The Department of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania will be accepting applications for the PhD program for the 2026-2027 admissions cycle beginning October 1, 2026. The deadline for applicants who wish to matriculate in Fall 2027 is December 8, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time.

UPDATE: The GRE General Test will be required for all applicants for Fall 2027 admission.

Please note, we only accept applications for a PhD in Psychology. We do not admit students to pursue a terminal Master’s degree.

APPLY HERE
 

Faculty members considering applications for Fall 2027 will be updated in this space in early fall before the application opens on October 1, 2026.

Application Guidelines

1. Before submitting an application, we strongly encourage applicants to contact faculty with whom they are interested in working to discuss their research interests and confirm that working with the faculty member would be a good fit.

   All members of our graduate group are eligible to advise students in our program, and a list of those indicating they will look at applications for Fall 2027 will be added to this webpage before the application opens on October 1, 2026.

2. Once you have contacted a faculty member and determined that the lab and the program are a good fit, you should proceed with your application.
3. The GRE General test is required for application to Penn Psychology’s graduate program. We believe that the results of the test can provide valuable information in a student’s dossier – information that is different from the other elements and might allow a student to reveal intellectual distinction that would set them apart. Please be aware that ETS (who makes the GRE) has a fee reduction program that halves the cost of the GRE for students who may not have the means to pay for the test.  GRE must be submitted electronically through ETS using the institution code 2926.
4. Applicants whose native language is not English must prove English proficiency through the following approved tests, unless they have graduated from an English-speaking university (this may be from a university in a country where English is the primary language or if stated on the university transcript that the medium of instruction was English): TOEFL or IELTS. TOEFL must be submitted electronically through ETS using the institution code 2926. An official copy of the IELTS scores must be mailed directly from IELTS to the Graduate Division, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, 3401 Walnut Street, Suite 322A, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6228.

5. Personal Statement: All applicants must include a personal statement that addresses the following question:

   Please describe how your background and academic experiences have influenced your decision to pursue a graduate degree and led you to apply to Penn. Your essay should detail your specific research interests and intellectual goals within your chosen field. Please provide information about your educational trajectory, intellectual curiosity and academic ambitions. 

   If you have experienced limited access to resources or opportunities in your field of study or had other challenges with respect to your education, please feel free to share those and how they have affected the course of your education.

   The personal statement helps us evaluate the fit between your interests and skills and the Penn Psychology program. It should describe why you want to pursue a PhD in Psychology, why Penn is the right place for you to do it, what sorts of skills and experiences make you qualified to pursue a PhD in a research-intensive Psychology program like Penn’s, what kinds of questions you are interested in studying, and who on the faculty you would like to work with. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact potential advisors in advance of writing the personal statement, to ensure that the research questions the applicant hopes to pursue are a good fit with research topics Penn faculty are working on. If you hope to study a question that members of our Psychology Graduate Group are not interested in pursuing, then Penn would not be a good fit for you. Please also look at the websites of faculty members whose labs you would like to join; they might have additional instructions for information they would like you to include in the personal statement. The personal statement is typically around two pages, single-spaced.

6. You must arrange to have 3 letters of recommendation sent to Penn and submit all components of the application before the December 8, 2026 deadline. These include the GRE, a personal statement, a transcript, and a CV.

7. Pay your application fee. A limited number of application fee waivers are available for applicants who demonstrate clear and compelling financial hardship. The Graduate Division of Arts and Sciences oversees the waiver process, which is completed through the application. For more information on how to request a waiver, please refer to their Application Information page.  Applicants should submit requests at least 2 weeks prior to the application deadline.

   All waiver requests must be made through the application. Please do not send your request or any personal information by email.

   If you encounter any issues, please email sas-gradadmissions@sas.upenn.edu

8. You will hear from us in mid-January if you will be invited to interview. Interviews will be held virtually. Interviews are usually in late January/early February. Admissions offers are usually made in mid-February.

Is Penn’s program right for you? See this handy decisions tree, reposted from the University of Houston Psychology website, to help you determine a route to your desired Psychology career.

Additional questions? Visit this list of FAQ about the application process.

For further questions, please contact Paul Newlon at grad_coordinator@psych.upenn.edu.