2027 Edition
Counseling psychology doctoral programs at the PsyD level number 14 on this 2027 list, each accredited by APA in counseling psychology or in a combined area that includes it. University of St. Thomas (Minneapolis, MN) ranks first at 73.1 out of 100, and every program keeps the score it holds on the national list.
By Trevor Rupe, Contributor at Savo Media Group
These counseling psychology doctoral programs are in order of score, and each keeps its national rank beside its place here. The EPPP and internship match rates on every card cover 2021 through 2025.
Full profile of University of St. Thomas in Best PsyD Programs
Sources: APA record, ASPPB, APPIC and the school’s APA disclosure, read October 12, 2026.
Full profile of Saint Elizabeth University in PsyD Programs in New Jersey
Sources: APA record, ASPPB, APPIC and the school’s APA disclosure, read October 12, 2026.
Full profile of Chatham University in PsyD Programs in Pennsylvania
Sources: APA record, ASPPB, APPIC and the school’s APA disclosure, read October 14, 2026.
Full profile of Our Lady of the Lake University in PsyD Programs in Texas
Sources: APA record, ASPPB, APPIC and the school’s APA disclosure, read October 12, 2026.
Ranks 5th: 61% of its 44 first-time EPPP takers passed (higher than 9 of 11 other programs on this list), and it retains 90% of the students who enter, but it publishes tuition of $36,859 for the first-year cohort (the highest on this list).
Carlow University's PsyD in Counseling Psychology in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, admits students who already hold a master's degree and trains depth-oriented counseling psychologists committed to social justice, with courses offered in the evening.
Carlow's PsyD in Counseling Psychology follows a practitioner-scholar model and trains depth-oriented counseling psychologists committed to social justice, emphasizing evidence-based psychodynamic and depth-oriented approaches alongside the biological, affective, cognitive and social bases of behavior. The program takes four years of full-time study beyond the master's degree, three academic years and a one-year pre-doctoral internship, in a cohort model with a set sequence of courses. Students complete 18 credits of practicum training, about 1,800 hours over 6 semesters of practicum seminar, at agencies in the greater Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area that range from hospitals and college counseling centers to rural mental health practices and sites focused on forensic and neuropsychological practice. All students take part in the APPIC Match for an internship that will require relocation, and the program offers opportunities for international study in Ireland and Uganda.
Applicants must hold a master's degree in psychology, counseling or a closely related field such as social work, and those missing prerequisite areas may be admitted on the understanding that the deficit is remedied in the first year. Finalists are invited to campus for interviews in mid to late February, applications are due January 7, and students start only in the fall. Courses are offered in the evening to accommodate students who work part time, though the program strongly discourages full-time employment during training. Two to four graduate assistantships are offered each year, typically to first-year students, with an annual stipend and tuition remission for 6 credits in the fall and spring semesters.
Scored under methodology v2.0
Sources: APA record of Carlow University (Counseling Psychology), ASPPB, APPIC and APA disclosure of Carlow University (Counseling Psychology), read October 14, 2026.
Full profile of Saint Mary's University of Minnesota in PsyD Programs in Minnesota
Sources: APA record, ASPPB, APPIC and the school’s APA disclosure, read October 14, 2026.
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Full profile of Angelo State University in PsyD Programs in Texas
Sources: APA record and the school’s APA disclosure, read October 14, 2026.
Full profile of Northwest University in PsyD Programs in Washington
Sources: APA record, ASPPB, APPIC and the school’s APA disclosure, read October 14, 2026.
Ranks 9th: it publishes tuition of $21,600 for the first-year cohort (lower than 5 of 7 other programs on this list), but 17% of its 29 registered applicants matched to an accredited internship (the lowest on this list).
Holy Family University's counseling Psy.D. in Newtown, Pennsylvania, follows a practitioner-scholar model informed by social justice, feminism and multiculturalism, with pathways for students entering with a bachelor's or a master's degree.
The Doctor of Psychology in Counseling Psychology (Psy.D.) at Holy Family University follows a practitioner-scholar training model that is evidence-based and practice-informed, and its training experience is informed by the values of social justice, feminism and multiculturalism. The program uses a pathway model in which each pathway combines coursework, field training, a dissertation and an internship over 5 years of fall, spring and summer semesters. The course requirements page lays out a 90-credit program: 54 credits of advanced content, 6 credits of teaching in higher education, 21 credits of field placement in externship and advanced doctoral internship courses, and at least 9 dissertation credits. Students take comprehensive exams after completing the required courses and must complete a full-time, one-year pre-doctoral internship to graduate.
Pathway 1 lets students entering with a bachelor's degree earn the PsyD with approximately 102 credits; Pathway 2 is for students with a master's degree in clinical, counseling or mental health psychology, whose post-master's credits vary between 78 and 90; and Pathway 3 is for students with a master's degree in a related field, who complete foundational coursework while taking PsyD credits and add a pre-externship placement if they have no prior practicum experience. Applications for fall 2027 have a priority deadline of December 1, 2026, all cohorts begin in the fall, selected applicants are invited to a personal interview with counseling psychology faculty, and the program is limited in size. Students keep continuous enrollment in fall, spring and summer terms. Holy Family offers a limited number of graduate assistantships with tuition reduction, and the school says the program prepares graduates to become license-eligible psychologists in Pennsylvania.
Scored under methodology v2.0
Sources: APA record of Holy Family University (Counseling Psychology), ASPPB, APPIC and APA disclosure of Holy Family University (Counseling Psychology), read October 12, 2026.
Worth knowing: 0% of its 11 first-time EPPP takers passed (tied for the lowest on this list).
Felician University's Psy.D. in Counseling Psychology in Lodi, New Jersey, admits students with a bachelor's or a master's degree and, from September 2026, offers single-gender cohorts for qualified students from the Orthodox Jewish community.
Felician's Psy.D. in Counseling Psychology prepares students in the practitioner-scholar model to become entry-level health service psychologists, and its doctoral training integrates the University's Franciscan identity and core values. Students who enter with a bachelor's degree complete 88 credits over five years, while those who enter with a master's degree complete 73 credits over four years and may transfer up to 15 credits toward the doctorate. All students complete three years of practicum experiences, with each placement running 8 to 12 months at 16 to 24 hours a week and at least 600 hours of clinical and training experience, at sites such as hospitals, college counseling centers, mental health centers and outpatient clinics. Successful practicum is a prerequisite for applying to internship, which students complete at an off-campus site after coursework as either a one-year full-time or a two-year half-time placement, and every student writes a dissertation.
Applicants need a bachelor's degree in psychology, or in a related field with a psychology minor or at least 18 psychology credits, along with three essays, three letters of recommendation and an interview with faculty and students. The program accepts new students for the fall term only, with applications due by December 1, and classes meet on the Lodi, New Jersey, campus. Beginning in September 2026, the program will also support qualified bachelor's-level students from the Orthodox Jewish community, who complete the same curriculum and clinical training in single-gender cohorts with accommodations for religious holidays. Felician says the program is designed to meet the educational requirements for licensure in New Jersey; licensure itself is granted by each state's psychology board.
Scored under methodology v2.0
Sources: APA record of Felician University (Counseling Psychology), ASPPB, APPIC and APA disclosure of Felician University (Counseling Psychology), read October 12, 2026.
| Rank | Program | APA area | Location | Score | EPPP pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank 11 | Springfield College’s Psy.D. doctoral program in Counseling Psychology | Counseling Psychology | Springfield, MA | 44.8 | 54% |
| Rank 12 | Austin Peay State University’s page for the Psy.D. in Counseling PsychologyAccredited, on contingency | Counseling Psychology | Clarksville, TN | 40.8 | |
| Rank 13 | Universidad Ana G. Mendez, Gurabo Campus (Counseling Psychology program page for the Psy.D.) | Counseling Psychology | Gurabo, PR | 39.2 | 0% |
| Rank 14 | Rivier University’s Psy.D. doctoral program in Counseling and School Psychology | Counseling and School Psychology | Nashua, NH | 36.0 | 56% |
A program is among the counseling psychology doctoral programs here when APA accredits it in counseling psychology or in a combined area that includes counseling psychology; the list is ordered by each program’s Methodology v2 score out of 100, the same score it holds on every list.
Scores come from Methodology v2, version 2.0, which weighs cost (20 points), graduate earnings (20 points), completion (15 points), internship and licensure outcomes (15 points) most heavily; it ranks every program once, and each list filters that ranking.
University of St. Thomas (Minneapolis, MN) ranks first among the counseling psychology doctoral programs, with a score of 73.1 out of 100.
14 APA-accredited programs are on it. A program is among the counseling psychology doctoral programs here when APA accredits it in counseling psychology or in a combined area that includes counseling psychology; the list is ordered by each program’s Methodology v2 score out of 100, the same score it holds on every list.
The counseling psychology doctoral programs are scored once, and each program keeps the score it holds on every other list. Methodology v2, version 2.0, scores every ranked program out of 100 on cost (20), graduate earnings (20), completion (15), internship and licensure outcomes (15), track record (10), credential alignment (10), program reputation (10). The methodology page explains each factor and its source.
Yes. APA accredits some programs in the combined counseling and school area, and each sits on both the counseling and the school psychology lists with the same score. 1 program on this list is accredited in a combined area.
The median first-time pass rate among the 12 programs on this list with an ASPPB rate is 53%. ASPPB reports 75% for all accredited doctoral programs, and recommends a passing score of 500. ASPPB, EPPP scores by doctoral program.