Prospective Students: Admissions

Admissions Process

The program begins in Autumn Quarter and admits students once a year. The application deadline is December 15th.

• Preliminary screening. The admissions committee of the Department of Clinical Psychology (CPY) will conduct a preliminary screening process.
• Personal interviews. Finalists will be invited to visit campus for personal interviews in late February or early March.
• Program selection. Admission to the doctoral program depends upon recommendation by the CPY faculty and approval from the chair of the department. About 15 percent of those who apply are admitted annually.

Learn more about who is admitted. Review our admissions statistics page to find out our student demographics.

Admissions Requirements

For detailed information on admission, visit the Graduate Center. Or request an application packet at gradadmissions@spu.edu, or by calling 206-281-2091 or 800-601-0603.

Bachelor’s Degree & GPA

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university.

• A minimum grade-point average of 3.0 is required.
• An undergraduate major in psychology is preferable. At minimum, psychology courses should include statistics, as well as at least five other courses from among the following:

  Abnormal Developmental Experimental Physiological Social

  Learning Motivation Personality Cognitive Tests and measurements

• Applicants with bachelor’s degrees not in psychology may wish to take the Psychology Subject Test of the GRE to demonstrate adequate knowledge of general psychology.

The Graduate Record Exam (GRE)

We require the GRE.

• We prefer scores of 1100 for the combined verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE.
• The test must have been administered within five years of the deadline date for application to the program.
• The Psychology Subject Test of the GRE (PGRE) is not required, but may be advantageous for applicants without a bachelor's degree in psychology.
• SPU's GRE institution code is 4694

Letters & References

Applicants will submit three letters of recommendation:

• One professional reference from a person in a related field (e.g., clinical supervisor)
• One academic reference from a former professor or instructor
• One personal recommendation (e.g., any professional but not a member of the applicant's family)

Academic references are most important. In fact, letters from a supervisor and/or personal recommendation also might be from college professors.

Note: We prefer references written on academic or professional letterhead, or on our standard forms (PDF). Sealed letters may be included with your application, or sent directly to us from the reference.

Personal Statement

Applicants must submit a typed personal statement.

• Statements should be three to four pages in length.
• Address career objectives, your rationale for seeking a degree in clinical psychology, and why you choose to attend SPU.
• Mention your professional and personal strengths as they apply to clinical psychology, related work experiences, research interests, personal values, religious ideals, and other information you deem appropriate.

Note: Preference is shown to those applicants who possess potential for both clinical and scientific work, as demonstrated by prior work or volunteer experiences.

TOEFL Requirement

Applicants for whom English is not their first language

• Must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
• Must obtain a minimum score of 600 on the paper-based test or 250 on the computer-based test.

Statement of Financial Support (non-U.S. citizens). Applicants who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents must provide an official confidential statement of financial support covering each year of intended enrollment.

This is necessary in order to issue the paperwork for an I-20 Immigration form. Documentation must be included in the application packet.

Transfer of Credit

Any transfer of credit is done by petition process after formal admission to the program, during the first quarter of graduate study at SPU.