Application Instructions

Please carefully review and follow all application procedures listed below and those outlined by the Graduate School. You are responsible for ensuring that your application is complete and all materials are received by the deadline (December 1st) by both the Graduate School and the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. 

Applicants should first review the Graduate School application instructions and then complete the online application form (see item 1 below).

The following materials are required for the application:

1.     Graduate School Online Application Form

2.     Application Fee: $65 - click here for more information on opportunities for fee waivers.

3.     Transcript(s): Official transcripts from ALL undergraduate and any graduate institutions you have attended must be sent directly from the colleges to the Office of Graduate Admissions. Sending transcripts are usually done with your university’s Registrar’s Office or the National Student Clearinghouse.

4.     Three Recommendation Letters: Three letters of recommendation from academic and similar professional sources (e.g., professors; research lab principal investigator) are required. Applicants will enter information for each for their letter writers in the online application form and the system will send each letter writer a link to submit their recommendation.

5.     Mentor Rankings: Our program is a research-based, scientist practitioner focused program and students are admitted based on a mentorship model (i.e., you will work with a specific faculty mentor in their research lab). You should identify a potential faculty mentor(s) in our program who is reviewing applications in this cycle whose research matches your interests, experiences, and goals.

The online application form will prompt you to indicate your preferences for up to three possible research mentors (ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd). Please only list the name(s) of faculty who will be reviewing applications in this cycle, which can be found at: https://louisville.edu/psychology/graduate/clinical/admissions

6.     Current Curriculum Vitae: Your current CV should be uploaded under “Upload Materials” > “Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV).” At minimum, your CV should include the following sections (as relevant based on your experiences; exclude any section(s) in which you do not have experience):

  • Education
  • Honors/Awards/Scholarships/Grants
  • Publications
  • Presentations
  • Research Experience
  • Clinical Experience
  • Teaching Experience
  • Service
  • Technical Skills

7.     Personal Statement: A Personal Statement should be uploaded with your application materials under “Upload Materials” > “Personal Statement”. This document is a Statement of Purpose and is expected to be 2-3 pages. The Statement should describe your background, research experience and interests, and career goals. Within your Statement, please describe how your professional and research experiences led you to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and how our program and the specific faculty member(s) to whose lab(s) you are applying fit with your interests and goals.

Tips: The Application Statement Feedback Program provides free constructive feedback on the “research/personal statements of Ph.D. applicants in psychology, with an emphasis on underrepresented minorities and/or those who may not have access to this information. You can also see here for Personal Statement examples.

8.     Interest & Experience Essays: Four brief essays (up to 300-600 words each) about your interests, research experiences, clinical experiences, and career goals are required. The information in these essays may overlap with information you have provided in your Personal Statement; we include these essays so that faculty have the necessary information to evaluate whether your experience and goals align with our program and faculty labs. You may duplicate text from other application materials such as your Statement and CV.

These essays will be submitted via the checklist after you submit your application. The questions can be seen here, including the word limit for each essay. We appreciate your taking the time to respond to each of these questions in the application.

9. Education & Life Experiences Essays: The Graduate School requires responses to two of seven provided prompts in the areas of leadership, community engagement, resilience and adaptability, accountability and responsibility, self-motivation, capacity for self-improvement, and inclusive excellence. The full list of prompts can be seen here.

10. Supplemental Materials: Supplemental materials are not required but encouraged. Supplemental materials can provide information regarding your quantitative/research and writing skills. You may upload supplemental materials such as a description of relevant courses/trainings, capstone or Honors projects, research presentations, publications or writing samples with your application materials. 

These materials will be submitted via the checklist after you submit your application. Your supplemental materials should be uploaded under “Upload Materials” > “Writing Sample” for any writing (e.g., writing samples) and “Other” for any other documents (e.g., description of trainings attended). If necessary, combine documents into a single PDF for the file upload.

11. Confirmation of state of residence if enrolled in program: You will be asked on the application if you intend to live in Kentucky during your first term of enrollment in our program, regardless of the state in which you currently live. This question is asked given federal regulations (see more information below) to ensure that applicants are aware that requirements for state licensure vary by state.

Our program is an on-campus, in-person program. Our students typically live in Kentucky throughout the on-campus portion of program (usually 4-5 years prior to completing their one-year predoctoral internship in or out of state, depending on where students match). Unless you are planning to live out of state and commute in for our on-campus program, most applicants should note their intention to live in Kentucky (select Yes) in the first term of enrollment in our program.

If you do not plan to live in Kentucky in the first term of enrollment in the program, select No, and we will follow up with you to evaluate your plans and determine whether the program is available to you based on your location of study and/or your intended location of employment and licensure after completing the program.

Information about federal regulations:
Due to federal regulations, some programs designed to lead to professional licensure may not be available for offer to some applicants depending on the location of study during the first term of enrollment in the program.

For applicants to our on-campus programs who do not intend to live in Kentucky or in a state where the program meets educational requirements for licensure, it is strongly advised that prospective students review the list of states and U.S. territories where UofL programs meet educational requirements for professional licensure available at https://louisville.edu/oapa/licensure-information.  

By submitting your completed application and paying the application fee, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to these terms.

Note: The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is not required for the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program.

Additional Considerations for International Applicants:

1. TOEFL/English Proficiency: Official TOEFL scores must be submitted by those for whom English is not their native language. For more information about the English Proficiency/TOEFL requirements, click here.
2. Additional instructions for international students can be found here.

Application Review Timeline (Approximate)

  • December: Faculty review applications
  • By early January: Interview invitations are emailed to selected applicants
  • Mid to late January: Virtual interviews with invited applicants
  • February to March: Faculty extend offers of admissions, waitlist information, and rejections
  • April 15: Deadline for admitted students to accept offer of admissions (though earlier acceptances are very much appreciated!)
Offers of Admission

Typically, students will receive offers of admission before April 1. Assistantships and fellowships are also normally offered before April 1. Applicants are under no obligation to respond to offers of admission or financial support prior to the decision date of April 15. Additional admissions and financial offers may be made after the April 15th decision date if one or more slots become available.

Fee Waivers

Graduate School Fee Waivers (must inquire about eligibility prior to December 1): Students who fall into the following categories may request a waiver by calling (502) 852-6495 to determine eligibility 

  • Applicants receiving government public assistance through programs such as Aid to Families with Dependent Care (AFDC), Medicaid, Food Stamps, or Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI). 
  • Attend minority serving institutions
  • Participate in Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP), TRIO, McNair Scholars, Fulbright Scholars, and UofL Cardinal Covenant
  • Attend the UofL Graduate School sponsored visitation day, held in the spring
  • Students who attend regional and national recruiting events where they meet with UofL graduate school representatives.

Fee Waivers may also be available for applicants who are currently serving as members of the U.S. Armed Forces and Veterans; please see here or call (502) 852-2482 for more information.

Department Fee Waivers (applications due November 1): Students who do not fall into the above categories can apply for a limited number of Department fee waivers. Click the following link for more information and to access the Department fee waiver application: https://redcap.link/UofLPBSfeewaiver2024. See the fee waiver application for more details. 

Questions

Should you have any further questions regarding program-specific application requirements, please contact:
Maggie Leahy
Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences
University of Louisville
maggie.leahy@louisville.edu