FAQ

Competitive applicants typically have:

• Strong overall academic preparation, as evidenced by the following:
  • High undergraduate GPA, or a reason for a lower GPA with other evidence of strong academic preparation
  • Undergraduate and/or master's major and/or quality of course work consistent with a major in psychology, including basic psychological science (affective, biological, cognitive, developmental and social aspects of behavior), abnormal psychology, statistics and research design
  • Awards, honors, leadership positions, attainment of competitive grants
  • Quality of completion of the graduate application form
• Research preparation
  • High quality and extensive prior research experiences
  • Evidence of research productivity, such as co-authoring scientific presentations and publications
• Clinical preparation
  • Exposure to clinical populations through volunteer positions, research, or work
• Strong alignment with the mission and aims of the PhD program
• Interests and experiences that closely align with interests of specific faculty members and their labs.
• High quality personal statement
• Strong Letters of reference
• For international students, English proficiency
• Completion of Supplementary Data Survey. Link for the survey will be sent to the email attached to your application. 

Yes! To facilitate our holistic review of your application, particularly given that we are not collecting or examining GRE data, we are requiring all applicants to complete a Supplemental Application Survey. In addition to submitting your application through CollegeNet, you will be sent an email at the address associated with your application that has a link to the updated Supplemental Survey. 

No, neither the GRE General nor Psychology Subject Tests are required.

No, taking the MCAT is not necessary.

Our program requires that students demonstrate a certain level of English language proficiency prior to an admission offer. Provide official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) iBT, International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic, or Michigan English Test (MET) test scores. The TOEFL iBT minimum requirement is 90 for PhD. The IELTS minimum requirement is 7. The MET minimum requirement is 61. NOTE: Applicants with a degree from an English speaking institution will have their TOEFL requirement waived upon review of their application.

The program requires that students demonstrate a certain level of English language proficiency prior to an admission offer; see above.

Interntional applicants should also be aware that, as with other clinical psychology PhD programs in the United States, they may be limited in applying to internship sites. Some internship sites may not accept international students due to federal funding.

Yes, as part of the Traveling Scholar Program, students from the Big Ten University Network (including University of Chicago) can take our courses. Depending on the course, you may enroll with permission of the instructor. Our courses are not open to the public.

You should take courses in basic psychological sciences (affective, biological, cognitive, developmental and social aspects of behavior), abnormal psychology, clinical psychology, experimental psychology and statistics. When not in a worldwide pandemic, you may also strongly consider taking the GRE Psychology Subject Test to demonstrate your competency with basic psychological concepts. Another option is to obtain a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology or related fields.

Yes. We are a scientist-practitioner program with an equal emphasis on research and clinical training. Some experience, even experiences with limited exposure to clinical populations, is required; you need to know that you want to work with a clinical population!

Prior experience with research (e.g., volunteering on a research project during undergraduate, working on a research study, coordinating a research program) is also required to be a competitive applicant. Please note that research experience is much more strongly weighted than clinical experience in reviewing applicants.

Not necessarily. A master's degree does not necessarily make you more competitive for our PhD program. A master's degree, especially a degree that prepares you exclusively for clinical practice, will not necessarily compensate for lower undergraduate grades, unless there is a clear and reasonable explanation for lower undergraduate grades.

Obtaining a master's degree may be helpful if it substantially increases your research skills and provides you with opportunities for research productivity (e.g., presentations and publications). Working as a research assistant or research coordinator in a lab of a well-known scientist is another way to gain this experience. A master's degree may also be helpful if you did not have an undergraduate degree in psychology or if you are unsure that doctoral study in clinical psychology is the right path for you.

The PhD program will consider accepting course credits toward the PhD from other graduate-level programs within Northwestern, after review and approval by the director of graduate studies. Although Northwestern University does not accept transfer credits from other universities at the graduate level, under certain circumstances, the director of graduate studies in consultation with the Education and Training Committee of the PhD program will accept a previously completed graduate course that will satisfy a curricular requirement of the PhD program.

Use code number C30PH when completing The Graduate School application.

The ETS code number is 1565.

You are welcome to choose "Psychology, Clinical" for the department; however, Northwestern makes all scores sent to the University available to all programs, regardless of the "departments" selected on the ETS form. 

Northwestern's financial code number is E00617.

No. Letters of recommendation must be submitted through The Graduate School online application website. Program staff are not permitted to upload any letters of recommendation to the application portal, as additional items are required from your recommender as part of their submission. If your recommender requires technical assistance, please have them contact CollegeNet support at: lor_help@collegenet.com

Yes. Applicants are required to identify the Major Area of Study for which they are applying in the "Area of Specialization" question in the online application. There are five Major Areas of Study:

• Behavioral Medicine or Health Psychology
• Clinical Adult Psychology
• Clinical Child Psychology
• Clinical Neuropsychology
• Forensic Psychology

Please note that the Major Areas of Study (MAS) are intended to be flexible and modular.

By flexible, we mean that students are never "locked into" a MAS. For example, students are free to change their MAS over the course of their doctoral education. As such, while we ask applicants to identify a MAS as a way to understand how we can meet their clinical interests, applicants should be reassured that we take an individualized approach to each student's educational plan to meet their career goals.

By modular, we mean that the MAS structure is intended to advanced students' unique career paths. As such, students are free to mix-and-match the MAS as needed. For example, a student interested in pediatric neuropsychology can elect an MAS in both Clinical Child Psychology and Clinical Neuropsychology. In addition, students do not need to select a MAS that is consistent with their research lab. For example, a student may be interested in working in a lab that is organized under Clinical Neuropsychology because of their interest in structural and functional neuroanatomy in schizophrenia; however, their clinical interest may be in the treatment of people with schizophrenia, and therefore they elect a MAS in Clinical Adult Psychology.

In short, the MAS is a way for our program to structure courses, research, and clinical experiences in recognized specialty areas and other focus areas in Clinical Psychology, while also supporting students' individualized educational plans.

We also offer Focus Areas in the PhD program in Policy, Data Analytics, and Dissemination and Implementation Science. Focus Areas provide opportunities for focused learning in areas that our not recognized specialties or subspecialties in Health Service Psychology.  The online application does not ask about Focus Areas. Applicants will be required to indicate their Area of Specialization using the Major Areas of Study listed above, regardless of their interest in pursuing an additional Focus Area. Applications can indicate an interest in a Focus Area in their Academic Statement. 

Yes. We are a mentor-based program, and therefore your application will be reviewed in consideration of the research of the primary mentors that are recruiting students for their research labs. As such, you must identify at least one mentor that has research interests similar to your interests and experiences. The application provides an opportunity for you to state your preferences and demonstrate how well your interests and experiences align with the interests of our primary mentors. Please make certain that the primary mentor you select fits with the Major Area of Study that you indicated.

We will accept between three and six students each year, depending on the number of recruiting faculty. We receive on average between 600-900 applications per year.

Yes, since September 2018, all students in the Clinical Psychology PhD Program in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences receive a Research Assistant Scholarship or equivalent award that provides 100 percent tuition remission (or the equivalent) and a 12-month stipend (current stipend rates can be found at this webpage). The tuition remission and monthly stipend are provided for 20 quarters, including four academic years and four summers, as well as a funding for a fifth academic year and summer as part of the full-time clinical internship that is completed at another institution. Fifth-year stipend funding during the clinical internship year includes the stipend provided by the internship, as well as stipend support from the university that is necessary to bring the internship stipend up to the minimum stipend levels set by The Graduate School.

Students receive a full health insurance subsidy, if enrolled in the Northwestern Student Health Insurance Plan (NUSHIP), for the first four academic years and four summers. Please note that NUSHIP is active for 12 months, from September 1 through the last day of August. Health insurance during the clinical internship year is provided by the internship site; the PhD Program does not provide a health insurance subsidy during the clinical internship year, although students are able to purchase the NUSHIP plan out of pocket.

Currently, all interviews will be conducted remotely via Zoom between February and March. Some interviewees may also visit the Evanston campus, depending on the faculty involved in the interviews.

Please note that interviews are by invitation by the PhD program only; we will not honor any requests for interviews.

We plan to offer an in-person open house for applicants who are ranked for admission into our program. The open house will not be available to general applicants. We will also not conduct any in-person tours or meetings outside of the admissions process.

Yes, all PhD students are eligible for a Master of Science (MS) in Clinical Psychology in the second or third year of the PhD program. Completion of required course units and a successful oral defense with a faculty committee of the Research Qualifying Paper is required for the MS to be awarded.