatic transfer of credit for graduate courses. After arrival, transfer credit will be evaluated on a course-by-course basis. Up to nine credit hours may be transferred for graduate courses (only non-clinical core courses usually) with a grade of better than a B, taken within the past three years, which are judged to be comparable to a required ISU course and for which the student can demonstrate requisite skills.

NOTE: The deadline for application is January 1.