FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions about the Application Process

Q. How many applications do you receive each year, and how many students to you accept?

Last year we received over 750 applications. We can accommodate about 8-10 new students per year.

Q. What qualities do you look for in an applicant?

The goal of the PhD program in Psychology is to train scholars who will make significant contributions to the science of psychology. This is a research-oriented program; we seek to admit students who have the intellectual capacity, background, and interest to become strong researchers. We also seek to admit students who are a good fit to the intellectual concerns of our program, taking into account the match between the student and the program, and the student and the potential advisor.

Several factors are taken into consideration in making these assessments. To get a sense of your academic ability, we look at your academic transcript, including grades, difficulty of courses, and relevance of the coursework for your intended plan of study. If you chose to submit a GRE score, we will take that score into account. To get a sense of your research aptitude and interests, skills and accomplishments, we will look at your CV and your personal statement. We will closely read your letters of recommendation. We will consider what you hope to do after you receive a Ph.D., what research problems you would like to work on during your first year, and who might serve as your research advisor. There is no single criterion or standard for admission—each potential student is evaluated individually as a holistic case.

Q. Should I contact potential advisors before applying?

Although it is not required that you contact potential advisors, we recommend that you do so. This will allow you to determine if there is a good fit between your intellectual interests and the research interests of the potential advisor (or advisors). The potential advisor also may have thoughts about the particular skills or accomplishments that would make a student successful in their lab, and they may have an opinion about whether you should submit a GRE score or not. Please look at the  list of members of the graduate group to get information and contact information for our faculty members.

Q. Who makes the admissions decisions?

Decisions are made by an admissions committee of five faculty members, taking into account the preferences and opinions of the other faculty in the graduate group.

Q. What is the relationship between the Psychology Ph.D. program and the Psychology Clinical Training program.

The Clinical Training program is an APA-accredited training program in clinical psychology for the subset of our students who are interested in this area of psychology. Students in the Clinical Training Program meet all the requirements of the Ph.D. program, plus additional requirements related to clinical training. If you think that you want to participate in the Clinical Training Program, you should apply to the Psychology Ph.D. program, and indicate on your application that you are interested in receiving clinical training. More information about the Clinical Training Program can be found at this link.

Q. Do I have to have an undergraduate degree in Psychology to be eligible for admission to the program?

No, an undergraduate degree in Psychology is not required for admission, although most students who are admitted to the program have taken some Psychology courses. Be advised that you will be expected to complete graduate-level coursework in a wide range of Psychology courses in your first two years in the program, so some background in the discipline is helpful.

Q. My undergraduate degree is from a 3-year university (e.g., in the United Kingdom). Am I still eligible to apply?

Yes.

Q. Do you require an official transcript with the application?

No. We only ask for unofficial transcripts with your application. You can upload these through the online application system, or you can email themto grad_coordinator@psych.upenn.edu. If you are admitted, you will be required to send official transcripts before matriculation.

Q. Does your program offer a terminal Master’s degree?

No. The Department does not have a Master's program and will not admit a student who wants only a Master's Degree from the University of Pennsylvania.  However, since such a degree may be useful to a student who is seeking summer work elsewhere or who finds it necessary to withdraw from the Department's Ph.D. program, students may apply for a Master's Degree after they have completed 8 credit units and the research requirements for the first-year program. Please note that the Masters in Applied Psychology is run by the College of Liberal and Professional Studies and not by the Psychology Department in the School of Arts and Sciences. Please direct all inquiries to the MAPP program.

Q. I completed a Masters degree in Psychology already. May I count some of those credits towards the PhD?

No. You will be expected to fulfill all requirements for the PhD.

Q. Are there scholarships or teaching fellowships that can financially support me if I am admitted?

Yes. All admitted students are given five years of full financial support, including tuition, health insurance, and a stipend. This support can come from a variety of sources, including teaching fellowships, research grants, and individual fellowships. If you are admitted, we will discuss with you the exact details of your financial support package.

Q. Are international students eligible for funding?

Yes. International students who are admitted to our program receive the same funding as non-international students.

Q. What were the GRE and GPA scores for recently admitted students?

 

Q. What is your GRE Department code and TOEFL code?

GRE scores (if you are submitting them) and TOEFL scores will need to be sent electronically from ETS. The institution code for both GRE and TOEFL is 2926.

Q. What is the deadline for filing application materials?

For Fall 2025 admission, the application deadline is December 1, 2024.

Q. How may I apply to your program?

Applications are available online.  When selecting more than one faculty member in the new application, please hold the Control (ctrl) key for Windows or Command key for Mac to click on mulitple names. We ask that you urge your recommenders to send their letters online. (There are instructions provided for this process at the on-line link above.)  If they choose not to use this method, those letters then must be sent to the Graduate Division of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, 3401 Walnut St. Ste 322A, Philadelphia, PA  19104 in signed and sealed envelopes from each recommender.

Q. Do you have any specific information about the personal statement?

See here for instructions on how to complete the personal statement.

Q. I have a write-up of research in Psychology that I have conducted.  Can I submit this as part of my application?

While a writing sample is not required, you should feel free to submit one if you wish.  Writing samples should be uploaded to your online application or sent directly by email to Paul Newlon grad_coordinator@psych.upenn.edu.

Q. Do you accept application fee waiver requests?

All fee waiver requests for hardships, McNair Scholars, etc., should be submitted to the Graduate Division of Arts and Sciences using the Application Fee Waiver Form found using this link. Please follow the instructions closely. A request for a fee waiver should be submitted well in advance of the application deadline for your program and is separate from your application for admission.  Do not submit your application until you receive a decision regarding your request. Please note that application fee waivers are not provided for international applicants. The department is not involved with application fee waivers. Please contact the Graduate Division of Arts and Sciences with any questions.

Q. Do applicants visit the campus? 

If interviews are in person, then applicants on the "shortlist" will be invited for on-campus interviews in late-January to mid-February. If interviews are virtual (as they were for the past 3 years), then applicants who are subsequently offered admission will be invited for an on-campus recruiting event, most likely in March. We will decide between these two options later in the year, taking COVID infection rates into account.

Q. What other graduate programs are in the geographical area?

See this list.

Q. My interests cross the boundary between neuroscience and psychology.  Which department should I apply to?

At Penn, you may work in many neuroscience labs as a psychology or neuroscience Ph.D. student.  Likewise, many psychology labs have both psychology and neuroscience students.  You should look at both programs to see which you think is a better training plan given your specific interests.  Alternatively, you may wish to contact the faculty member(s) whose work is of most interest to you to see if they have a specific recommendation.  You should also be aware that there is no rule preventing you from applying to both programs!

Q. I am not a United States citizen--how do I get a visa?

Upon your admission, You will receive an electronic letter from the Graduate Division office. Within the electronic letter, there is a link to access the enrollment form. In order to complete this form, you will need a temporary social security number (9-digit admissions ID) which will be assigned to you if you do not already have one. Do Not use any number in this field except a valid social security number or the temporary one assigned to you. Once you complete the enrollment form, your information will be sent to the International Student and Scholar Services on-line database. Once the information is received by their office, they will send an email that will provide all necessary information on how to obtain a visa; if you do not receive a response from them, please contact the ISSS office.