2027 Edition
Most PsyD programs in Illinois sit in one city: five of the six ranked programs are in Chicago, Illinois. Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois holds first place in Illinois and 6th place nationally, scoring 73.5 out of 100.
By Trevor Rupe, Contributor at Savo Media Group
By APA area of accreditation, that is 5 clinical and 1 school programs. Every one is at a private institution.
Illinois issues the Licensed Clinical Psychologist license and asks for both an internship year and a postdoctoral year. BLS reports a median of $83,750 for clinical and counseling psychologists in Illinois (May 2025), against $100,580 nationwide. School psychologists earn more, at $84,690.
The five highest-ranked PsyD programs in Illinois, in order. The number on each card is its place in Illinois, and its national rank is beside the school.
Full profile of Roosevelt University in Best PsyD Programs
Sources: APA record, ASPPB, APPIC and the school’s APA disclosure, read October 12, 2026.
Ranks 2nd: it registers about 70 students a year in the APPIC internship match (the most in Illinois), and its school's doctoral graduates in this field earn a median $103,713, four years after completing.
Adler University's practitioner-scholar PsyD in Chicago, Illinois, lets students apply in their first or second year for an emphasis such as clinical neuropsychology, traumatic stress psychology, military clinical psychology or child and adolescent psychology, and offers classes on weekdays and weekends from morning through evening.
The Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) in Clinical Psychology follows a practitioner-scholar model that integrates science, research and community engagement. The 114-credit-hour program is designed as a 5-year course of full-time study in which students move through advanced coursework, sequenced practica with concurrent seminars, clinical qualifying examinations in assessment and intervention, and a dissertation built from six half-credit courses that students begin registering for at the start of their third year. Every student also completes the Adler Social Interest Practicum, a required 200-hour placement at a community outreach site, and finishes with an internship of at least 2,000 clock hours over 12 to 24 months; most internships require a one-year, full-time commitment.
Applicants need a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a comparable international degree, plus 18 semester credit hours in psychology with grades of C or better, including general psychology, abnormal psychology and research methods or statistics; the GRE is not required but is considered as additional support. Students apply for an emphasis during their first or second year, choosing among Advanced Adlerian Psychotherapy, Clinical Neuropsychology, Child and Adolescent Psychology, Military Clinical Psychology, Primary Care Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, Substance Abuse Treatment and Traumatic Stress Psychology. Beginning in spring 2027, the program adds a spring entry option alongside fall entry. The school says graduates are eligible for national licensure exams and meet the standards of the National Register of Health Service Psychologists, as well as most state requirements.
Scored under methodology v2.0
Sources: APA record of Adler University, Chicago (Clinical Psychology), ASPPB, APPIC and APA disclosure of Adler University, Chicago (Clinical Psychology), read October 12, 2026.
Ranks 3rd: it retains 89% of the students who enter (higher than 3 of 4 other programs in Illinois), and it publishes tuition of $39,239 for the first-year cohort, but 56% of its 98 first-time EPPP takers passed (lower than 3 of 4 other programs in Illinois).
Midwestern University's Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology in Downers Grove, Illinois, is a practitioner-scholar program designed for five years, with elective Child and Adolescent or Health Psychology major areas of study and a four-year option for students who enter with a master's degree.
The program follows the practitioner-scholar training model and the American Psychological Association's recommendations for broad and general training of Health Service Psychologists, with its emphasis on diagnostic, therapeutic and consultative skills. Full-time students spend four years on coursework, clerkship and practicum, then complete a one-year full-time internship and the dissertation, for at least 235 quarter credits. Training starts with two quarters of clerkship in the first year; practicum placements at hospitals, agencies and organizations throughout the Chicago, Illinois, area add up to at least 1,800 hours over three years, with a practicum seminar on campus in each practicum year. The internship is a 2,000-hour requirement, full time over 12 months or half time over 24 months, sought through a national match, and the dissertation proposal must be approved before students apply for internship and the finished dissertation defended orally.
Applicants need a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university, a GPA of 3.0 and 18 semester hours of prerequisite psychology coursework, and the program interviews invited applicants before it makes admission decisions. Students who enter with a prior master's degree can take the four-year option, which requires at least 214 credits. The elective Child and Adolescent and Health Psychology major areas of study each add required courses, focused clinical training experiences, a dissertation topic in that area and mentorship meetings, and either may require an additional 12 credits. The school says completing its accredited program meets or exceeds the educational requirement for licensure in all 50 states, while additional requirements vary by jurisdiction; licensure itself is granted by each state's psychology board.
Scored under methodology v2.0
Sources: APA record of Midwestern University, Downers Grove (Clinical Psychology), ASPPB, APPIC and APA disclosure of Midwestern University, Downers Grove (Clinical Psychology), read October 14, 2026.
Ranks 4th: 92% of its 280 registered applicants matched to an accredited internship (higher than 4 of 5 other programs in Illinois), and it registers about 56 students a year in the APPIC internship match, but it publishes tuition of $65,765 for the first-year cohort (higher than 4 of 5 other programs in Illinois).
The Chicago School's original Psy.D. Clinical Psychology program, in downtown Chicago, Illinois, trains practitioner-scholars and offers major areas of study in forensic psychology and clinical neuropsychology plus emphases in clinical health and clinical child and adolescent psychology.
The Psy.D. Clinical Psychology on The Chicago School's Chicago, Illinois, campus follows a practitioner-scholar model and is a 106-credit-hour program of four years of coursework and three years of required practica, followed by a dissertation and an internship. Practicum runs 600 hours a year in years two, three and four, for 1,800 supervised hours, and the internship requires at least 2,000 hours over 12 to 24 months. Students also pass a Clinical Comprehensive Exam, and they may choose, though they are not required to, a major area of study in forensic psychology or clinical neuropsychology or an emphasis in clinical health or clinical child and adolescent psychology.
Applicants need a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution and at least 18 credit hours of psychology, including abnormal psychology, lifespan development and statistics; successful applicants typically have an undergraduate GPA of 3.2 or higher. The GRE is not required, though applicants may submit scores to have them considered. The program is designed for five years of full-time study, and all degree requirements must be completed within seven academic years. The school says the degree meets the doctoral education requirements for licensure as a clinical psychologist in Illinois.
Scored under methodology v2.0
Sources: APA record of The Chicago School, Chicago Campus (Clinical Psychology), ASPPB, APPIC and APA disclosure of The Chicago School, Chicago Campus (Clinical Psychology), read October 12, 2026.
Ranks 5th: 68% of its 40 first-time EPPP takers passed (higher than 3 of 4 other programs in Illinois), but it retains 78% of the students who enter (the lowest in Illinois).
The Chicago School's Psy.D. School Psychology in Chicago, Illinois, builds on its Ed.S. School Psychology curriculum, holds both APA and NASP accreditation, and lets students start in an on-ground weekday format or a blended weekend format designed for people with a full-time job.
The Chicago School's Psy.D. School Psychology combines the curriculum of its Ed.S. School Psychology program with additional coursework, internship and dissertation requirements, and the program at the Chicago Campus is accredited by both the APA and the National Association of School Psychologists. The school says the degree prepares students to pursue licensure as both a school psychologist and a clinical psychologist in Illinois. Students who enter with a bachelor's degree complete 94 credit hours, 1,260 hours of beginning, intermediate and advanced practicum, a supervised internship at a site meeting APA and APPIC requirements and a dissertation approved by the School Psychology Department faculty, and they take both the Illinois School Psychologist Content Exam and the Praxis II School Psychologist exam. Students who already hold a NASP-approved or accredited specialist-level certificate or degree in school psychology can enter at the post-specialist point and complete 41 additional credits.
Applicants need a bachelor's degree from an accredited university, generally with an undergraduate GPA of 3.2 or higher, a psychology course and a statistics or research methods course completed with a C or better, two admission essays, three letters of recommendation and an admission interview; the catalog says GRE scores are not required but may be submitted, and recommends them for applicants below a 3.2 GPA. Students may begin in the on-ground weekday modality or in a blended modality, in person on Saturdays and remote on Tuesday evenings, which allows them to keep working full time during their first two years. The third and fourth years require 16 to 20 hours a week in a practicum setting, and the fifth year is a full-time internship, five days a week. Licensure itself is granted by each state's psychology board, and the school lists its state determinations on its licensure disclosures page.
Scored under methodology v2.0
Sources: APA record of The Chicago School, Chicago Campus (School Psychology), ASPPB, APPIC and APA disclosure of The Chicago School, Chicago Campus (School Psychology), read October 14, 2026.
| Rank | Program | APA area | Location | Score | EPPP pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank 6 | National Louis University’s doctorate page for the Clinical Psychology Psy.D. program | Clinical Psychology | Chicago, IL | 35.5 |
The figures below come from the six PsyD programs in Illinois that this ranking includes, each read from the source named beside it.
6
APA-accredited PsyD programs ranked in Illinois
APA directory62%
Median first-time EPPP pass rate across 5 programs
ASPPB90%
Median accredited internship match rate across 6 programs
APPIC$46,845
Median yearly tuition across 6 programs
Program disclosuresAcross the five programs with a published first-time EPPP pass rate, results run from 50% to 88%, with a median of 62%. ASPPB reports 75% for all accredited doctoral programs.
The six programs with at least 10 APPIC registrations from 2021 to 2025 matched 51% to 95% of their registered applicants with APA- or CPA-accredited internships, with a median of 90%.
Six programs list a yearly tuition, from $31,472 to $69,660, with a median of $46,845. Each figure is the full-time yearly tuition in the program’s own cost table.
ASPPB adds its own caution: “Please note that care should be exercised if comparisons across schools and programs are made.”
A PsyD is a degree, and the license comes from the state. These are the rules a graduate of PsyD programs in Illinois meets for a license there, each linked to the page it was read on.
Licensing board: Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Clinical Psychologists Licensing and Disciplinary Board).
BLS counts 5,810 clinical and counseling psychologists in Illinois, with a median annual wage of $83,750. School psychologists number 3,590 at a median of $84,690.
$83,750
Median annual pay for clinical and counseling psychologists in Illinois
Occupation: Clinical and Counseling Psychologists, SOC 19-3033.BLS counts 5,810 employed in Illinois.
$84,690
Median annual pay for school psychologists in Illinois
Occupation: School Psychologists, SOC 19-3034.BLS counts 3,590 employed in Illinois.
Percentiles are points in each occupation’s pay distribution, not experience levels. BLS lists an area in every state its counties reach, so a metropolitan area that crosses a state line appears under each state.
APA lists this program in Illinois, and it is not ranked. The statement is quoted below with the page it was read on.
Once we receive APA accreditation for the Ph.D. program, admission to the Psy.D. program will close, and the program will continue its legacy of excellence through the Ph.D. program only.
Read October 14, 2026 on the Wheaton College program page
In the 2027 ranking, Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois is first among the PsyD programs in Illinois, with a score of 73.5 out of 100 and 6th place nationally. Its program page is Roosevelt University’s Clinical Psychology program page for the Psy.D.. The score weighs cost, graduate earnings, completion, internship and licensure outcomes, track record, credential alignment and program reputation, and the methodology page shows each weight.
Six ranked programs in Illinois list a yearly tuition, from $31,472 to $69,660, with a median of $46,845. Each figure is the full-time yearly tuition in the program’s own cost table. A program card labels its tuition figure with the period and rate its school printed, and Read More lists the in-state and out-of-state prices where the cost table gives both.
APA accreditation is one route. Illinois accepts a doctorate in clinical, school or counseling psychology accredited by APA or PCSAS or approved by the National Register, and the statute has two further routes for doctorates the Department treats as equivalent. Any route needs a regionally accredited school and a program with at least one year in residence at the degree-granting institution.
Yes. 225 ILCS 15/10 asks for two years of satisfactory supervised experience, one of them an internship and one of them postdoctoral, and a year is at least 1,750 hours over at least 50 weeks.
The EPPP, Part 1 only, according to IDFPR’s qualifications sheet. Part 2 (Skills) is not part of Illinois licensure.
BLS reports a median annual wage of $83,750 for clinical and counseling psychologists (SOC 19-3033) in Illinois for May 2025. The 10th percentile is $36,580 and the 90th is $168,730. School psychologists (SOC 19-3034) have a median of $84,690. Percentiles mark points in the pay distribution of everyone in the occupation, not years of experience.