Best PsyD Programs (2027)

Indiana State University's Doctor of Psychology program follows a practitioner-scientist model and involves students in clinical coursework and training from the first year. The 100-credit curriculum covers core clinical and basic psychology areas, with practicum in the University's Psychology Clinic, off-campus practicum in the third and fourth years, a dissertation with an oral defense, and a full-year internship typically completed in the fifth year. Students also pass oral preliminary examinations, and students who enter without a master's degree earn one after the second year.

Applicants need a bachelor's degree with at least 24 credits in psychology, including abnormal psychology, research methods or experimental psychology, and statistics, and a minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA. Typically 1 to 2 students each year enter with a master's degree or some graduate coursework, and up to nine credit hours of prior graduate work may transfer after a course-by-course review. The program is offered on campus in Terre Haute, Indiana, and the school says most admitted students receive some form of financial assistance, renewable each year, with fellowship awards carrying a tuition and fee waiver for up to 18 credits per academic year.

• The program requires 100 credits, including a dissertation and a clinical internship
• Enrollment is generally limited to 7 to 8 students per year
• Students earn a master's degree after the second year of the program
• The full-year internship is typically completed in the fifth year
• Applications are accepted from September 1 to December 1 for the fall cohort

APA area

Clinical Psychology

Program unit

Department of Psychology, Psy.D. Program

APA number

73

Accredited since

June 21, 1985

Next site visit

2035

Entry

bachelor's or master's degree

Length

typically five years of study, including four years of academic study and one year of internship

Credits

100 credits

Tuition, in-state

$9,240 (first-year cohort, 2025-2026)

Tuition, out-of-state

$18,620 (first-year cohort, 2025-2026)

EPPP

94.12% of 34 first-time takers passed (ASPPB)

Internship match

38 of 41 applicants matched to an APA- or CPA-accredited internship (APPIC)

Scored under methodology v2.0

Baylor University's Psy.D. program describes its approach as a practitioner-scientist model of training that prepares clinicians whose practice is rooted in the science of psychology. Students spend four years in residence in Waco, Texas, in a lock-step cohort: in each of the first three years they work half-time as staff clinicians at a different practicum site, and the fourth year is spent half-time in a faculty member's lab while they complete the dissertation. Students accumulate 1,000 to 1,200 hours of pre-internship practicum experience, earn a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology in the third year, and complete a fifth-year internship at an accredited site.

Minimum requirements include 12 hours of psychology coursework, an overall GPA of 2.7 and a major GPA of 3.0; prior graduate work is not required, and the program does not accept transferred courses. The GRE requirement is waived for applications due December 1, 2026, approximately 6 students are selected each year, and the program begins in early July. The department says all accepted students have tuition paid, with tuition covered for up to 5 years in good standing, while student fees and living costs are not covered; incoming students from the 2027-2028 academic year on are expected to pay a share of tuition.

• The degree requires 115 semester hours, including 6 hours of dissertation
• Students earn a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology at the midpoint of the third year
• Approximately 6 students are selected for admission each year
• The fourth year is spent on clinical research in a faculty mentor's lab and on the dissertation
• Application materials are due by December 1

APA area

Clinical Psychology

Program unit

Department of Psychology

APA number

165

Accredited since

April 26, 1976

Next site visit

2035

Entry

bachelor's or master's degree

GRE

not required

Length

five years, with four years in residence in Waco, Texas, and the fifth year completing an internship

Credits

115 semester credits

Tuition, full-time

$69,204 (first-year cohort, 2026-2027)

Tuition waiver

95% of tuition is waived for every admitted student, up to 5 years. Incoming class pays 5% of tuition, about $3,460 a year by this site’s count, from 2027-2028.

EPPP

96.15% of 26 first-time takers passed (ASPPB)

Internship match

29 of 30 applicants matched to an APA- or CPA-accredited internship (APPIC)

Scored under methodology v2.0

The Clinical and School Psychology, Psy.D. program merges the traditional areas of clinical, counseling and school psychology into a generalist, combined-integrated approach, and students must complete a practicum and demonstrate competency in each of those three subfields. Each student builds an individualized program of study that reviews master's-level training, with a minimum of 62 credit hours of required core courses taken at JMU, including a doctoral practicum in each semester of the three-year residency. Practica run approximately 10 to 15 hours a week through fall, spring and summer, adding approximately 350 to 400 clock hours a year at on-campus and off-campus sites; students also complete a scholarly dissertation, with emphasis on applied research, and a twelve-month, 2,000-clock-hour internship.

Applicants must already hold an advanced degree (M.A./M.S. or Ed.S.) in clinical, school or counseling psychology or a closely related field; the GRE is optional, applications are due December 1 for fall admission, and the interview day includes group and individual interviews with faculty and current students. Students are expected to complete all three years of coursework in full-time residence in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and most finish in four years including the internship. Every student receives a teaching or graduate assistantship in each of the three on-campus years, with full tuition coverage and a stipend, for up to 20 hours of work a week; during the internship year students pay for a one-credit enrollment each semester. The school says the program meets the educational requirements for licensure or certification in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

• The program admits four to six full-time students each year.
• Students take a doctoral practicum in each semester of the three-year residency, 24 credits in all.
• Under NASP guidelines, students eligible for licensure as school psychologists complete at least 600 hours of their pre-doctoral training in schools.
• The core faculty arrange assistantships automatically on admission, so students need not apply for them.
• Students who need more than three years to finish their coursework must apply for an extension of assistantship support.

APA area

Combined, Clinical-School Psychology

Program unit

Department of Graduate Psychology

APA number

1050

Accredited since

October 29, 1996

Next site visit

2027

Schedule

full-time

Entry

master's degree

GRE

optional

Length

four years for most students (three years of on-campus coursework and a one year internship)

Credits

62 credit hours

Tuition, full-time

$0 (first-year cohort, 2026-2027)

University fees

$500

Tuition waiver

Tuition is waived for every admitted student

EPPP

90.63% of 32 first-time takers passed (ASPPB)

Internship match

26 of 27 applicants matched to an APA- or CPA-accredited internship (APPIC)

Scored under methodology v2.0

The Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Clinical Psychology at the University of Hartford is offered by the Graduate Institute of Professional Psychology and follows a practitioner/scholar training model with primary emphasis on generalist training. It requires a minimum of 96 credits, 12 earned in practica and 3 through a dissertation seminar, over three years of full-time study that include a six-week summer term, followed by internship and dissertation. Students take a qualifying examination built on a treatment case model during the second year of coursework, and a child and adolescent proficiency track adds child-focused courses and practicum experience.

The program admits about 20 to 25 full-time students each year. Applicants need a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution and coursework in statistics, research methods, developmental psychology, physiological psychology, psychopathology and personality psychology; neither the GRE General Test nor the Psychology subject test is required, and an interview follows review of the application. Students with a master's degree in clinical psychology or a related field may transfer up to 21 credits, and all work must be completed within nine years of admission. A limited number of graduate assistant stipends and diversity fellowships are available.

• The program requires a minimum of 96 credits.
• The program is a full-time cohort program.
• The program admits about 20 to 25 full-time students each year.
• The GRE is not required for admission.
• All work must be completed within nine years of admission.

APA area

Clinical Psychology

Program unit

Graduate Institute of Professional Psychology/Department of Psychology

APA number

240

Accredited since

March 5, 1991

Next site visit

2028

Schedule

full-time

Entry

bachelor's or master's degree

GRE

not required

Length

three years of full-time study, plus internship and dissertation

Credits

96 credits

Tuition, full-time

$32,582 (first-year cohort, 2023-2024)

University fees

$594

EPPP

77.24% of 123 first-time takers passed (ASPPB)

Internship match

101 of 115 applicants matched to an APA- or CPA-accredited internship (APPIC)

Scored under methodology v2.0

The PAU-Stanford PsyD Consortium is a practitioner-scholar program for students seeking careers in the direct delivery of clinical services, with a generalist education in clinical psychology that emphasizes evidence-based practice. Its faculty come from Palo Alto University and the Stanford University School of Medicine's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Palo Alto University confers the degree, a Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology. Students complete at least four full-time academic years in residence, taking three years of full-time coursework together as a cohort, with comprehensive examinations in the first, second and third years. Practicum runs from supplemental placements that students can begin in the first year, often on clinical research projects in the Stanford University Psychiatry Department, to a second-year placement at one of the Consortium's captive training sites and third- and fourth-year placements at about 50 approved sites, for about 2,000 hours before internship. The fourth year combines practicum, internship applications and the clinical dissertation, with 30 units of dissertation credit after advancement to candidacy, and the fifth year is a 2,000-hour doctoral internship; program policy limits applications to APA-accredited internships, with case-by-case exemptions for APPIC member sites.

Applicants need a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution or the international equivalent; a master's degree is not required and earns no preference, and GRE scores are neither required nor considered. The program strongly recommends 18 semester hours of psychology coursework, gives strong preference to applicants with clinical experience and admits students once a year for a fall term that starts in September. Because required courses run each quarter in a cohort sequence, transfer credit, capped at 24 units, does not shorten the program, and the flat quarterly tuition is not reduced by transferred or waived units. A limited number of funding offers are made on merit and financial need, and teaching assistantships are open to students after they complete the first year.

• The program requires a minimum of 172 units for graduation.
• Faculty are drawn from Palo Alto University and the Stanford University School of Medicine.
• Students complete about 2,000 practicum hours before a 2,000-hour doctoral internship.
• GRE scores are not required and are not considered in admission.
• Teaching assistantships are open to students after the first year.

APA area

Clinical Psychology

Program unit

PAU-Stanford PsyD Consortium

APA number

1583

Accredited since

November 14, 2006

Next site visit

2029

Schedule

full-time

Entry

bachelor's degree

GRE

not required

Length

a five-year training sequence: at least four full-time academic years in residence, then a 2000-hour doctoral internship in the fifth year

Credits

172 units

Tuition, full-time

$63,144 (first-year cohort, 2025-2026)

University fees

$8,130

EPPP

96.73% of 153 first-time takers passed (ASPPB)

Internship match

143 of 149 applicants matched to an APA- or CPA-accredited internship (APPIC)

Scored under methodology v2.0

The Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, PsyD follows a practitioner-scholar model, and its required coursework focuses on psychotherapy and psychological testing with a diverse adult general population. Students complete at least 96 credit hours of graduate study plus 3 credit hours of internship, 99 in all, along with a comprehensive examination, an introductory practicum and at least two doctoral practica in the community, a doctoral project and a 1-year, full-time pre-doctoral internship. Doctoral practicum students typically spend 16 to 25 hours a week at their sites in placements of 9 to 12 months, beginning in the second year at training sites across Chicago, Illinois, and its suburbs, and the doctoral project can take one of five forms, from a traditional empirical study or extended case study to a literature review, applied treatment and program evaluation research, or a program proposal.

Applicants need a bachelor's or master's degree in psychology or a closely related field, with General Psychology, a statistics or research methods course and Abnormal Psychology completed at a 3.0 average or better, and selected applicants must interview. The program runs as a 5 to 6-year full-time course of in-person classes, with a standard load of 12 credit hours each fall and spring semester and no required summer courses. Students entering with a bachelor's degree may earn a non-terminal master's degree along the way, and students who have completed the master's requirements may teach undergraduate psychology courses for pay once they have taken, or while taking, the Instructor Development Seminar. Admission to the clinical neuropsychology concentration is evaluated case by case, and its students complete two neuropsychology-focused practica; the clinical child and family concentration asks for three electives from its course list and a two-semester clinical placement focused on assessment or psychotherapy with children or families.

• The program requires 99 credit hours, including 3 credit hours of internship.
• The program admits students for fall start dates only.
• Students must defend their doctoral project proposal by May 15th to be eligible to apply for internship.
• All components of the program must be completed within a maximum of 10 years.
• The program is offered on the university's campus in Chicago, Illinois.

APA area

Clinical Psychology

Program unit

Department of Psychology

APA number

1033

Accredited since

October 25, 2002

Next site visit

2029

Schedule

full-time

Entry

bachelor's or master's degree

Length

5 to 6-year full-time program

Credits

99 credit hours

Tuition, full-time

$31,472 (first-year cohort, 2026-2027)

University fees

$342

EPPP

88.1% of 84 first-time takers passed (ASPPB)

Internship match

93 of 98 applicants matched to an APA- or CPA-accredited internship (APPIC)

Scored under methodology v2.0

The program follows the practitioner-scholar model, and its clinical training is grounded in cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic and systems perspectives. The department describes five years of full-time, in-person study: three years of coursework, a dissertation year and an internship year. The model course sequence requires 93 credits and 1,080 hours of supervised practica, plus an approved internship of 1,750 hours.

Applicants need a bachelor's or master's degree, preferably in psychology, and the clinical program requires the GRE Psychology Subject Test. Students can explore specialized areas, and GSAPP's concentrations include children and family psychology, health psychology, multicultural psychology and community psychology. GSAPP describes its programs as primarily self-funded, with limited funding opportunities for students.

• The program is full-time and in person on Rutgers' Busch Campus in Piscataway, New Jersey.
• The model course sequence requires 93 credits and 1,080 hours of supervised practica.
• Students complete an approved internship of 1,750 hours.
• Applicants must submit the GRE Psychology Subject Test.

APA area

Clinical Psychology

Program unit

Department of Clinical Psychology

APA number

40

Accredited since

April 1, 1977

Schedule

full-time

Entry

bachelor's or master's degree

GRE

required

Length

5 years: 3 years of coursework, 1 year of dissertation and 1 year of internship

Credits

93 credits

Tuition, in-state

$13,680 per semester (first-year cohort, 2026-2027)

Tuition, out-of-state

$23,040 per semester (first-year cohort, 2026-2027)

University fees

$1,378 per semester

EPPP

93.68% of 95 first-time takers passed (ASPPB)

Internship match

97 of 98 applicants matched to an APA- or CPA-accredited internship (APPIC)

Scored under methodology v2.0

Loyola's Doctorate of Psychology (Psy.D.) in Clinical Psychology follows the scholar-practitioner model and is a full-time, five-year program of 125 credit hours: four years of coursework on the campus in Baltimore, Maryland, alongside clinical placements, then a full-time doctoral internship in the fifth year, sought through the national APPIC Match. Students take four or five courses a semester and spend 10 to 16 hours a week in clinical training. First- and second-year students complete their externships at the Loyola Clinical Centers under department faculty, and third- and fourth-year students train at outside sites the department has approved, for a total minimum of 1510 field placement hours. Every student also completes comprehensive examinations and a doctoral dissertation, presenting the proposal orally and defending the finished project, and earns a master's in psychology in January of the second year.

Applicants need a bachelor's degree, in psychology or another field, with a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0; those without a psychology major must complete prerequisite courses before starting. The program does not accept GRE scores, interviews finalists by invitation, takes applications for fall entry only, with a November 15 deadline, and looks to bring in about 18 new students each year; enrollment also depends on passing a criminal background check. All courses are offered on the Evergreen campus in Baltimore, Maryland, and at the Loyola Clinical Centers in Belvedere Square, and the department suggests students limit outside work to 10 hours a week or less. The program offers fellowships each year, and students may apply for graduate assistantships. Loyola says its programs are designed to prepare students to apply for licensure exams in Maryland; licensure itself is granted by each state's psychology board.

• The program totals 125 credit hours.
• The total minimum number of field placement hours is 1510.
• The program does not accept GRE scores as part of its application process.
• Each student's tuition rate is locked in at admission for the duration of the program.
• The fifth year is the internship year, during which no tuition is charged.

APA area

Clinical Psychology

Program unit

Department of Psychology

APA number

1072

Accredited since

May 11, 2000

Next site visit

2028

Schedule

full-time

Entry

bachelor's degree

GRE

not required

Length

a full-time, five-year program: four years of coursework and clinical placement, then one year of full-time internship

Credits

125 credit hours

Tuition, full-time

$39,000 (first-year cohort, 2026-2027)

University fees

$455

EPPP

90.28% of 72 first-time takers passed (ASPPB)

Internship match

76 of 80 applicants matched to an APA- or CPA-accredited internship (APPIC)

Scored under methodology v2.0

St. Thomas founds its Psy.D. on a practitioner-scholar model that trains entry-level health service psychologists to integrate the science of psychology with self-reflective practice, think systemically and developmentally, and provide ethical, inclusive and culturally sensitive services. Students study within a cohort and complete practicum at agencies that include university counseling centers, community mental health clinics, correctional facilities, schools and hospitals, along with a dissertation methods and scholarly writing sequence. The internship comes in the sixth year, and an optional neuropsych track adds a further practicum and a neuropsychological assessment course.

Applicants need a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution; the program strongly prefers an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher, uses a holistic admissions review and does not require the GRE. Applicants who already hold a master's degree can apply up to 30 transfer credits, reviewed after acceptance, and the program says transferred courses may shorten the program by one to two years. The program requires five full-time, in-person academic years on the Minneapolis, Minnesota campus and may take up to seven years depending on practicum placement and dissertation progress; students start in the fall.

• The degree totals 105.5 credits, including 9 internship credits in the sixth year.
• Students pay reduced tuition for internship credits.
• Applications open August 1 and are due December 15, and selected applicants interview with faculty in early February.
• Practicum sites include the Interprofessional Center for Counseling and Legal Services.

APA area

Counseling Psychology

Program unit

Graduate School of Professional Psychology

APA number

972

Accredited since

October 3, 2000

Next site visit

2036

Schedule

full-time

Entry

bachelor's or master's degree

GRE

not required

Length

five full-time, in-person academic years plus an internship in the sixth year; up to seven years

Credits

105.5 credits

Tuition, full-time

$27,692 (first-year cohort, 2026-2027)

University fees

$244

EPPP

68.42% of 57 first-time takers passed (ASPPB)

Internship match

56 of 73 applicants matched to an APA- or CPA-accredited internship (APPIC)

Scored under methodology v2.0

Florida Tech's Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology is based on a practitioner-scholar model and committed to the Vail model of training. Students complete four academic years of full-time study in residence, then a clinical internship in the fifth year that requires at least 2,000 hours of supervised experience. Clinical training begins at the on-campus Community Psychological Services clinic and moves to advanced external practicum sites, with a minimum of 1,200 total hours of supervised practicum. Students also pass a comprehensive examination and complete a Doctoral Research Project, an empirical investigation of a specific area within clinical psychology.

Applicants need a bachelor's degree, and those without a psychology degree must have completed at least 18 credit hours of psychology coursework; applications include GRE general test scores. Students entering with a master's degree need a graduate GPA of 3.2, and students with graduate psychology work from another accredited university may petition to transfer up to 18 semester hours. The degree requires a minimum of 123 semester credit hours, tuition is paid on a flat-rate basis each semester, and students may take advanced coursework in more than one emphasis area. Some students also receive stipends through a federally funded Graduate Psychology Education training grant in integrated behavioral healthcare.

• The degree requires a minimum of 123 semester credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree
• Students are expected to study full time and in residence for four academic years
• The fifth-year internship requires at least 2,000 hours of supervised experience
• Annual cohorts number approximately 20 students
• Application materials are due by December 1 each year

APA area

Clinical Psychology

Program unit

School of Psychology

APA number

140

Accredited since

April 26, 1983

Next site visit

2035

Schedule

full-time

Entry

bachelor's or master's degree

GRE

required

Length

four academic years of full-time study in residence, plus one year (2000 clock hours) of internship

Credits

123 semester credits

Tuition, full-time

$33,241 (first-year cohort, 2026-2027)

University fees

$3,309

EPPP

83.16% of 95 first-time takers passed (ASPPB)

Internship match

80 of 88 applicants matched to an APA- or CPA-accredited internship (APPIC)

Scored under methodology v2.0