How to Apply

Entry Date
We admit students for fall semester only. Psychology graduate students attend daytime classes full-time. Graduate courses are not offered in the evening or on the weekend.

Application Deadline
The application deadline is December 1 of each year. The application materials are revised each spring and are available from mid-summer through December 1.

Application Process Overview
Two applications are required to apply for the graduate program. You must apply separately to the Department of Psychology and to the Graduate School. Both offices process a large number of applications each year. In order for your application to receive prompt and full consideration, please follow the instructions below and submit all materials by the December 1 application deadline. Failure to return the application materials to the appropriate office may cause a delay in the processing of your application.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETION OF THE APPLICATION MATERIALS
(Use the Application Checklist to ensure that you have completed all of the necessary application materials.)

Department of Psychology
Submit the departmental application form and supporting materials, as specified below, to:

Psychology Graduate Admissions Office
University of Minnesota
249 Elliott Hall
75 East River Road
Minneapolis, MN 55455

1. Departmental Application Form
	Please contact PsychIS at stee0152@umn.edu if you are unable to download the departmental application or letter of recommendation form. The application may be completed online and printed out, or it may be downloaded, printed out and filled in by hand.


2. Personal Statement
	This statement outlining your interests and professional goals is an integral part of your application and will be weighted heavily in its evaluation. Your personal statement should be typed, double-spaced, up to three pages in length and the pages should be stapled together. Type your name on each page, sign the statement, and enclose with your departmental application form. Your statement should be written in narrative style, and should minimally include the following points: how you became interested in psychology and from whom you received encouragement to continue your work in psychology; the specific factors that led you to apply to Minnesota for this area of specialization; the aspects or specific problems in your area of specialization that interest you most at this point; a brief description of any participation in research, applied psychology, or employment that might be relevant to your application; an acknowledgement of your outstanding strengths and weaknesses (including specific skills, special talents or aptitude that will contribute to your success as a graduate student in psychology); the kinds of psychological work you see yourself doing seven or eight years after you get your degree.
3. Letters of Recommendation
	*Three* letters are required. Use this letter of recommendation form. Do not use the online letter of recommendation system through ApplyYourself on the Graduate School Application for Admission Web site. Three professors or other individuals who can best judge your potential for graduate work should complete these forms. Indicate on the recommendation form whether you are waiving your right to see the letter of recommendation. The letters should be placed in separate, sealed envelopes, signed across the flap by the referees. Enclose these references with your departmental application materials. Letter writers who choose to submit their letters directly to the Department of Psychology should be reminded of the December 1 application deadline. If your letters are filed with a credential or career service, letters may be sent to our department directly from that office.

4. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Scores
	Our GRE institutional code is 6874; departmental code is 2016. You are required to take the GRE General Test. Request to have an official copy of the score report sent to the Department of Psychology. In addition, include a photocopy of your GRE scores with your departmental application materials or send a copy to the Psychology Graduate Admissions Office as soon as you receive your score report. GRE scores more than five years old are not accepted. Information about taking the GRE may be obtained at your institution or on the Web at http://www.gre.org/. The University Counseling and Consulting Service Testing Center (UCCS) provides test administration, scoring, and score reporting services to the University of Minnesota and surrounding community. International applicants: please see the TOEFL, GRE, and TSE information listed below.
5. GRE Record Examination - Subject Test in Psychology Scores
	The following programs strongly recommend that you submit GRE Psychology Test scores: Clinical Science, Counseling, and Personality, Individual Differences, and Behavior Genetics. Follow the same procedures listed above for submitting the GRE General Test scores.

6. Transcripts
	Submit one transcript from each college/university attended (may be student copy or photocopy). The Graduate School requires the official transcripts. The Department of Psychology will not be responsible for forwarding copies of your official transcript(s) to the Graduate School, nor will the Graduate School notify us if they have received additional copies of your transcripts.

7. Publication reprints or papers (optional)
	You may wish to submit written work in support of your application. Please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope if you would like these materials returned. Contact Susan Prahl (prahl001@umn.edu or 612/624-4181) if you have questions about the departmental application materials or if you wish to verify the status of your application. We will work with you throughout the application process to ensure timely processing and review of your application.

Graduate School
See the Graduate School instructions. Submit materials to:

Graduate School Office of Admissions
University of Minnesota
309 Johnston Hall
101 Pleasant Street S.E.
Minneapolis, MN 55455

1. Graduate School Online Application
	The Graduate School application (which includes a short essay) must be completed online. The application fee for U.S. applicants and permanent residents is $55. The application fee for international applicants is $75. You will be asked to enter the major code for Psychology (081260208) on the application.

2. Transcripts
	One official transcript from each college/university attended. As soon as your application materials have been processed, you will receive notice from the Graduate School via e-mail indicating that your application file is complete or if anything is missing. If you have questions about completing the online application for admission, call the Graduate School Office of Admissions at 612-625-3014. When your Graduate School file is complete, it will be forwarded to the Department of Psychology. Since your total application is not complete until the department has received both the departmental application and supporting materials and the Graduate School file, it is very important to allow sufficient time before the December 1 deadline for materials to be processed by the Graduate School.

Notification of complete application file.
Do not assume that your application file is complete until you receive notification by e-mail from the Department of Psychology. We will use the e-mail address you listed on your departmental application form. If you do not receive notification, contact the Psychology Graduate Admissions Office at 612/624-4181 or e-mail prahl001@umn.edu. Remember, your application will not be reviewed until both files in the Department of Psychology and the Graduate School contain all the required materials.

INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
Our TOEFL Institutional code is 6874.
All applicants coming directly from their home country whose native language is not English are required to take the TOEFL. GRE scores are required only if you have completed an academic year as a full-time student in an English-language institution of higher learning. However, most international applicants do submit the GRE test results. The operational standard for admission is a TOEFL score of 550 on the paper-based test or 213 on the computer-based test. The operational standard for admission on the new Internet-based TOEFL (iBT) is a minimum total score of 79, plus a minimum score of 21 on the Writing section and 19 on the Reading section. Scores must be less than two years old. Please forward a photocopy of the results to the Department of Psychology. Submit the original score report to the Graduate School Office of Admission.

The Graduate School and the Department of Psychology also will accept the English language test scores from the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB). Information about IELTS and MELAB is available on the Graduate School admissions Web site at http://www.grad.umn.edu/prospective_students/Application_Information/TOEFL.html.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
The GRE will be administered in two parts in China, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong in the 2007-08 testing year. You must take the GRE analytical writing test between July 1, 2007 and September 22, 2007 if you wish to take the GRE verbal and quantitative tests being given only once in the fall. You will register for the October 27, 2007 paper administration of the verbal and quantitative tests at the time you take the analytical writing test.

Test of Spoken English (TSE)
If your primary language is not English and you wish to be considered for a teaching assistantship, you are required to take the TSE. Backup funding for a Graduate School Fellowship includes a teaching assistantship. So if you intend to apply primarily for this fellowship program, and English is not your first language, you must also take the TSE. In general, applicants whose native language is not English are strongly encouraged to take the TSE. International applicants residing in the Twin Cities area may take the TSE or SPEAK test (institutional version of the TSE). In order to work as a teaching assistant or instructor in courses in the Psychology Department, a passing score of 50 is needed on one of these tests. Score reports for the TSE are mailed approximately five weeks after the day of the test so please schedule the examination to ensure enough time for the test score to be processed. The test results are due by the December 1 application deadline.