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Clinical PhD Application Information

All applications to the Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology are completed online through the Idaho State University Graduate School. Updated clinical application materials are available online by October 1st each year. All application materials must be received before the November 15th deadline. Student applications with missing and/or late required materials shall not be considered for admission.

All interviews are conducted via Zoom in early February. Applicants invited for an interview by the Clinical Admissions Committee will be notified of dates and times.

The following items are required for a complete application: CV/resume, unofficial college(s) transcript, contact information for three people who have agreed to write letters of recommendation for you, and a personal essay.  The essay should describe your preparation for graduate training, the research interests you might like to pursue during your graduate training, and the aspects of the program that match your training goals and interests, including your interest in the research of specific faculty members.  Ideally, this essay will be 2-3 pages in length. 

GRE scores are not required nor expected, and applications are considered complete without GRE scores. However, if students submit scores, the Clinical Training Committee may take them into consideration along with the rest of the application as part of a holistic review. Students who do not submit GRE scores will not be penalized in any way during the application review.

You are encouraged to contact faculty members who you would be interested in working with via email to let them know you intend to apply to the PhD program, are interested in working with them, and how you see your interests overlapping with theirs. You can also ask them if they intend to accept new students for your desired start date. 

All qualified applicants will be given equal consideration. We encourage applicants from all demographic (e.g., ability, culture, ethnic, gender identity, sexual identity, socioeconomic, spirituality) and experiential backgrounds to apply to our program. Given our program’s historical mission to provide Idahoans with quality clinical and academic training, we also encourage Idaho residents to apply to our program. However, Idaho residency does not compensate for deficits in qualifications and is only considered when comparing individuals of equivalent ability.

If you are interested in our program and want to learn more, please reach out to the Director of Clinical Training, Dr. Samuel Peer by phone (208-282-1215) or by email.

Admission to ISU’s Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology is very competitive. Our program is a member of the Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology (CUDCP) and interested applicants should consider reviewing CUDCP’s review of undergraduate competencies that make for successful applicants to programs like ours.

At a minimum, applicants are required to have a BA/BS in psychology or the equivalent and an undergraduate GPA at or above 3.0 for the last two undergraduate years. However, competitive applicants to ISU’s Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology program tend to have:

  • Undergraduate and/or graduate GPAs of 3.75 or higher; 
  • Meaningful research experiences that include at least one year of research lab experience relevant to scientific psychology;
  • One or more research articles under review (and/or published) and/or several research presentations at regional, national, and/or international professional conferences;
  • One or more years of employment and/or volunteer service relevant to clinical-community psychology; 
  • Clearly identified potential research advisor(s) with a clear and well-articulated rationale;
  • A compelling description of program fit, with clear, supportive details (e.g., shared goals, philosophy, values); and
  • Strong letters of recommendation that make it clear that the student is likely to be successful in a program like ours.

What if you are admitted to our program?

All clinical students must matriculate during the fall semester. Once admitted, students are expected to maintain “full-time” status (i.e., 9 to 12 credits during fall and spring semesters and 1 credit each summer). Our program does not offer a part-time option except under exceptional circumstances. Doctoral training in clinical psychology requires a full-time clinical internship and usually assigns community practicum placements in regional mental health agencies. Many of these institutions require a legal background check to insure all employees meet current standards. In addition, licensure boards usually require applicants to report on their legal background. In addition, many hospital settings require documentation of vaccinations and /or proof of immunity to common communicable diseases.