Admissions and Funding
Application Information
Requirements
- Statement of Intent
- Curriculum Vitae
- A writing sample (optional)
- At least three letters of recommendation (preferably from university faculty)
- Official Transcripts
- TOEFL for non-native English Speakers
- GRE General Test scores
Application Fee Waiver and GRE Cost Reduction Information
Application fee waivers can be requested and will be considered on a case-by-case basis — for a fee waiver please visit the application fee waiver information page (link). GRE fee reduction information can be found on the ETS GRE website (link to outside site). For assistance with applications please see the FAQ page (link) and/or contact the Graduate school's admissions department, their email is gradapp@nd.edu.
Timeline
Applications for Fall 2026 are due December 1, 2025. Applications for Fall 2026 enrollment will start being accepted in mid-September 2025. To apply visit the application portal (link).
We invite applicants to interview remotely on Zoom with us between mid-December to early-January, and offers of admission are typically made by the end of January.
If you are admitted, and live in the U.S., you will be invited to attend our Recruitment Day event held in February. This event is currently scheduled to be in-person. If you live outside the U.S., you will be invited to attend remotely.
You will have until April 15 to accept admission to the program.
Financial and Professional Support
- As a Ph.D. student in psychology, you will receive five years of guaranteed funding, so long as you are making satisfactory progress toward program goals.
- A competitive stipend, paid over 12 months. The stipend carries a service expectation of nine months of part-time work as a graduate assistant each year, at about 18 hours a week. In the summers we expect you to make progress on your own research and work toward program goals, while maintaining close contact with department activities.
- A full Notre Dame tuition scholarship during your time in the program.
- Full access to University Health Services — both physical and mental health services — as well as fully subsidized health insurance for services off-campus. Students may add their dependents (spouse and/or children) to their subsitized university health insurance plan.
- Access to the Family Resource Center (link); which provides support and services for married, parenting, and/or pregnant graduate students.
- Access to comprehensive professional development programs through the Graduate School and the Department of Psychology, including grant-writing support and an institutional affiliation with the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity.
- Upon matriculation, you will be awarded $2,000 - $2,500 for professional development activities such as research, conference travel, and other professional development opportunities. Once these funds are spent, additional department and university resources are available annually to fund your professional development activities.
Fellowships
You may also be competitive for Notre Dame’s Select Fellowships (link) that can raise your yearly stipend. The Admissions Committee will automatically nominate you for these scholarships (no further action is required by you).
If you are interested in learning how to conduct research on educational practices, programs, and policies, please indicate in your application materials (e.g., statement of intent) that you would like to be considered for the Rev. James A. Burns Fellowship (link) in the program for Interdisciplinary Educational Research.