Admission Policies and Procedures

Admission Requirements

• A minimum of three undergraduate courses in psychology or a related field, including a course on statistics/research design
• Two additional courses acceptable to the departmental admissions committee.
• Must submit academic transcripts for any undergraduate and graduate work
• Must complete the General GRE test.  
• Completion of an online application and formal campus interview
   

Admissions Policy and the Application Process

The admissions process will begin with the completion of an online application. The application process will occur completely online through the EKU Graduate School website (http://gradschool.eku.edu/apply), including submission of a cover letter, responding to a series of brief essay prompts (provided below so you can prepare), 3 letters of recommendation, and CV/resume. Once materials have been received, they will be reviewed by our program faculty. Applicants will be ranked based on GRE, GPA, essay responses, letters of recommendation, and professional experience. Our top candidates will be invited for a formal campus interview at the end of January or beginning of February. Following the interviews, final selections will be made and invitation for admission will be extended. Historically speaking, candidates with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and GRE scores at the 50^th percentile or higher will be competitive. Admission is competitive and limited to available space. Meeting the minimum requirements, therefore, does not guarantee admission. The admissions committee utilizes a holistic approach to identifying the best students for the program.  

Applications from diverse students are especially encouraged. Please see the Diversity section of our program website for more information and resources related to recruiting and retaining students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds.

Applications must be completed by December 1 in order to be considered for the next entering cohort. 

Completed applications will include:

1. Completed online application through EKU Graduate School (http://gradschool.eku.edu/apply).
2. Applicants must submit academic transcripts from every institution you have attended (undergraduate and graduate level). These transcripts need to be sent directly to EKU from that institution.
3. All applicants must complete the GRE General Test and have their scores sent to the EKU Graduate School.
4. Applicants will be asked to submit a cover letter.  You will not be required to write a personal statement. Instead, you will respond to series of essays described in number 6 below.
5. While the Psy.D. program at EKU is a generalist program, we recognize that many students are interested in specific areas of practice. Applicants will be asked to select up to 5 specific clinical areas of interest, that include: generalist, child, adolescent, adult, forensic, rural, addictions, correctional, developmental disabilities/Autism, suicide/crisis intervention, trauma, veterans, LGBTQIA+, bilingual counseling, social justice/advocacy, and administration
6. The online application portal will then ask you to provide responses to 6 essay prompts. Applicants can provide responses between 250-500 words per essay. Those prompts include: 1) Tell us about the types of extra-curricular activities you are involved in. Please include any leadership roles, volunteer work, or team membership. How has this shaped your interest in serving others? 2) Our program heavily emphasizes multiculturalism and social justice, including rural culture. What experiences and perspectives would you bring to the program in this regard? What is something you learned about yourself from at least one of these experiences? 3) Please tell us about any life experience you have had exposure to that would be beneficial to your work in this career field (co-op, internship, shadowing, or work experience). 4) If you have had any research experience in your undergraduate or graduate studies, briefly describe your involvement in it. 5) What gives you meaning and purpose? How might this be relevant in your decision to pursue clinical psychology? 6) How do you balance demands on your time, responsibilities, and self-care?
7. Applicants will provide three letters of recommendation from individuals who are familiar with your abilities relevant to graduate-level study in psychology. The applicant will enter the names and email addresses for these letter writers in the online application, which will generate a link that will be sent to each letter writer to allow them to submit their letter through the online system. It is the applicant’s responsibility to follow-up with their letter writers to ensure the letters are submitted prior to the application deadline.
8. Applicants will be asked to upload a current Curriculum Vitae/Resume.

For more information or questions regarding the application and admission process, please contact:

Dr. Maggie Freeman
Director of Admissions, Psy.D. Program
521 Lancaster Ave.
127 Cammack Building
Richmond, KY 40475
maggie.freeman@eku.edu