College of Arts and Sciences

                    Admissions Information

General

Information

Program

Information

            The clinical program typically admits 5 to 8 new students from a pool of 200-250 applicants.  The clinical faculty have designed a screening and selection process intended to evaluate all applicants in a manner that is comprehensive, fair and objective. The program desires to attract mature, committed, and responsible individuals of diverse personal, cultural and ethnic backgrounds who are interested in both psychological research and clinical practice.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY APPLICANTS

The deadline for RECEIPT of applications and all supporting materials is:  December 15th

Please note that any application received after December 15th will not be considered.

 

Selected applicants are requested to attend an interview.  Attendance at the interview is highly recommended.  All selected applicants will be interviewed on the same date: Monday, February 23rd, 2009.  The interview is an opportunity for you to learn about our program as well as for us to learn about you. We have found that this is an essential part of the application process.  Should special circumstances stop an applicant from attending the interview, telephone interviews may be considered.

1. It is strongly preferred that you apply online at http://www.uri.edu/gsadmis/.  However, you can also download an application through http://www.uri.edu/gsadmis/gsform.html. You can read the University of Rhode Island Catalog online at http://www.uri.edu/catalog/

2. The application fee is $50.00.   Payments can be made online.

3. The deadline for applications is December 15th.

                Note: The clinical program does not require the Advanced Test in Psychology.

4. A completed file must include:

1. Completed & signed application form (2 copies if not submitted online)

2. Official GRE scores (URI GRE code: 3919; Clinical Psychology Code: 2001)

3. Official transcripts from all universities attended (2 copies)

4. Application fee

Please note: the following requirements differ from the standard URI Graduate School application:

5. Three (3) letters of recommendation.  (The Graduate School website indicates two letters are required, however our program requires three.)

6. Personal Statement - (2 copies if not submitted online)

This section of the application provides an opportunity for you to provide us with information about yourself that cannot be obtained from grades, test scores, and other materials. In this statement it will be helpful if you include the following information:

1. Your research interests and experience.  Please provide detailed information on your interests and the types of research projects in which you have participated, including your specific responsibilities.

2. Your clinical interests and experience.  Please give us an idea of the types of clinical experience (volunteer or otherwise) in which you have participated.  Please be specific concerning your responsibilities.

3. Clinical program faculty you feel match with your interests.  The extent to which an applicant's research and professional interests correspond to the interests of existing faculty is a very important factor in the selection process.

4. Information about any exceptional life achievements and, where applicable, your knowledge of and experience with different cultures.

7. Enclose a vita (preferred) or resume documenting previous educational, work, volunteer, clinical and research experiences (please submit 2 copies).

8. ALL SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS (i.e. transcripts, GRE scores, letters of recommendation, vitas) should be sent to:

Each candidate's application is quantitatively rated and independently evaluated by two faculty members. Faculty follow written guidelines for evaluating application materials. Each application is evaluated based on the following materials:

The admission team's rating of the applicant's credentials based on their appraisal of the application materials. The admissions team assigns a credentials score to each application, which reflects the total number of points achieved after being evaluated on each of the above dimensions.  The admissions committee has the option of nominating additional applicants to the interview pool whose credentials in the judgment of the committee, do not adequately reflect the candidates' true strengths and qualifications.

The highest scoring applicants (usually the top 25-30) are invited to visit the URI campus for a series of personal interviews with faculty and graduate students.   All applicants selected for interviews are invited on the same day, allowing them the opportunity to informally meet with each other as well as with the faculty and graduate students.  The personal interview is an important part of the admissions selection process and attendance is strongly recommended.  Applicants are typically given about two weeks notice if they are to be invited. Failure to attend interviews constitutes a withdrawal from the admissions process and the application will not be considered further.  Telephone interviews will be conducted only for special circumstances.

Each invited applicant is interviewed by at least two faculty members in separate individual interviews and by two graduate students in a single informational interview. The final step in the process is the selection of the applicants to be recommended to the Dean of the Graduate School for admission to the clinical program. Candidates are selected on the basis of their final scores and the degree of "fit" or match between applicants' interests and strengths and the faculty's research and clinical interests. In almost all cases the Dean of the Graduate School follows the recommendations of the faculty. However, the final responsibility for admission to the program rests with the Dean of the Graduate School.

Students entering the clinical program who have done graduate work at another accredited college, university, or professional school may: 1) transfer up to 30 credits if they have a master's degree in psychology or a closely related area; or, 2) transfer as many as one-fifth of the credits required to complete their degree plan if they do not have a master's degree in psychology or a closely related area. Transfer credit is granted only when the request is endorsed by the major professor and approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. Requests for transfer credit for course equivalency are typically reviewed and endorsed in writing by the faculty member who usually teaches the course at URI. Transfer credit for core content courses is limited to six credits (two courses). No decisions regarding transfer credit can be made prior to matriculation.