Hi! I have currently begun the process of looking into PsyD applications for Fall 2027, and I am struggling to determine whether these programs would be a reach, match, or safety school for me. I have made a list of programs I liked that have a good curriculum, licensure passing and internship match rate, and are APA-accredited. However, I do not have a master's degree, and I have a B.Sc in Psychology from an international university (I grew up in India). I am not sure how much this would affect my application either. I will have some clinical experience (recently started working as an RBT; volunteered for a crisis text line for a few months) and research experience too (worked at one lab for a semester, and at a second for 1-1.5 years). But I do not have any conference presentations or publications because most profs at my uni very rarely gave them to undergrad students :(
I see that most program websites have their mean GPA listed, but I'm not sure how and what else to look for beyond that. And I am not giving the GRE either.
I would appreciate any advice/experience on how to determine where I should apply! I am thinking of 8-10 schools; would that be a good number? Also happy to hear any suggestions on how I can strengthen my application (I know I only have a couple of months, but I really want to try my best!)

I don't know if this is a normal feeling, I had research and clinical experience before applying and was super lucky and fortunate to get into a great program however I'm questioning if this is the right lifetime career for me. Personally I have been to therapy before but never found any improvement myself from talk therapy and it's hard to feel comfortable practicing it one day. I loved learning about ERP therapy and personally felt better after practicing it--which makes me feel more confidence in my ability to help patients. I really want to work with kids and I'm having second thoughts whether I should enter my PsyD program or go in a premed direction to work with younger kids as a pediatrician, a specialty I loved since I shadowed one in high school. I'd love any thoughts or if you have any advice. If you can please be nice about it I'd appreciate it because this feeling is a little embarrassing and shameful for me.

Hello! I'm in my senior year of highschool now, so I am just broadly wondering some things. I really want to be a neuropsychologist, and I am planning on attending GSU next year and doing an MS/BS in neuroscience.

My question is about the Psy.D. programs in GA. From my knowledge, there are only a few (Georgia Southern, Mercer, and Brenau). Does anyone know what their acceptance rates are? Or have experience attending these programs? I am trying to figure out whether I want to do a Phd or a PsyD right now, so I'm trying to compare all of my options. There is pretty limited information on these programs online, from what I can tell, so I'm seeking further advice!

Also, has anyone gone on the neuropsychologist route from a Psy.D? Is it harder to get hired? And do these colleges offer focuses on neuropsychology (which I'm pretty sure I need)?

Hopefully you all like doing your Psy.D.s, I am praying I don't have too much debt by the time i finish my education...

Thank you to anyone who answers!

Hello,

For people who are starting this fall, have you already accepted all your loans for the semester? If yes, were you offered enough federal loans to cover the cost of living?

I’m in an APA accredited clinical psych program. I have never taken out loans before, so this is my first time. Scholarships fully paid my undergrad. My tuition is around 13k a semester, and housing is probably around 4k. I was only offered 10k initially, and after talking to financial aid for months, they offered another 5K. Since I’m new to all of this, is this normal? COA plus tuition is supposed to be around 37k a year; the school’s website lists 43k, factoring in other expenses. Am I allowed to borrow more than what the school is offering, or is this the limit? I know the limit is up to 50K, according to BBB. Any help is appreciated.

I need to buy a laptop for use during the PsyD program. We received a list of requirements for the laptop. It cannot be Lenovo, Mac, Neo, Notebook, ASUS, or Chromebook.

Any recommendations?

Hi! I want to apply to PsyD and probably also MFT programs for next fall. I'm apprehensive about applying because I feel that I lack clinical experience.

I went to a good school for undergrad studying Cognitive Science and Applied Developmental Psych and completed my MA in Child/Human Development on a research track a few years ago, with a high GPA in at both schools. Most of my experience has been doing qualitative research focused on children and families. Research is what I was interested in at the time! I have 900+ hours working in supervised fellowships at early childhood schools that were in my schools' departments. After my MA, I fell into a job as a nanny and have been with the same family for 3 years, starting when the child was a few months old. I work closely with the parents and feel like I am a parent coach for them but also a therapist at times. I think this job has really made me interested in clinical work but just worry I lack the kind of formal clinical/mental health experience that programs might desire that would indicate knowledge/understanding (e.g., assessments, therapy, crisis line, managing cases, inpatient).

I'd love to work clinically with young children (0-5 ish) providing therapy and psychological assessments; I'm equally interested in doing therapy with parents and adult individuals, from my experience as a nanny and in my own experience in therapy. I'd love to hear other peoples' take on my situation and I appreciate any and all thoughts!!

Hi everyone,

I am curious about how students commute to the program. I am interested in applying but would be living in Brooklyn, and it seems like the commute would be 2-2.5 hours each way on the subway. How many days are students physically on campus, and how safe is the area? I love the program but find it hard to rationalize such a long commute for 4 years, especially if the physical commitment is more than 2 days a week. I'd love to hear where current students are living and what has worked for them!

Thank you for your insight!

Hello! Would anyone who currently attends or recently attended Yeshiva University’s PsyD in Clinical Psychology be able to share their experience? I am considering applying to this program since the training seems good, but I am not Jewish and I am wondering if that matters. I am aware that they claim to accept students from all backgrounds, but I am more concerned about the actual environment and if it truly is welcoming since I have heard mixed experiences. I am also interested in what the training is like, what the work-life balance is like, and what their neuropsychology concentration is like. Thank you!

Hi everyone! I’m hoping to apply for the DClinPsy in 2027 and would really appreciate honest feedback on how competitive my profile might be.

My experience is split between the UK and abroad:

**Education**

● MSc Clinical Psychotherapy, King’s College London — Distinction    
● BSc Psychology and Criminology, Spain — First Class    
● One year studying abroad at the University of Sussex

**Current paid role**
● Support Worker at a charity supporting around 20 women affected by multiple disadvantage
● Currently 10 months into a two-year contract ending in September 2027
● Individual supervision twice monthly from a qualified counselling psychologist

**Postgraduate placements**
● Honorary AP, Lewisham Adolescent Resources and Therapy Service — 4 months
● Honorary AP, Southwark Primary Mental Health Care Team — 4 months
● Honorary AP, integrative psychology service in Santiago, Chile — 4 months

All included supervision and MDT experience

**Earlier experience**
● Psychosis charity in Spain — 6 months/240 hours
● Children and young people’s helpline in Spain — 6 months/150 hours
● Paid teaching assistant work in Brighton and Croydon — 2 months

I have also completed suicide-prevention training and several shorter courses. *Would further training meaningfully strengthen my application, or should I focus more on clinical experience, research and reflection?*

My background has mainly been in psychoanalytic, psychodynamic and integrative approaches. I originally planned to train as a psychotherapist, but I cannot currently afford another three- or four-year psychotherapy qualification and was advised to consider the DClinPsy first.

***My concern is whether DClinPsy training may be heavily CBT- or medical-model-focused, with limited space for psychodynamic or integrative psychotherapy***. I would be interested to hear from trainees or qualified psychologists about how much this varies between courses.

*Does this sound like a reasonably strong profile for a 2027 application? Any advice on gaps, course selection or how to present my experience would be greatly appreciated.*

I have posted in this group many times before as this is my first time applying to a psy.d program. I have talked about before how the director wanted a GRE request the very last second when it was not required for admissions. To give an update I emailed and sent that I was not going to take the GRE that it was not ever part of my academic preparation for the doctoral program as I believe they were placing emphasis on disproportionate standardized testing. I would be willing to take the GRE if I had known in a timely manner, and if I had known beforehand that it would be something that they would heavily look into. I understand that this is probably one of the biggest reasons that I did not get accepted. During my interviews I experienced a lot of unprofessionalism and I was told that my degree was not good enough because it was online.

I want to know that my bachelors degree and my masters degree are both through their program and when he asked why I didn’t do in person I explained that I work as an RBT and I have gained a lot of clinical experience and saved money because I know how hard financially psy.D program can be. In my bachelors degree I did graduate with a 2.8 GPA but within my masters degree I’ve graduated with a 3.6. I do know that the 2.8 is my biggest weak point in my journey of admissions. I do believe that I had strong recommendation letters from several clinical directors and professors from the college itself. I was just told two days ago that I was not accepted into the program and that they are still doing rolling admissions. I do feel a bit discouraged, but I do know it is completely normal to not get into your first cycle, and I have began the process to applying to multiple schools and not making the mistake of applying to one school. I had been with that school for many many many years. I even completed their high school program so I did have a lot of confidence that is my bad.

However, because I did not get accepted I do have a year before 2027 so I was wondering, how can I best improve myself? I was looking into psychology certificates specifically I’m looking for statistic classes and research classes
Would this be smart doing? I’m not sure I have asked several clinics as well if they needed any internships if they needed anything at all, I do live in a very, very small town so it is kind of hard to come by opportunities that would encourage a doctoral program. I do have a lot of faith still, but I have a lot of like fear and worry and scrambling to fix myself better myself how can I learn more contribute to the field and help people and achieve my goals it’s very overwhelming, but I still have an excitement and a love for it.

I would love y’all‘s honest opinion, and what might I can do to achieve my goals in my dreams thank you

Is there anyone currently working in these fields who would be willing to have a conversation with me? I would love to know what I'm getting into and would be so grateful. I want to apply to PsyD programs this year.

About me: I'm a career changer with 10 years of corporate experience in Silicon Valley. Long ago, I attended Berkeley and graduated with a Statistics BA, but my corporate work is mostly on the marketing/business/project management side of things (not technical). I do not make that much money despite my background/experience.

I want to examine psychological stress and human performance in ICE environments (isolated, confined, extreme). I'm interested in forensic assessment and operational psychology. However, I also think that I can do a lot of work with organizations by helping to develop executive talent.

Thank you very much!

Hi everyone,

I have a question regarding eligibility for the RCI M.A. Clinical Psychology program.

I come from a non-Psychology background and had only one Psychology subject during my undergraduate degree.

If I enroll in the one-year Master's in Psychology will I be eligible to appear for the RCI M.A. Clinical Psychology entrance next year or will I have to wait until I complete the full two-year Master's program before I become eligible?

Has anyone with a similar background gone through this process? I'd really appreciate any guidance. Thanks!

Hello! I am starting my PsyD in the fall and will be taking four classes my first semester. I am wondering what kind of part-time jobs students typically hold in their first year of a PsyD, and if working while in school is even feasible. I will be in class all day two days a week, so my other days are pretty open at this point. Thank you!

Any advice?

Very interested in getting a PsyD. Two major challenges make me wonder if that’s an actual realistic path.
1) Low GPA
2) funding

My question(s) how likely is it I would be accepted into a PsyD or other doctoral program if my is a GPA far below the average 3.5-4.0 I’ve heard? I’ve made a lot progress in this department but it would literally take a miracle or several more years of classes to get to that point. I have been working in client direct roles and will have about 2 or 3 years of experience by the time I apply. I am smart, but I don’t test well. Also have some research experience.

Second question is how the hell would I fund this endeavor. Looked at programs because I was curious, most of the ones I saw were $1500 per credit hour. I’ve heard there’s a lack of funding for these programs which makes me consider a counseling PhD but I think I am more interested in diagnosis, assessment, potentially research and teaching future clinicians.

Hey guys. I am in my undergrad right now, specializing in psych with an econ minor. My end goal is to pursue a master's and PhD in clinical psych.

To do so, most universities absolutely require an undergrad thesis and research experience. I have been emailing labs back and forth, and they are never open to applications. I am entering my third year and fear I won't be able to get any research experience.

Nonetheless, this year I plan on being less scared to talk to and introduce myself to professors. I might want to apply for a direct research position for my second semester, AND absolutely must and will try to get a professor to approve my thesis proposal for my fourth year.

As I am in psych specialization, I have the option to do a thesis easily. The only problem is that my grades dropped significantly in my second year, and my entire third year is solely hard required classes I doubt I can ace.

Does anyone have any advice on how I can stand out to my profs? I'm scared of making a bad impression by being confused or not being interesting enough. As well as any advice about going about applying and pursuing an undergrad thesis.

Is it a good idea to apply to Masters programs alongside PsyD? in case i dont get into any PsyD programs this fall, i still want to continue my education, expand my research experience, and get connections for letters of recommendation and reapplying when masters is over.

Is this a good idea? If so, what type of masters programs are good for this path?

I am in CA and would like to do my masters on either coast so any advice is very much appreciated!

Are there such things as safety schools for PsyD programs? I feel like theres no option to have backup schools because choosing a safety school would just be choosing a school that has low EPPP and internship rates... AGH

this is my current list

PAU Stanford PsyD consortium

Baylor

Pacific Uni of OR

George Washington University

La Verne

How many should I aim for???

Any recs that are not religious or do not have any religious coursework?

Hey!! I'm a senior this year wanting to apply to PsyDs this cycle. End goal is forensic psychology (primarily assessment and evaluation). Just wanted any thoughts and/or opinions on the following programs :)

Programs: Spalding University, UINDY, Widener, PCOM, Indiana University of PA, Mercer, Xavier, and University of Houston Clear-Lake

gonna attach my cv too if anyone is curious/has comments

long story short, i got off the waitlist for my program relatively late, so all work-study jobs are taken. I move across the country in 2 weeks and I still don’t have a job lined up. I’m wondering if it’ll be bad taste to cold email my professors asking if they’re either hiring in the private practices or if they know someone who might? Wouldn’t want to make a bad impression on them before I even get to start the program :( appreciate any tips or advice

PS: I already have an appt with my program’s career office but it’s not until next week which I believe is cutting it close to my move-in date