funding for psychology phd

Students sit around a table and discuss with a professor nearby. Photo source: Sallie

PhD Admissions

The PhD program in Psychology trains students for careers in research and teaching. In addition to a wide range of courses, the PhD program is characterized by close collaboration between students and their faculty advisors. 

General Information

The Department of Psychology holistically reviews each candidate's complete application to assess the promise of a career in teaching and research. Consideration is based on various factors, including courses taken, grade point average, letters of recommendation, and the statement of purpose. Additionally, the Department of Psychology places considerable emphasis on research training, and admitted students have often been involved in independent research as undergraduate students or post-baccalaureate settings. Although there are no course requirements for admission, all applicants should have sufficient foundational knowledge and research experience to engage in graduate-level coursework and research.

We accept students with undergraduate degrees and those with both undergraduate and master's degrees. An undergraduate psychology major is not required; the Department welcomes applicants from other academic backgrounds.

Our application portal will open for the AY25-26 admissions cycle on September 15, 2024.

How to Apply

Application and deadline.

Our 2025-26 Admissions application will open on September 15, 2024.

Applications will be due on November 30, 2024

The deadline for letters of recommendation will be  November 30, 2024 . 

Once an applicant submits the recommenders' information, the recommenders will receive an automated email with instructions for submitting the letter. Late letters should be sent directly to psych-admissions [at] stanford.edu (psych-admissions[at]stanford[dot]edu) . Staff will add them to the application file if the review process is still underway. Still, the faculty reviewers are not obligated to re-review files for materials submitted after the deadline.

Generally, students will hear from us by the end of January. 

The status of submitted applications can be viewed anytime by logging in to the   application portal . 

The deadline to apply for the '25-26 PhD cohort this year is  November 30, 2024 . Applicants who are admitted to the program will matriculate in Autumn 2025. 

Our next admissions cycle will open in September 2025 and have a November 30, 2025 deadline.

In addition to the information below, please review the  Graduate Admissions  website prior to starting your application. The Department of Psychology does not have rolling admissions. We admit for the Autumn term only.

Requirements

• U.S. Bachelor's degree or its  foreign equivalent
• Statement of Purpose (submitted electronically as part of the graduate application). You will be able to specify three  Psychology Department faculty members , in order of preference, with whom you would like to work. 
• Three  Letters of Recommendation  (submitted electronically). A maximum of six letters will be accepted.
• Unofficial transcripts from all universities and colleges you have attended for at least one year must be uploaded to the graduate application. Applicants who reach the interview stage will be asked to provide official transcripts as well; Department staff will reach out to these applicants with instructions for submitting official transcripts. Please do  not  submit official transcripts with your initial application.
• Required for non-native English speakers: TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) scores, submitted by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) electronically to Stanford. 

Application Fee

The fee to apply for graduate study at Stanford is $125. Fee waivers are available for some applicants. Please visit Graduate Admissions for information on applying for an  Application Fee Waiver .

Application Review & Status Check

The Department of Psychology welcomes graduate applications from individuals with a broad range of life experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds who would contribute to our community of scholars. The review of applications is holistic and individualized, considering each applicant’s academic record and accomplishments, letters of recommendation, and admissions essays to understand how an applicant’s life experiences have shaped their past and potential contributions to their field.

To check the status or activity of your application, please log into your  application account . You can also send reminders to recommenders who have not yet submitted their letter of recommendation.

Due to limited bandwidth, the Department of Psychology staff will not answer any phone or email queries about application status, including requests to confirm the receipt of official transcripts.

Our faculty will interview prospective students before making final admission decisions. Candidates who progress to the interview round will be informed in January. Interviews are generally conducted in February.

The Department of Psychology recognizes that the Supreme Court issued a ruling in June 2023 about the consideration of certain types of demographic information as part of an admission review. All applications submitted during upcoming application cycles will be reviewed in conformance with that decision.

• Diversity and Engagement in Psychology PhD Programs 
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For More Information

Please see our  list of Frequently Asked Questions  and  psych-admissions [at] stanford.edu (contact us)  should you have additional questions.

Doctoral students are required to complete 95 points of academic credit during at least four years of residence at Teachers College.

Financial aid––a “Doctoral Fellowship”––is typically provided through college scholarship funds. Whereas in recent years, the college has fully funded (tuition + $25,000 stipend) incoming doctoral students (“Doc Fellows”) for three years, beginning with those students admitted in academic year 2020, financial aid packages will continue through students’ fourth year.  Because students should have completed all academic coursework by the end of their third year, financial aid for students’ fourth year is in the form of a $25,000 stipend. As part of the award, Doctoral Fellowship recipients may be expected to serve as a graduate teaching and/or research assistant.

The funds for financial aid packages derive from multiple sources. These include three college-based sources of funds: A General Fund, a Minority Student Scholarship Fund, and an International Student Scholarship Fund. In addition, the program draws upon several endowed scholarship funds dedicated exclusively to doctoral students in our program, including the Jodi Lane Scholarship Fund (reserved for students focusing on children and adolescents), the Beatrice Lane Fund, The Gladys Schweisinger Fund, and the Tishman Scholarship Fund. Since 1993, the program has also used scholarship monies available via the James S. Scappaticcio Fellowship for "self-identified gay clinical doctoral students"; this Fellowship also provides small grant-in-aids for research on topics "relevant to homosexuality, including psychological and/or psychosocial aspects of AIDS or HIV treatment." Faculty grants may also be used as part of a student’s financial aid package.  

While most students receive financial packages as described above, some admitted students are financially supported through funding provided by the governments of countries in which they are residents. Admission to our doctoral program is entirely need-blind, i.e., not affected by students’ financial needs.

Students may contact the  Office of Financial Aid  for more information. For current tuition rates, please visit Tuition & Fees .

Teachers College, Columbia University 328 Horace Mann

Contact Person: Rebecca Shulevitz

Phone: (212) 678-3267 Fax: (212) 678-8235

Email: shulevitz@tc.columbia.edu

• Funding & Residency

Thank you for your interest in the Department of Psychology's Ph.D.  program.

To learn about the  different  types of funding our Department offers to graduate students, please click on the tabs below. 

We guarantee 10 semesters of funding through a combination of fellowships and teaching or research appointments. The appointments are for one semester or one year, provide a monthly stipend, tuition remission, and payment of all registration fees excluding the Nonresident Supplemental Tuition fee (NRST). Fellowships also provide a monthly stipend, tuition and fees.

The department guarantees to pay the Nonresident Supplemental Tuition for U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents in their first year. By the start of the second year, U.S. citizens and permanent residents must establish California residency for tuition purposes or pay the NRST themselves.

We provide application fee waivers for AB540 students and can refund payments if applicants meet the eligibility criteria.

University funding available to undocumented graduate students depends upon whether they have work authorization (i.e., through DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), Temporary Protected Status (TPS)) and Assembly Bill 540 (AB 540) status, as summarized in the attached grid, which also has links to additional information about the various eligibility categories. If a student has work authorization, they are eligible for campus employment, including Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) and Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) positions.

We guarantee 10 semesters of funding through a combination of fellowships and teaching or research appointments. The appointments are for one semester or one year, provide a monthly stipend, tuition remission, and payment of all registration fees excluding the Nonresident Supplemental Tuition fee (NRST) . Fellowships also provide a monthly stipend, tuition and fees.

International students are subject to paying Nonresident Supplemental Tuition (NRST) every semester.  However, arrangements will be made among faculty sponsors and the department to cover NRST for the first four semesters (2 years) of the program. International students who have advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree before the start of their third year are then eligible to receive a NRST waiver for the next three years from our Graduate Division. After these three years, faculty sponsors and/or the student will be responsible for paying NRST.

Most financial aid from the University is only available to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. However, International students are eligible to hold teaching and research positions. 

For information on funding resources available to International students: Berkeley International Office Financial Aid and Graduate Division's Extramural Fellowships.

Students must meet a number of requirements before the University will classify students as California residents for tuition purposes. The Residence Deputy in the Office of the Registrar reviews requests to establish California residency for tuition purposes and makes the official determination of a student's residency. Establishing residency must begin as soon as a student arrives in California.

For residency process information and specific residency requirements visit The Office of the Registrar's Residency webpage.

Student parents make up about 10% of Berkeley's graduate population. Information about policies, grants, childbirth accommodation funding, family and childbearing leaves, and more: Support for Student Parents .

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Funding Opportunities

COGDOP Graduate Student Scholarships

APF awards 21 annual scholarships for graduate student research.

The purpose of this scholarship program is to assist graduate students of psychology with research costs associated with the master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation. APF awards 21 annual scholarships for graduate student research:

• $5,000 Harry and Miriam Levinson Scholarship 
• $3,000 William and Dorothy Bevan Scholarship 
• $5,000 Charles and Carol Spielberger Scholarship 
• $5,000 Peter and Malina James & Dr. Louis P. James Legacy Scholarship 
• $3,000 Ruth G. and Joseph D. Matarazzo Scholarship 
• $2,500 William C. Howell Scholarship
• $2,000 Clarence J. Rosecrans Scholarship
• $2,000 Raymond K. Mulhern Scholarship
• $2,000 Dr. Judy Kuriansky Scholarship
• 12 additional $2,000 scholarships

Eligibility

APF encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds with respect to age, race, color, religion, creed, nationality, ability, sexual orientation, gender, and geography.

Graduate students enrolled in an interim master’s program or doctoral program are eligible to apply. If a student is currently enrolled in a terminal master’s program, the student must intend to enroll in a PhD program. Students at any stage of graduate study are encouraged to apply. Applicants must be enrolled in the graduate program at the time grants are awarded.

The purpose of the scholarship program is to assist graduate students of psychology with research costs associated with the master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation. The American Psychological Association Science Directorate administers the granting of the scholarships.

Each graduate department of psychology that is a member of COGDOP may submit nominations. To verify if your department is a member of COGDOP, please check in with your institution. You may also contact COGDOP . APF does not have a list of COGDOP members. The number of candidates that each member department is allowed to nominate depends upon the  total number of doctoral students enrolled in the graduate program . Departments that have 100 or fewer students enrolled in their graduate programs may nominate one (1) candidate; departments that have 101-200 graduate students enrolled may nominate up to two (2) candidates; and departments that have more than 200 graduate students enrolled may nominate up to three (3) candidates. NOTE: nominees must be currently enrolled in the graduate program at the time scholarships are awarded.

Application Instructions

Application Materials:

• brief proposal of thesis or dissertation project (even if in progress – 10 pages max, not including references)
• department endorsement (requested through application portal) 
• transcript (an unofficial/student copy is acceptable)

Evaluation Criteria:

The major criteria are related to the research proposal. Proposals will be rated on the description of the context for the research (a brief literature review), the clarity and comprehensibility of the research question, the appropriateness of the research design, the general importance (theoretical, applied) of the research and the use of requested funds (with preference given for funds to actually conduct the research as opposed to tuition, travel, books and journals). Secondary criteria are related to the student’s background, including previous publications or presentations at conferences, awards won at the student’s institution, the endorsement from the Department chair / Director of Graduate Studies, breadth of courses taken and grades in courses.

Please be advised that APF does not provide feedback to applicants on their proposals.

Please review our  Program FAQs  for important details on the application process.

Recent Recipient

Ellen carroll.

University of Arizona

“Combatting White Individuals’ Reactance to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives With an Actionable Procedural Justice and Social Identity Framework”

Past Recipients

Katherine Chang, University of Rochester

Minjae Seo, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Louisa Kane, University of North Carolina at Chapel

Krutika Rathod, University of Maine

Peiyi Wang, University of California, Irvine

Alex Silver, University of Pittsburgh

Slaton Freeman, University of Colorado Denver

Ashley Bautista, University of Houston

Ellen Carroll, University of Arizona

Solangia Engler, Texas A&M University

McKenzie Miller, University at Albany, State University of New York

Fiona Horner, Carnegie Mellon University

Kristen Pasko, Rowan University

Kathleen Little, University of Miami

Ariel Snowden, Utah State University

Andrea Davis, doctoral student at University of Alabama at Birmingham

Gavin Rackoff, The Pennsylvania State University

Sophia Holmqvist, Temple University

Heather Anderson, University of Oregon

Elizabeth Espinal, Drexel University

Oya Pakkal, Brock University

Iris Ka-Yi Chat, Temple University

Megha Nagaswami, University of California, Los Angeles

Sharanya Rao, George Washington University

Daneele Thorpe, Stony Brook University

Abhishek Saxena, University of Rochester

Megan Schultz, University of Washington

Emily Padrutt, University of Minnesota

Andrea Wiglesworth, University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Mariajosé Paton, University of South Carolina

Kevin Summers, University of Denver

Kathryn Kemp, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Alessandra DallaVecchia, University of California, Los Angeles

Jessica Huntt, St. John’s University

Dana Glenn, University of California, Riverside

Johanna Chajes, University of Virginia

Marisol Meyer, University of Miami

Violet Brown, Washington University in St. Louis

Margaret Baer. University of Toledo

Jordan Schueler, Texas A&M University

Sean Devine, McGill University

Sofia Uribe, Southern Methodist University

Danielle Abel

Jennifer Bertollo

Sarah Curci

Catherine Dion

Andrea Fields

Madelyn Frumkin

Ilana Gratch

Debrielle Jacques

Sarah Jessup

Erin Kaseda

Sophie Kerr

Roberto Lopez

Samantha Margherio

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Okeoma Nwakanma

Giovanni Ramos

Ariana Rivens

Elisabeth Webb

Alena Borgatti

Jasmin Brooks

Anna Farmer

Michael Granovetter

Lauren Haliczer

Gerald Higginbotham

Laura Janakiefski

Ashley Jones

Brittany King

P. F. Jonah Li

Daniel Moriarity

Gold Okafor

Daniel Snook

Stassja Sichko

Lisa Taxier

Michelle Thai

Erika Trent

Amy Violante

Amanda Arulpragasam

Anita Schmalor

Annamarie Defayette

Ava Fergerson

Caitlyn Edwards

Cara DiClemente

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Chloe Huelsnitz

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Patricia Pehme

Rachel Ouellette

Rebecca Cipollina

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Joseph Carpenter

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Adam Putnam

Chelcie Heaney

Stephanie Brewer

Katherine Forney

Matthew Judah

Read about the 2014 winners

Justin Karr

Alexandra Rodman

Erika Fulton

P. Priscilla Lui

Jason Oliver

Jonathan Stange

Kathryn O’Toole

Adam Miller

Gabrielle D’Lima

Sunny Dutra

Adriene Beltz

Read about the 2013 winners

Amanda Venta

Timothy Jarome

Erin Ward-Ciesielski

Stephanie Groman

John Medaglia

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Daniel Kopala-Sibley

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Stephen Becker

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Read about the 2011 winners

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Fully Funded PhD Programs in Clinical Psychology

Last updated November June 22, 2023

As part of our series  How to Fully Fund Your PhD , here is a list of universities that offer fully funded PhD programs in Clinical Psychology. A PhD in Clinical Psychology opens the door to many opportunities, leading to careers in academia, private practice, and medicine.

Fully funded PhD programs in Clinical Psychology are those that offer a financial aid package for full-time students that provides full-tuition remission in addition to an annual stipend or salary for the duration of the program, which is usually 3-6 years. Full funding usually comes in the form of a graduate assistantship, with the expectation that students will teach or complete research in their field of study. Not all Clinical Psychology PhD programs offer full funding to their doctoral students, which is why researching the financial aid offerings of many different programs, including small and lesser-known schools both in the U.S. and abroad, is essential.

In addition to listing fully funded PhD and Master’s programs, the ProFellow database also includes external funding opportunities for graduate school, dissertation research, fieldwork, language study, study abroad, summer work experiences, and professional development.

Would you like to receive our FREE Directory of more than 1000+ fully funded PhD and Master’s programs in 60 disciplines? Download the FREE Directory of Fully Funded Graduate Programs and Full Funding Awards !

1. Arizona State University

(Tempe, Arizona):  The Arizona State University Department of Psychology offers a fully funded PhD in Clinical Psychology. Full-time doctoral students, in good standing, receive a 20-hour-per-week graduate teaching or research assistantship, full-tuition, and a stipend of $18,564 for nine months (pre-masters) and $19,064 for nine months (post-masters). The program prepares students for professional careers in research, teaching, or clinical supervision, through high-quality, science-based training. The goal of the program is to train students for careers in academia and research institutes to conduct research to advance clinical science and to teach future generations of clinical scientists.

2. Fordham University

(New York, NY):  The Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program (CPDP), within the Psychology department at Fordham University, offers a fully funded PhD in Clinical Psychology. The program offers all admitted doctoral students, who remain in good standing, 4 years of tuition remission and a stipend for each academic year. The goal of the program is to prepare students for careers in research and teaching and to provide students with the scientific background and clinical skills necessary to engage in clinical practice. The program challenges students to integrate their scientific research with clinical work and to study areas in clinical psychology, including Child and Adolescent, Clinical Neuropsychology, Forensic, and Health specialties.

3. Harvard University

(Cambridge, MA): The Harvard University Department of Psychology offers a fully funded PhD in Clinical Psychology. All admitted doctoral students receive fellowship packages with up to 6 years of tuition, 3 years of 10-month support, 4 summers of research fellowships, and the guarantee of a Teaching Fellowship for the 3rd and 4th years. The Clinical Psychology Program trains clinical psychologists to conduct research using evidence-based methods of assessment and clinical intervention to advance scientific knowledge of psychopathology and its treatment, especially in severe psychopathology.

4. Louisiana State University

(Baton Rouge, LA): The Lousiana State University (LSU) Department of Psychology’s Clinical Psychology Training Program (CPTP) offers a fully funded PhD in Clinical Psychology. All admitted doctoral students receive a full-tuition waiver, a stipend of approximately $15,050 per year, and a graduate assistantship. The CPTP program is didactic and experiential. Students complete coursework, attend practicum supervision meetings, shadow senior graduate student therapists, and gain direct supervised clinical experience through their practica. After students complete a minimum of 24 credit hours practicum, they are required to complete a formal, one-year, full-time pre-doctoral internship at an APA-accredited internship program.

5. Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine

(Chicago, IL): The Northwestern University Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine offers a fully funded PhD in Clinical Psychology. All admitted doctoral students receive a Research Assistant Scholarship, or equivalent award, that provides full-tuition remission, health insurance, and a monthly stipend. The goal of the program is to educate and train students for clinical and research positions in academic medical centers and related healthcare settings. Students receive intensive research training, and in addition to coursework, students complete research apprenticeships within their primary mentor’s lab.

6. Rutgers University

(New Brunswick, NJ): The Rutgers University Department of Psychology offers a fully funded PhD in Clinical Psychology. All admitted doctoral students are guaranteed 5 years of funding, provided they remain in good standing, which includes full-tuition, a 10-month stipend or salary, and health benefits. Additional funding summer funding is also available. The Clinical Psychology program is designed for students who want to conduct clinical research and become a practicing health service psychologist. Upon completion of the required coursework, research, and clinical training, PhD students complete their clinical requirements with a one-year psychological residency.

7. University of Liverpool

(Liverpool, UK): Available to EU citizens only, the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology is a 3-year full-time programme fully funded by the National Health Service (NHS). Trainees are registered postgraduate students in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences and employed within Mersey Care NHS Trust.

8. University of Maryland

(College Park, MD): The University of Maryland Department of Psychology offers a fully funded PhD in Clinical Psychology. All admitted doctoral students are provided tuition remission of up to 10 credits per semester and financial aid in the form of a fellowship or graduate assistantship for the first 5 years. The Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program seeks to understand human behavior across the lifespan and provides clinical training in both child and adult assessment and intervention. The program uses a mentorship model to provide rigorous research training that emphasizes the use of research findings to further understand clinical phenomena and develop clinical interventions.

9. University of Michigan

(Ann Arbor, MI):  The University of Michigan Department of Psychology offers a fully funded PhD in Clinical Psychology. All admitted doctoral students receive a financial aid package that combines Research Fellowships and Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) positions for a total of 5 years of full-tuition support. The Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program aims to advance scientific research in all aspects of clinical psychology. Research areas currently include cognitive and affective neuroscience, behavioral endocrinology, developmental psychopathology, risk and resilience, violence and trauma, and cross-cultural investigations of clinical problems and these approaches span traditional diagnoses including addictive, affective, psychotic, anxiety, traumatic, and disruptive behavior.

10. University of Minnesota

( Minneapolis ,  MN):  The University of Minnesota Department of Psychology offers a fully funded PhD in Clinical Psychology. All admitted doctoral students, who remain in good standing, are guaranteed 5 years of financial support, including full-tuition, subsidized health insurance, and a 9-month stipend. The Clinical Science and Psychopathology Research (CSPR) program trains students to become academic clinical psychologists or research scientists. The program combines rigorous research training in psychopathology and clinical assessment and intervention. CSPR consists of an “adult” track and a “developmental” track.

11. University of Southern Mississippi

(Hattiesburg, MS): The University of Southern Mississippi Department of Psychology offers a fully funded PhD in Clinical Psychology. Students receive a graduate assistantship that provides a full-tuition scholarship and a 9-12 month stipend, and include teaching and research assistantships, and paid clinical externship positions. The program trains evidence-based approaches to the assessment and therapy of clinical problems, through small cohorts that allow for individualized training, with an emphasis on cognitive and behavioral orientations.

12. University of Vermont

(Burlington, VT): The University of Vermont Department of Psychological Science offers a fully funded PhD in Clinical Psychology. The Clinical Training PhD Program provides funding for every PhD student, each year that he or she is in the program and on campus. The program seeks to produce clinical psychologists who are trained to generate research, work with patients, and teach psychological material from a scientist-practitioner perspective. It is a mentor-based training model that stresses early and ongoing placement on a clinical practicum team, simultaneous research training relevant to clinical problems, rigorous course work, and selected teaching experiences.

13. Vanderbilt University

(Nashville, TN):  The Clinical Science Program in Psychological Sciences at Vanderbilt University offers a fully funded PhD in Clinical Psychology. All admitted PhD students receive funding for up to 5 years of study, including full-tuition, a competitive monthly stipend, and health insurance. The goal of the program is to train clinical scientists. It enables students to concentrate their training and develop specialized expertise in areas such as psychopathology, developmental psychopathology, adult psychopathology. In addition, a select group of qualified students is nominated for additional honor scholarships and fellowships awarded by both the college and the graduate school.

14. Yale University

(New Haven, CT): The Yale Graduate Program in Clinical Psychology offers a fully funded PhD in Clinical Psychology. The program provides all admitted graduate students, who remain in good standing, full-tuition and a stipend (including summer funding) for up to 5 years. The program is primarily research-based. Students are expected to develop independent research under the supervision of faculty. This program is ideal for students who desire to begin an independent, structured program of clinical science research and are likely to emerge as leaders in the study of psychopathology and its treatment. The program is not a fit for students primarily interested in clinical practice.

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The Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offers incoming PhD students full financial support—including tuition, health insurance fees, and basic living expenses—for a minimum of five years (typically the first four years of study and the completion year). This funding package includes a combination of tuition grants, stipends, and teaching fellowships. 

Each student is provided a Notice of Financial Support at the time of admission and is assigned a financial aid officer, who administers this funding and is available to assist with financial concerns. Each spring, continuing students supported by Harvard Griffin GSAS-administered funding sources are required to activate their funding for the upcoming academic year using the Student Aid Portal, an online financial aid management system.

The Financial Aid Officer for Psychology students is Amber Glavine Nardone . 

The outline below serves as a general guide to Financial Aid for Psychology PhD students. Please refer directly to the Notice of Financial Support provided with your admissions letter, as funding can differ from student to student due to fellowships and other variations in funding.

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The clinical program is accredited by the American Psychological Association and the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System.

Your program will typically be fully funded for five years thanks to stipend grant support and guaranteed teaching fellowships. Tuition support is also available for a six-year program. Funding is also available for research, travel, and conferences. You will have access to the latest technology at FAS Research Computing and the Neuroimaging Facility at the Center for Brain Science.

Examples of student dissertations and theses include “Childhood Anxiety Disorders: Developmental Risk Factors and Predictors of Treatment Response,” “Clarifying the Pathway to Suicide: An Examination of Subtypes of Suicidal Behavior and Their Association with Impulsiveness,” and “A Cognitive Neuroscience of Social Groups.”

Graduates have secured positions in academia at prestigious institutions such as Princeton University, Dartmouth College, and Columbia University. Others have embarked on careers with companies such as Facebook, BetterUp, and Apple.

Additional information on the graduate program is available from the Department of Psychology , and requirements for the degree are detailed in Policies .

Areas of Study

Cognition, Brain, and Behavior | Experimental Psychopathology and Clinical | Developmental | Social Psychology

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Please review the admissions requirements and other information before applying. You can find degree program-specific admissions requirements below and access additional guidance on applying from the Department of Psychology .

Academic Background

While an undergraduate concentration in psychology is not required, some social science coursework is recommended. Because the program is heavily quantitatively oriented, college-level math and statistics are also advised. Research experience is extremely helpful; successful applicants have often worked for professors, done research projects as part of college courses, written an undergraduate thesis, or volunteered in a psychology research lab.

Please Note: Before making the decision to apply, the program in psychology suggests checking individual faculty/lab websites or emailing faculty directly to inquire whether they plan to consider applicants for fall 2025 admission. It’s important to note that while individual faculty members may have every intention of bringing in a new student this year, we cannot guarantee that they will all be able to do so. The total number of offers of admission to be extended by the graduate program is based on applicant preparedness and fit, availability of university advising and support resources, and target class size. Some of these factors are not able to be determined until after the applicant pool has been finalized.

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GRE General: Optional for Cognition, Brain, and Behavior, Developmental, and Social Psychology. Required for Experimental Psychopathology and Clinical. GRE Subject: Optional

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Students admitted to the PhD program in counseling psychology will receive a five-year guarantee of support.

Post-MA Students: Students admitted to the post-MA program are funded during their three years of required coursework, their dissertator year, and their final year in an APA-accredited internship. Funding usually comes from multiple sources during doctoral study, including fellowships and assistantships, and includes tuition remission (except for the final year in the APA-accredited internship) and health benefits, as well as providing valuable research/teaching/clinical experiences.

Post-BA Students: Students admitted to the post-BA program are funded during their four years of required coursework and their dissertator year. Tuition remission and health benefits are included as a part of the five years of the guarantee spanning through their dissertator year. The required predoctoral internship is a year-long salaried training experience in the sixth year that is funded by the internship site. Tuition remission is not included during the APA-accredited internship in the sixth year.

Funding is guaranteed at not less than a level of 50 percent for the duration of the guarantee, provided that the student remains in good standing in the program. A variety of funding sources can provide support for the student under the terms of the guarantee, including a fellowship (limited availability), a teaching assistantship (either from the Department of Counseling Psychology or from another department on campus), project assistantship, research assistantship, or a teaching assistant lectureship. All of the above types of support pay a stipend, provide tuition remission, and include health insurance eligibility. Funding from other sources on campus will count toward a student’s guarantee of support.

We encourage incoming and returning students to explore funding opportunities outside the department as well as within the department. Graduate assistantships in other departments and administrative bodies across campus value the professional and interpersonal skills that counseling psychology PhD students bring, and historically our students have been very successful in obtaining these. Available assistantships are listed on the Student Jobs website ; click on Graduate Student Jobs to view them.

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University Fellowship Competition : The department nominates one outstanding incoming student for the Two-Year Graduate School Fellowship in early spring. The fellowship provides support for the first academic (nine-month) year, and an additional academic year of support once the student reaches dissertator status. The fellowship includes a stipend, remission of tuition and segregated fees, plus health insurance benefits during each of the two years.

Education Graduate Research Scholars Fellowship : The department is able to nominate a limited number of incoming students for the School of Education Graduate Research Scholars (Ed-GRS) fellowship each year. To be eligible for Ed-GRS, an incoming student must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. Permanent Resident, admitted to or enrolled in a graduate department, with preference given to Wisconsin residents; and identify with one of the following groups: African American, Native American, Latinx: Mexican Americans, Chicano/as, Puerto Ricans, Southeast Asians: Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, and  Vietnamese, OR McNair Students: students who participated in a McNair Program OR Wisconsin residents who are first generation to complete a bachelor’s degree and who participated in a TRIO Program (Upward Bound, Talent Search, Educational). 

The Graduate Research Scholars’ community and the School of Education partner to administer this fellowship.   Get more information about the Ed-GRS fellowship here .

Other fellowships : Occasionally, the department is able to secure other fellowship funding for an incoming student, including the Kemper Knapp University Fellowship .

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The Department of Counseling Psychology has a limited number of graduate teaching assistantships:

Teaching assistantships (TA) : The number of TAs that the department is able to employ each year depends on course offerings and enrollment. TA salary for 2023-2024,​ for a 50 percent appointment is approximately $23,227 for a nine-month appointment, and includes remission of tuition with benefits. Salary amounts for TA positions are not negotiable. Positions in the Department of Counseling Psychology are announced in late spring to entering and continuing doctoral students. Students may also contact other departments for positions within their programs.

Project and research assistantships (PAs and RAs) : Faculty in the Department of Counseling Psychology sometimes hold research grants that employ project assistants or research assistants. Availability of such positions are announced to doctoral students in late spring for the upcoming year. Salary and benefits for PAs and RAs are similar to that of TAs.

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In recent years, students in the Psychology Ph.D. programs at CWRU have received full tuition waivers (at least 4 years) and stipends (4 years). Once students are in the program, there may be additional sources of funding available as described below. Students may also be able to teach courses (after earning the M.A.) or to assist with a project funded by a research grant. As of Fall 2024, the standard stipend for incoming graduate students in the clinical psychology program is $20,400 for 4 years, and $10,200 in year 5.

Graduate Psychology: Supplemental Funding Options

Locating funding options.

Seeking supplemental funding is often an ongoing process, so you should search often and apply for as many options as possible to increase your odds of obtaining funding.

CWRU resources

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Brisky Fellowship – awarded to a graduate student engaged in a doctoral dissertation examining child development, mental health/mental retardation.

Some conferences offer travel awards or may cover a portion of conference registration or travel fees if you volunteer at the conference. Look at the specific conferences that you frequent in order to see if these opportunities exist.

Endowment Sponsored Mentorship program : This program offers a 50/50 match of up to $500 (domestic) / $1000 (international) for travel expenses related to poster/paper presentations. It is a reimbursement model, so you must pay for the cost of travel up front. You will be reimbursed at a later date if you are awarded this endowment. You may only receive this award once.

External resources

NIH training grants: NIH has individual training grants that you can apply for during the predoctoral and postdoctoral phases of your career. These are called NRSAs . But it is important to determine whether the topic area that you are researching is aligned with NIH priorities. You can search the NIH reporter to see what types of projects are being funded and also speak with a program officer at NIH to discuss your ideas. Also, in order to have the best chance of receiving an NRSA, your mentor needs to have a history of NIH (or similar) funding.

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We are glad that you are considering our program for your doctoral training. We have a group of faculty, students, and staff dedicated to performing rigorous and meaningful research, and are always looking to add engaged new students to our community.

The Department of Psychology offers a course of study leading to a PhD in Psychology. Doctoral study typically spans five years and includes a common curriculum of eight courses with other requirements set by the student's area of specialization. In addition, each student will complete a trial research project under the guidance of a faculty advisor or advisors and complete a dissertation. Advisors are a critical component of students' experience in the doctoral program, providing guidance and collaboration in conducting research and academic advising. Students receive practical pedagogical experience, usually through completing five teaching assistantships. 

As you make a decision about where to attend graduate school, we encourage you to explore the five research area specializations and the research programs of the individual faculty in our department. The PhD program in Psychology is not a clinical or counseling training program, and the program does not offer online or part-time study. Enrolled students in the Division of Social Sciences receive a financial package that includes tuition, the graduate student fee, student health insurance, as well as a stipend for living expenses.

The Department of Psychology does not have a terminal Master’s degree program. However, the Division of the Social Sciences offers two Master’s degrees that may be of interest to prospective psychology students. The Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS) allows for a concentration in psychology. The MA in Computational Social Science provides the ability to tailor your coursework to your academic or professional interest.

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A cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for the baccalaureate degree.

A cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 semester credits or 90 quarter credits (approximately two years of work) for the baccalaureate degree.

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Official scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), C1 Advanced or Duolingo English Test are required of all graduate applicants, regardless of citizenship status, whose native language is not English or who have been educated in countries where English is not the native language. Your TOEFL/IELTS/C1 Advanced/Duolingo English Test scores are valid for two years from the test date.

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Minimum TOEFL Score (Internet-based test): 80 (including a minimum of 26 on the speaking section)

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Per Student & Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) regulation, international applicants must meet all standards for admission before an I-20 or DS-2019 is issued, [per U.S. Federal Register: 8 CFR § 214.3(k)] or is academically eligible for admission and is admitted [per 22 C.F.R. §62]. Read the Additional Standards For International Applicants policy for more details.

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GRE scores are optional for admission to this program. Applications submitted without scores will receive full consideration. Every application undergoes a comprehensive evaluation, including a careful review of all application materials. If you choose to submit test scores, you may upload your Test Taker Score Report PDF, which is considered unofficial. Official scores must be received directly from the appropriate testing agency upon admission to the University of Denver. The ETS institution code to submit GRE scores to the University of Denver is 4842.

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Personal statement instructions.

Please prepare approximately 2-3 pages of typewritten, double-spaced autobiographical material which will be considered confidential. Please be aware that the review committees may contain graduate student representatives. Indicate the source of your interest in psychology and the reasons why you wish to pursue graduate studies in your chosen area of specialization. If you have had practical experience (work or volunteer) in psychology, please describe it. If you have been in another area of academic study or employment, discuss your change. When and how was your attention directed to our graduate program? Indicate how the specific features of our training program would facilitate your professional goals.  In your autobiographical statement, please state which faculty member(s) you would like to do your research with. Explain why the faculty’s research interests represent a match with your own training goals and your career plans. Please type the name(s) of your proposed mentor(s) on a separate line at the end of your autobiographical statement so as to facilitate screening. Mentors can be from any program. So, for example, clinical child applicants may list a faculty mentor that is not a member of the clinical child faculty. If there is one person you are primarily interested in, name one; if there are two who you are interested in, name two. There is no advantage to naming just one person or naming two people. What is important is the rationale for your choice.

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The University of Denver values diversity, equity, and inclusion, recognizing that its success is dependent on how well it values, engages, and includes the rich diversity of constituents. Diversity is defined broadly. Applicants are required to include an essay (maximum of one-page, double spaced) describing how their educational, professional, clinical, or personal (e.g. cultural, economic or social) experiences prepare them to contribute to diversity, equity, and inclusion during their graduate career at DU. Contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion may come in the form of research topic, research population, clinical work (if applicable), professional service, personal perspective, and more. To learn more about diversity, equity, and inclusion at the University of Denver, please visit https://www.du.edu/equity .

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What is APAGS doing about funding for graduate students?

Funding for graduate school is a serious issue for graduate psychology students, and one that concerns APAGS. The average doctoral student in health service professions (clinical/counseling/school) graduates with over $78,000 of debt, and research doctorates have an average of $40,000 (American Psychological Association, 2007).  Debt load can range as high $200,000 or more for a significant number of students.

APAGS awards 17 grants and scholarships for students to fund their research and training. This funding includes opportunities for master’s level students working on thesis research, various dissertation grants, basic psychological science research grants, as well as training on diversity issues (ethnic minorities, LGBT, disability issues).  In 2009, APAGS was able to award an additional 12 scholarships after extra monies were available at the end of the fiscal year. Learn more about APAGS funding .

APA has a number of mechanisms for funding students. All APAGS members who are first authors of a paper accepted at APA convention are eligible for free registration for APA convention. The Science Directorate offers numerous dissertation grants. APA funds minority students in neuroscience through a training grant from NIMH, NIDA and NINDS, as well as clinically oriented students through a minority fellowship funded through SAMHSA.  The new APA website should make it easier for students to locate sources of funding for their education. 

At the 2010 APA Convention, APAGS will have a special series on funding for graduate students that will focus on how to fund one’s research in graduate school. Guests from NIH, NSF, and other funding sources will present various opportunities for research funding available to graduate students and early career psychologists. Additional programs will focus on how to find and write successful grants, as well as opportunities of interest to ethnic minority graduate students. A session on funding opportunities for clinically oriented students will also be held, focusing on postdoctoral loan repayment opportunities.

APAGS continues to engage in advocacy for issues related to graduate student funding. The Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) program is a direct result of advocacy efforts by APAGS ten years ago, in collaboration with APA and other groups. GPE funds professional training in psychology at the internship and postdoctoral levels. In 2009, APAGS and APA were successful in getting funding for the GPE increased by almost 50% for the 2010 fiscal year. 

Funding for graduate students will continue to be an important issue for APAGS.  APAGS will continue to advocate for increased funding for research in psychology, support for predoctoral and postdoctoral clinical training, and for educational support.

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• Published: 29 August 2024

Federal funding shapes knowledge in clinical science

• Bunmi O. Olatunji 1 &
• Alexandra M. Adamis 1  

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Advances in clinical science often rely on federal funding, but an overly prescriptive funding agenda might limit the societal benefits of clinical research. Greater diversity in funding schemes is needed to ensure the highest clinical impact.

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Bunmi O. Olatunji & Alexandra M. Adamis

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Olatunji, B.O., Adamis, A.M. Federal funding shapes knowledge in clinical science. Nat Rev Psychol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-024-00357-2

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Published : 29 August 2024

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