r/PsyD

Hey everyone,

I’m starting the Clinical Psychology PsyD program at Northern Arizona University this fall, and I was wondering what summers are typically like. The cost of attendance calculator only considers the fall and spring semester but I swear I was told we have summer classes is this true?

If so do most students take summer classes, or do you usually get the summer off? If you do take classes, how many are typical, and how demanding are they compared to fall and spring semesters?
I’m especially interested in hearing from graduate students, but I’d appreciate any experiences from current NAU students. I’m trying to get an idea of what my workload and schedule might look like over the next few years.
Thanks in advance!

For context: I’m graduating from community college soon to transfer to a 4-year and major in psychology. I want to help youth clients who deal with a lot mentally understand themselves better, and I’m open to doing that through just therapy, but being able to conduct diagnosis evaluations is a big dream of mine as someone who was diagnosed with AuDHD as a teenager. I especially want to help girls and people of color who are more likely to face barriers to accurate diagnoses.

I could barely afford living in a college town for undergrad and it’s part of why I moved back home for community college. I have no idea how I would afford a PsyD program after getting my psychology Bsc. All of the PsyD programs that are near me (OR/WA USA) are way too expensive. My parents wouldn’t be able to pay for any of it. And if it costs ~45k a year, I certainly wouldn’t be able to afford it if I barely make that much which just a bachelors, which will probably be the case.

Washington State University does have a PharmD program I’m intrigued by, and that’s where I’m transferring to. I haven’t done much research on masters programs, but I know I have a lot more options locally and affordability wise if I seek out a masters and just take the therapist route. Any advice?

Has anyone gotten accepted after being waitlisted? If so, how close to the matriculation date was it?

For those who completed the application process this past cycle, where are you all going this summer/fall?

Their internship match rate and EPPP score are lower than I expected. I am not looking to hear what this could mean.

I am posting to inquire about lived experiences from *recent* students to gain more insight about the program’s internship matching capacity and EPPP preparation.

I am applying for my PsyD soon, and wanted to know if my resume is atleast somewhat competitive or not?

3.0 GPA Bachelors of Arts in Psychology at 22

3.1 MA in Psychology at 24

(These could have been higher but my final year BA my father passed, and during my MA my grandmother and grandfather passed).

2.5 years working with a psychology professor on project

Consistent Volunteering for Homeless

Lab experience 2 years for biology

I obviously have more but these are my main components.

Asking for my girlfriend, she’s an incoming first year student in a Clinical PsyD program. Her federal loans cover about 2 years into the program but she will need to then finish another 3 years. Federal loan interest is 8% plus she will need to take out private loans. Any advice? Best options for private loans? Has anyone heard of organizations like Jelf that help Jewish students take out loans interest free? Any knowledge or advice is appreciated.

Hi everyone! I’m looking for some honest feedback about my chances of getting into a PsyD program, ideally in California.
I’m currently an undergraduate student, and throughout all four years of college I’ve been involved in research in two labs at the same time (one psychology lab and one biochemistry lab).

Outside of research, I’ve volunteered in hospice, nursing homes, on a crisis line, and as a 7 Cups listener. I also work with neurodivergent children as a learning specialist and am currently working as a behavioral technician.

Academically, I’m a TA for one of my psychology classes (and was a group leader for the course last semester). The professor I TA for is an LMSW, and the class focuses on the psychotherapy modality ISTDP. My psychology GPA is about a 3.9, and my overall GPA is around a 3.79 (possibly a little higher).
I’d really love to go straight into a PsyD program after undergrad, preferably in California. Based on this, do you think I’d be a competitive applicant? What parts of my application are strengths, and what would you recommend I work on before applying?

I’d really appreciate any honest advice. Thanks!

Genuinely curious about this as in the last couple of years I’ve been diagnosed with multiple chronic illnesses but still have a dream and spark inside me that wants to pursue further education. I did my undergraduate studies and then did a Masters program since my undergraduate GPA was lower than I wanted, and in my clinical psychology masters program I got almost all perfect grades and did very well. I graduated in 2020 which was not great but I worked and accrued 2000 hours for my AMFT number before I started having odd severe symptoms that forced me to stop working around 2023. I was feeling better in 2024 so I was going to apply to PsyD programs and jobs to gain more clinical experience when I became severely ill from a pneumonia Covid combo. It’s definitely been a struggle but I have recently been able to volunteer as a therapist and get clinical experience again. Part of me knows I need to pace myself but I’m just wondering if anyone has had experience doing a PsyD program with health issues and still been able to complete the program?

Hi everyone, I’m just writing this to see if people from all stages of getting their psyd or having it can let me know if I genuinely have a chance of getting into a psyd program for the fall of 2027.

I am currently going into my 3rd year of college and am graduating in spring 27. I did a lot of AP classes in high school so I am graduating early. I am getting a double major in psychology and criminology with a minor in sociology from the university of Utah. My current overall gpa is a 3.89. I’m hoping to get involved with research this next year but don’t have any under my belt quite yet. I have an internship set up for this next year with a non profit, I don’t quite know what the internship entails quite yet cause we are going through the process of the program currently. I also was a TA for one of my psychology classes and will be a TA for one of my sociology classes this fall. I also am an ambassador for my college on campus and have volunteered and worked with the Boys & Girls Club for 5 years.

At this point I’m just wondering if I will even get accepted into anything, because of my inexperience. Or maybe do I have a chance of getting into a more recognized program.

Let me know if yall need more info or anything you guys think!

I hate to resort to Reddit, but I don't want to keep chatting with AI about my chances of getting into programs. I'm going into my senior year of undergrad, and due to poor choices my freshman year, I currently have a 3.01 GPA overall and a 3.22 GPA within Psychology. I'm a double major in Psychology (BA) and Public Health (BA), and if I really work hard, I think I can end with a 3.2 overall GPA. I am also co-president of my college's Mental Health Advocacy Club. I have TA'd for professors in my psychology (intro to psychopathology) and public health (intro to gender, sex, and intersectional justice) departments on top of 4 course loads. I worked for 4 semesters with the local Boys and Girls Club after-school program, which involves tutoring kids, one-on-one and in group settings, ages kindergarten to 3rd grade (some with definite undiagnosed disabilities that the B&GC are not equipped to help with). My college requires Psychology majors to take two capstones, both of which require research projects. My Public Health major also requires a research project for my capstone, one which I genuinely hope to publish within my school to get some kind of recognition beyond a grade. I am not entirely interested in pursuing a research-focused career, which is one reason why PsyD is appealing to me. I know a lot of programs would frown at my GPA immediately, and it really worries me. However, I have done a lot of things that I feel will really help me as an applicant, and so this is where I need help figuring out how to be realistic. I currently work in a residential home for adults (18+) with eating disorders, and plan to continue that work as long as they allow me to stay. The position is at Monte Nido, and I am a Recovery Coach; I fill in the gaps where dietitians, therapists, psychiatrists, and nurses don't work with the patients, essentially. I have guaranteed transfer to a location near my home after I graduate, and that program works with adolescents. I am also currently doing an internship with a PMHNP who works with adolescents 6-17, where I get to actually sit in on her meetings with clients and learn medication management, communication between professionals, and basic therapeutic evaluation skills. I also assist with general case work management, non-profit "stuff", fundraising, etc., that I feel will be very valuable knowledge for my professional career and life in general. I hope to work with this PMHNP throughout the rest of this summer and my senior year, and watch how medication works with complex cases, follow up with these patients, and see how professional teams operate together to help an individual. I don't plan on doing medication management, but it's definitely valuable to see how this side of treatment works, as I will probably refer clients eventually for medication management. In an IDEAL world, I currently hope to be a primary psychologist at a location like Monte Nido where I am working with either adults or adolescents struggling with eating disorders. I desire a PsyD program because, from everyone I have spoken to in the profession, the on-paper title of Psychologist opens a lot more doors to help a larger, not-so-concentrated population. So I feel if I ever wanted to pivot away from adolescents with eating disorders, I would still have the training and qualifications to do so. My aim would be something like Rutgers PsyD, which I know is extremely competitive, but in terms of what I can afford, it's a good target for me. I plan to live at home and continue my work at Monte Nido to get around 1,000-1,200 hours of clinical exposure. Who knows if my Internship with the PMHNP will continue after I graduate; I will have to see, but that will be an extremely strong recommendation letter and professional connection. For financial reasons, I want to stick to programs around the NYC/Westchester area (Yeshiva, Rutgers, William Paterson, etc.), so I can live at home and mitigate as MUCH debt as I can. Sorry for such a large paragraph, just really struggling to tell myself that i WILL get in somewhere, even if it's not after my first go-around of applications, and i get a lot of mixed advice from professors. i will answer any questions and am open to ALL suggestions of how to strengthen myself, or more realistic options I should look into.