Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology Admissions Information

Notice for 2026/2027 admission cycle

The following faculty members will be reviewing applications, interviewing applicants, and available to mentor incoming students in the Fall 2027 admission cohort:

Dr. Rachel Annunziato, Dr. Natasha Burke, Dr. Christopher Conway, Dr. Elizabeth Raposa, Dr. Barry Rosenfeld, Dr. Therese Todd, Dr. Molly Zimmerman

Interview invitations will be sent out early January. Interviews will be held virtually on the following dates:

  • TBA

Applying to the Doctoral Program

Students are admitted to the CPDP based on their interest in working with a particular faculty member. Students interested in working with a particular faculty member will indicate their interest in a primary mentor on their application and are strongly encouraged to expand on this interest in their admission materials. (See FAQ page that provides additional information on the mentors and major areas of study as well as other commonly asked questions about the CPDP admission process). Students are welcome to work with other faculty members connected to a Major Area of Study or based on student interest in faculty research activities that extend beyond the research of their primary faculty mentor. We support this flexibility recognizing that student interests can change during their time in the program. 

Applicants considering applying to the CPDP are encouraged to review student admission, outcomes, and other data contained here. While the number of applicants varies, the CPDP routinely receives between 600 to 700 applications annually with this number trending upward during the most recent application cycle. From these applications, faculty interview approximately 60 applicants and generally admit between 7 to 10 students each year.  

In light of this large number of applicants, please understand that our faculty do not have the time to speak directly to applicants prior to the official interviews in January. Also, please check out the CPDP FAQ page for the answers to many, if not all, of the questions that you may have. 

Application Requirements

Applications for the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program are filed electronically through the online application. The application deadline is November 16, 2026.

Submission of GRE (general or subject) scores are not required to be considered for admission. Any scores that are submitted will not be reviewed as part of the application review process.

Statement of intent
Please provide the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program with a statement of intent that provides a narrative response to the following question prompts. Please include your word count at the end of your statement. It should not exceed 900 words: 

  1. What are your academic and career goals as a clinical psychologist? What is your ideal balance of clinical work and research? 
  2. How has your previous work (coursework, research, clinical opportunities) informed and/or prepared you to achieve these goals?
  3. How will Fordham’s Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program help prepare you to achieve these goals? 
  4. Which specific mentor or research lab is the best fit for your interests/goals, and why?

Supplemental essay
The Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at Fordham University is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable culture among students and faculty, as well as integrating these values into training the next generation of clinical psychologists. Please provide the Clinical Psychology faculty with an essay responding to the two questions below (no more than 500 words; include your word count at the end). In your responses, please share your experiences and aspirations specifically related to the areas of diversity and social justice. This essay is separate from your Statement of Intent; please do not repeat information already given in response to the Statement of Intent question prompts.

  1. How has your educational, professional, clinical, or personal (e.g., cultural, economic, or social) experiences prepared you to contribute to the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program’s commitment to diversity and social justice?  
  2. How will the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program help you to learn and grow within the areas of diversity and social justice? 

Resume/CV
A resume or curriculum vitae detailing educational experience, research experience, presentation/publication experience, academic awards/honors, and other relevant skills and experiences.

Writing sample
Please submit a 12- 25 page writing sample (double-spaced, excluding bibliography/endnotes) so that we may evaluate your readiness for doctoral study. It should be an original example of your academic writing from a college course or a piece of professional writing. It is preferred that the paper is in the field of psychology but that is not required. We are interested in seeing your independent writing skills so please do not send a collaborative or co-authored paper. This would only be acceptable if you have no sample of your independent writing available. The sample must be written in English and may be uploaded either as a Word or PDF document. 

Academic transcripts
To be eligible for admission, applicants must hold a four-year bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in the United States, or the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree from a recognized institution abroad (for some countries, this may be a three-year degree from a member institution within the Bologna Process). 

When you apply, you are required to upload unofficial transcripts from the institution where you earned or will earn your bachelor’s degree, and if applicable, master’s degree, including any institutions where transfer credits counted toward either an undergraduate or graduate-level degree. 

If you are offered admission to a GSAS program and accept the offer, you must submit official final transcripts with final grades and the title of the degree conferred. Official transcripts must be received by Fordham GSAS Admissions before the first day of classes.

International students: Transcripts from previously attended post-secondary institutions must be submitted in English or with a certified English translation. For academic transcripts from institutions outside the United States, applicants are encouraged to obtain a course-by-course credential evaluation. See GSAS International Students for more information.

Three letters of recommendation
You will enter each recommendation provider’s name and email address directly into the online application. They will be notified electronically of your request. All letters of recommendation must be submitted on official professional letterhead or professional email address (e.g., university or company email account). Recommendations that do not meet these requirements may be subject to additional review. Please note: you may submit your application even if the submission of your recommendation letters is still in progress.

Application fee
Please see the GSAS Tuition and Fees page.

Please note: GSAS provides some exemptions from the application fee and waiver can be requested through GSAS.

English Proficiency Requirements

International applicants whose native language is not English are required to complete and submit to GSAS prior to matriculation their official scores from one of the following accepted English language competency exams:

Official TOEFL, IELTS, DET, PTE Academic, or Cambridge English Qualifications scores should be sent directly by the testing service to the Office of Graduate Admissions, Fordham University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (our ETS TOEFL score code #2259). 

Preferred minimum score requirements:

Exam Score
TOEFL iBT Taken before January 21, 2026 - Minimum score: 100
Taken on or after January 21, 2026 - Minimum score: 5.0
IELTS 7.0 band score
DET 130
PTE Academic 68
Cambridge English Qualifications 185 Overall Score on the B2, C1 Advanced, or C2 Proficiency exam

Exemptions to the English Language Requirement

Exemptions are considered on a case-by-case basis and are generally permitted for international applicants who:

  1. are native English speakers from countries where English is an official language (click here to view the list of countries accepted); and/or
  2. have completed, within the past five years, at least two years of study at an undergraduate or graduate institution in the United States or in a country where English is the official language of instruction.
  3. you received an undergraduate or graduate degree from a university in India. (In some cases, we may request language proficiency test scores.)

GSAS reserves the right to require a language proficiency evaluation from any applicant. Requests for exemption from this requirement should be indicated directly within the application. The Fordham English Language Test (FELT), administered by Fordham’s Institute of American Language and Culture (IALC), may be required for those students whose English proficiency scores do not meet GSAS program requirements. Additional coursework may also be recommended by the IALC.

Students are permitted to register for two GSAS courses during the academic term in which they are completing any IALC-recommended coursework, which generally occurs during their first semester of study.

Please note: Tuition costs associated with the learning of English as a second language are the responsibility of the student and will not be covered by a GSAS tuition scholarship. GSAS merit-based tuition scholarships are not applicable to the costs of additional coursework recommended by the IALC.