How to Apply to Graduate School in Psychology

The application process is as follows:

1. Please read the following list of Frequently Asked Questions BEFORE completing your application.
2. The Graduate School requires all applicants to fill out an electronic application, so please consult the Graduate School’s “How To Apply” page.
3. Please answer ALL of the questions on the application and be sure to select the Psychology Area you are interested in and the main faculty member you are interested in working with plus 2 other faculty members.

For application fee waiver information, please see our Frequently Asked Questions.

For other application fee information, please go to: https://gradschool.psu.edu/admissions/prepare-to-apply#Fees-200168

Applications are evaluated holistically across a variety of sources of information. Therefore, the following should be uploaded to the graduate application where indicated:

1. A sample paper (A full paper that reflects your writing ability should also be submitted. Examples include, but are not limited to, an honor’s thesis, a research proposal, or a term paper for a class. A research-based paper in the psychology field is preferable, but not required.  Papers should be sole authored [or first authored if submitting a co-authored published manuscript or a conference submission]. There is no page limit.)
2. A statement of purpose (The statement of purpose should communicate your motivation for pursuing a doctoral degree at Penn State, your academic and research background, as well as your career goals. Please indicate the specific area in which you would like to study and the professors whose work is aligned with your research interests. There is not a strict page limit, but a typical length is two pages.
3. Official transcripts (Scanned copies of official transcripts need to be uploaded to the application as individual PDF documents and, if you are selected for admission, you will need to order official transcripts to be sent directly to the Graduate School from the universities you attended showing conferral of degree by the deadline the Graduate School gives you so they can verify your degree conferral. The Graduate School will not accept WES, unofficial transcripts, degree audits, advising transcripts, or transcripts of any kind retrieved from a university student system. If you had credits from another institution transferred to your current/final program degree, then you just need to submit the final completed transcripts showing those transfer credits.)
4. Three (3) letters of recommendation must be submitted electronically by your recommenders. Once you have registered your recommenders in the online application, recommenders will receive an email that will guide them in uploading their letters after you have submitted your application. December 1st is YOUR deadline to submit your application. Your references should submit their letters as soon as they receive the email with instructions from the Graduate School.
5. TOEFL/IELTS scores are required for non-exempt international applicants only (You must indicate your scores on the Graduate School application, but the Graduate School will consider them unofficial scores until they receive the official scores directly from ETS/IELTS.  The at home version is currently being accepted. The Graduate School will only accept these two exams for the English language requirement. The Graduate School will not accept DUOLINGO results or any other exam/test. You will indicate on the online application where the scores should be sent electronically: Students taking the TOEFL should use school code 2660 to send scores to Penn State. Students taking the IELTS should select “Pennsylvania State University, University Park Graduate”. The minimum acceptable score for TOEFL is 80 with a 19 on the speaking section. The minimum acceptable score for IELTS is 6.5. These scores are the minimum that the Graduate School will accept. TOEFL and IELTS scores are valid for 2 years from the exam date.).
6. Submission of GRE scores is not required. Training areas in the department will consider submitted GRE scores in different ways when evaluating applications. The developmental and social areas will not consider GRE scores, even if submitted. Submission of GRE scores is optional for the cognitive, industrial and organizational and clinical areas (if you include them, they will be considered; if you do not include them there is no penalty), though the clinical and industrial and organizational areas strongly recommend submission of GRE scores. 

These documents are to be uploaded only. Please do not send or email your documents elsewhere as application materials not uploaded to the graduate application will not be accepted.