Admissions, Applications, Financial Support
Admissions
In order to be considered for admission in September, applications and supporting materials must be received by December 1 of the prior year.
No applicants are considered for January admission. The program is oriented to students who plan to attend on a full-time basis. Be sure to indicate to which program in the department you are applying. Do not send the materials to the department. Once your application is complete, it will be sent to the department.
In early February, prospective students are invited to visit Notre Dame to provide applicants and program faculty an opportunity to meet. Some financial support is provided to applicants to offset travel expenses incurred.
Clinical Program Admission
Criteria for admission include:
- high quality of undergraduate research experience in psychology
- compatibility with faculty research interests
- potential as a research scholar in the field
Students seeking careers in practice are encouraged to apply to programs that primarily emphasize practice and place priority on the preparation of practitioners rather than research scholars.
Cognition, Brain, and Behavior Program Admission
Applicants will be expected to have completed undergraduate courses in general and experimental psychology and statistics.
Developmental Program Admission
Applicants will be expected to have completed undergraduate courses in general and experimental psychology and statistics. Applicants must take the Graduate Record Examination. The advanced subject test in psychology is preferred but not required.
Quantitative Program Admission
Applicants will be expected to have completed undergraduate courses in general and experimental psychology and statistics.
Financial Support
Financial Support is available to all graduate students in the doctoral programs.
Resources for first-year students include tuition scholarships and University fellowships or graduate assistantships. The department funds all students in academic good standing for five years of graduate study. There are also a limited number of fellowships for students conducting dissertation research.
Application for financial support is automatic once the completed application form is received. Special consideration is given to minority applicants in the distribution of financial aid.
Application
To learn more about graduate study programs, admissions, and funding at Notre Dame visit the Graduate School.
FAQ about Admissions
Application Fee and Deadline
The application fee is $75 and the deadline for applying is December 1. The application can be found here on the Graduate School's main page.
Funding
PhD students receive a base stipend of $27k for the full calendar year in addition to a full tuition waiver. This is guaranteed for 5 years based on academic standing. Additional funding may be awarded to certain students. This information can be found here and here.
Minimum GRE and TOEFL Scores
IMPORTANT: THE GRE AND GRE SUBJECT TEST WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR 2021-22 (04/26/2021). This may be reevaluated in subsequent years at the department's discretion. Applicants are welcome to apply to the program with any score, as those are not the only factors taken into account when the faculty review applications. The department does not track TOEFL scores although the Graduate School requires a minimum of 80 points total with a minimum of 23 on the Speaking section. This information can be found on the Graduate School FAQ section.
Faculty Advisors
It is not mandatory for applicants to contact faculty ahead of applying although it is strongly encouraged that they have a clear idea of which faculty member(s) they would like to work with. We suggest that applicants review the faculty biographies and their CVs to find someone who matches their research interests.
Master's Program
The Department of Psychology does not offer a terminal Master's program, only a PhD track. PhD candidates are able to acquire a Master's as part of the requirements for their doctoral degree.