Application Process

Timeline

  • December 1st: All application materials due
  • Jan 31st - Feb 1st, 2025: Virtual recruiting weekend
  • March 14th-15th: In-person recruiting for candidates who are accepted to the program 

Overview

The department uses the GradCAS website for the application process. Official reports of GRE and TOEFL exams (when required/accepted), are sent to us electronically by the testing services. Your recommenders must also submit their letters of recommendation through GradCAS. Copies of transcripts are accepted and will be uploaded through Liaison. Upon admission to the program you will be required to submit official transcripts from all prior institutions. Your application can be evaluated only when it is complete. All credentials must be received by December 1st. Please use this check list:

  1. Application Fee
  2. Statement of Goals
  3. Personal Essay
  4. Three Letters of Recommendation
  5. Copies of Transcripts (and English translations, if necessary)
  6. GRE Scores (see below for details about requirements for different programs)
  7. Additional Materials (optional)
  8. For International Students:
    1. TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo Scores
    2. Additional Forms for International Students

Our programs use a holistic review procedure that looks for a good fit of interest with the research conducted in our department and considers a wide range of factors associated with success in graduate school. Three letters of recommendation should be written by professors with whom you have studied or worked. Two essays are required; These form an essential component of this holistic review because they provide a personal perspective on each applicant.

Please review the detailed information below before submitting your application. 

1. Application for Admission to Graduate Study

Applications must be submitted online through GradCAS system.  Please choose 'Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology' from the list. You will be able to enter the specific program of interest further into the application. The online application system will be disabled after the December 1st deadline. The application form serves as an application for both admission and financial aid (fellowships, teaching assistantships, or research assistantships) in the Department of Psychology. You do not need to apply separately for financial aid.

You can apply to more than one program if you feel they meet your interests. Your chances of admission are not increased by applying to multiple programs. You should also indicate one or more faculty with whom you would most like to work. Please make sure that faculty member is accepting students for the current admissions year. Please do not list faculty who are listed as 'not accepting' as that particular faculty member will not review your application. On the people page, if you select 'accepting grad students' = 'yes', or click here. Profiles are up-to-date for the 2025-26 admissions year. 

2. Application Fee

An application fee of $75.00 will be paid online through the GradCAS application. In an effort to reduce financial barriers to attending graduate school, the Kenneth P. Dietrich Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offers application fee waivers. Please note that fee waivers are approved on a case-by-case basis and not all fee waiver requests will be granted. See below for further instructions on how to apply for a fee waiver. You must apply and wait for notification of the waiver before submitting the application. If you pay the application fee before the decision on the waiver is made a refund CANNOT be awarded.

We are pleased to offer application fee waivers on the basis of participation in the following programs, fellowships, and events:

  • American Geophysical Union Bridge Program (AGU Bridge)
  • American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)
  • AmeriCorps (current participant or recent alum, within the last two years)
  • Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) 

Also, we are pleased to offer application fee waivers to the following applicants: 

  • Applicants who have earned or are in the process of earning an undergraduate or graduate degree from a Minority Serving Institution (MSI)
  • Honorably Discharged Veterans and Active Duty members of the U.S. Armed Services
  • Applicants who currently have DACA status
  • Current University of Pittsburgh staff

For International applicants: students applying through certain outside fellowship organizations may be eligible for a fee waiver.

All requests received will be reviewed and responded to within 48 hours during normal business hours: Monday - Friday 8:30a.m. to 5:00p.m. EST.  To be considered for a fee waiver, Please complete the following fee waiver survey.

3. Statement of Goals

A required Statement of Goals is an essential component of this holistic review because it provides a personal perspective on each applicant. This statement should be no more than 1,000 words long and explain your plans and preparation for graduate study and a professional career.

Please be as specific as possible and address each of the following points: a) Academic and Research Background: We are interested in learning about how your academic and research experiences have provided you with the skills you will build on to become an independent scientist. These skills include critical thinking; articulating, explaining, and generating original research questions; understanding and explaining the logic of arguments and rationale for experiments; and analyzing and critically interpreting scientific findings, among other skills. Drawing upon specific examples from your experiences, provide the strongest evidence you can to show that you have many or all of these skills. If you are applying for admission to the clinical program, include or integrate an additional summary of your clinical experiences and skills that expresses how these relate to your research interests and future plans. (b) Personal Qualities and Skills:  Reflect on any additional personal qualities, skills, or experiences that make you a strong candidate for our PhD program. Some skills/qualities that are vital to success in a PhD program are: the ability to work independently and problem solve, the ability to collaborate effectively, the ability to successfully juggle multiple demands on your time, and intellectual curiosity. (c) Research interests: What are your research interests? Are there specific faculty members whose research aligns with your interests? How do your research interests connect to theirs, and what research ideas would you be interested in pursuing with them? (d) Fit with Our Program: Why are you particularly interested in getting a PhD in psychology at the University of Pittsburgh?  (e) Future Career Goals: Outline your long-term career aspirations, and how obtaining a PhD in psychology will help you achieve them. 

4. Personal Essay

In a personal essay of no more than 500 words, share information about any of the following: leadership or outreach efforts in your school or community; employment or athletics that you have balanced with academic demands; learning that you have undertaken outside of the classroom; challenges that you have overcome in persevering towards your goals; or if you wish, any issues relevant to equity, diversity and inclusion, broadly considered.

5. Transcripts of All Credits

Transcripts are required from each undergraduate (and graduate) school attended. Please submit your transcripts through GradCAS by uploading copies of all transcripts. Please only upload UNOFFICIAL COPIES for the application. Official transcripts will be required upon matriculation into the graduate studies program. Please do not email any transcripts to the Psychology Department as you must contact GradCAS directly for any assistance with uploads. See contact information at #9 below. 

6. Three Letters of Recommendation

Letters of recommendation should be written by professors with whom you have studied or worked. The method of receipt is through the online system GradCAS system. 

7. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Scores

Please see the requirement of each program listed below:

  • Clinical: GRE optional
  • Joint Clinical-Health: GRE optional
  • Joint Clinical-Developmental: GRE optional
  • Biological & Health:  GRE optional
  • Developmental: GRE optional
  • Cognitive: GRE not considered/accepted
  • Social: GRE not considered/accepted

The University of Pittsburgh school code is 2927. Do NOT enter a department or program code. Only official score reports submitted by ETS will be accepted for admission consideration.

The Psychology Subject Test - For the clinical program and joint clinical programs, this exam is not required, but recommended, especially for non-psychology majors. Please note: the GRE psychology subject test is usually given only once in the fall, and again in the late spring. You may still apply even if you missed the fall test. In this case your psychology GPA will be more heavily weighted in the application review process. It is optional for other psychology programs. 

For information concerning the GRE, contact the Educational Testing Service, Box 955, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, or the testing center of the school you are attending.

8. Additional Materials

You may upload additional materials online (e.g., papers, reprints) that you think might assist the Admissions Committee in evaluating your application.

9. English Language Testing Scores (TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo)

International graduate applicants must possess proficiency in English at a level that enables them to succeed in graduate-level studies. Applicants in the following categories meet this requirement: citizens of a country whose official languages include English; graduates of regionally accredited institutions in the U.S.; graduates of institutions whose language of instruction is English and located in countries whose official languages include English.

These scores are required for all applicants whose native language is not English. The minimum requirements for each exam are listed below: 

TOEFL: score of 90, with a score of at least 22 in each of the four sections of speaking, listening, reading, and writing. TOEFL scores submitted must not be more than two years old.

IELTS: score of 7.0, with at least 6.5 in each of its four sections. IELTS scores submitted must not be more than two years old.

Duolingo English Test: score of 120

If you are completing the Duolingo English Test: The Duolingo English Test is an online English proficiency test that can be taken on demand in one hour (requires computer with camera, microphone, speakers, internet connection). It involves an adaptive test via a graded section that evaluates applicants’ reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills (45 mins) and a video interview recording answers to open-ended questions (10 mins). Certified results are available within 48 hours of the test session. For more information, please visit Duolingo’s website. 

10. Assistance with GradCAS

If you are having issues with any part of your on-line application for the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences please reach out to the GradCas Applicant Help Center.  If you cannot find the answer to your question you can also contact them by phone 857-304-2086 or via email: gradcasinfo@liaisoncas.com.  For the quickest response it is best to contact them via chat on the Applicant Help center page.

If you have any questions please email: psygrad@pitt.edu. 

11. FAQs

What is the deadline to apply?

The deadline for Fall admissions is December 1. Please note that Liaison GradCAS will be disabled after December 1.

Will my application be considered if some of my application materials do not arrive by the December 1 deadline

It is very important that you submit the on-line application form and fee by the December 1 deadline. Liaison GradCAS will shut down at 11:59 p.m. EST on December 1. If you have sent in other application documents but have not submitted the online application by that time, from the University’s perspective, you have not formally applied. Be sure you have clicked the submit button before closing the program. You will receive a confirmation from Liaison GradCAS that your application was successfully submitted.

We will continue to accept other application materials as they come in, up to the time when the Admissions Committee begins to review completed applications, which is during the second week of December. Incomplete applications will not be considered for admission.

Can I apply to more than one program with the same application?

Yes, you can indicate the programs to which you are applying through the on-line application. However, please only apply to programs to which you are a strong fit.

When are the interview dates in 2025?

Our virtual recruiting weekend will be held on January 31-February 1, 2025, and our in-person recruiting will be held on March 14-15, 2025 for those who are accepted.

Can letters of recommendation/transcripts be sent directly to the Department, or should they be sent to me?

You must use the Liaison GradCAS system to submit all letters of recommendation. Through the site you will be able to provide access to your recommenders, thereby allowing them to upload their letters as part of your application materials. Please request letters in plenty of time to comply with our application deadline of December 1.

Copies of transcripts MUST be uploaded at the time you apply. The Liaison GradCAS system will not permit you to submit your application to us without a transcript attached. Official transcripts will only be necessary if you accept an offer of admission from from the department and before you can be matriculated into the University computer system. Please contact Liaison GradCAS directly for any assistance with transcript issues.

Do you require a cover sheet for letters of recommendation?

The Department does not require a cover sheet for letters of recommendation. However, if your recommenders are submitting their letters of recommendation online, the software will automatically generate a cover sheet which must be completed.

I don’t have a background in Psychology. Will I still be considered for admission?

While we suggest that applicants have completed a minimum of 12 credits in Psychology, it is not a requirement. The Admission Committee will evaluate all aspects of an applicant’s file (letters of recommendation, publications, research experience, etc.) before making an admission decision.

I studied abroad as an undergraduate; will I need to obtain a separate transcript from the school I attended abroad?

If your study abroad credits are listed on your undergraduate transcript, it is not necessary to obtain a separate transcript from your study abroad school.

What is the minimum acceptable GPA?

Most of our admitted students have a GPA above 3.4. We use a holistic review process in which no applicant is screened from further consideration solely on the basis of their GPA. Note, however, that the university may have other requirements. Please see this page.

How will I know if my application is complete?

You will be contacted by Psychology Graduate Office staff if your application is not complete. Please allow a reasonable amount of time for the staff to process your application materials before contacting us.

How will I be informed of my admission status?

Applicants will be contacted by a member of the faculty regarding their admission status.

All applicants will be notified of their admission status by March 15.