Become a Psychologist

Time to Degree Completion

Students who have completed previous graduate coursework (e.g., Master's degree) are allowed to apply for the Clinical Psychology PhD program. Credit for previous coursework is awarded on an individual basis after careful review of the student's academic records.

In general, graduate students are expected to complete the Clinical Psychology PhD program in 6 years (5 years of university-based graduate training plus a 1-year clinical internship). However, students may choose to remain in the program for a longer duration based on personal and professional circumstances. In the past, some students who entered the program with a Master's degree have been able to complete the program in 5 years (4 years of university-based graduate training plus a 1-year clinical internship).

Program Costs

*Note: All incoming students in the 2015-2016 cohort are fully funded (i.e., tuition remission, health insurance, and stipend) for the first year. Additional information regarding funding can be found here.

Admissions Data

Each year we interview approximately 50 students among the 250 to 300 who apply, and we admit six to eight new students.

Loyola does not use the GRE-Analytical or Analytical Writing score to screen applicants, but we do use a "working screen" of 1100 total for the sum of GRE Verbal plus Quantitative (original scoring system). However, we examine all folders and have accepted some students whose GRE scores do not meet our preliminary cut-off. A lot depends on the applicant's other qualifications and experiences. Please note that we require the GRE Subject Test.

For instance, in addition to GREs and GPAs, our Admissions Committee looks closely at applicants' personal statements, letters of recommendations, and their research and clinical experiences. We take particular note of research experiences (e.g. we look for students who have presented papers at conferences or who have professional publications). Finally, we personally interview applicants to determine if there is a good match between the applicant and our program. In other words, we seek to know whether the applicant's personal and professional interests will be well served by our curriculum, and the chances that the applicant will be able to develop a good mentoring relationship with some of our faculty.