To receive full consideration for fall admission, submit all application materials, including letters of recommendation and supporting materials by JANUARY 10. Interviews will be held in late February.

We will consider applicants who apply later than this day on a case-by-case basis. However, applications close on MARCH 1. No applications will be considered after March 1 for the upcoming fall.

To be considered for admission we require:

• Completion of a baccalaureate degree with a satisfactory grade point average;
• Some undergraduate psychology courses, including at least one statistics course and one research methods course;
• Satisfactory scores on the general GRE (See specific test requirements below)
• Three letters of recommendation from faculty members, supervisors or others familiar with previous academic performance and potential for graduate work
• Transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate programs attended;
• Completed application forms, including a personal statement** detailing goals for graduate study and beyond, research experience and interest (including a prioritized listing of one or two potential mentors from the list of faculty that are accepting students for the coming year), and how the Program can help meet these goals

Test Requirements

GRE General Test is required for the Quantitative concentration but is not required for the Behavior Analysis concentration and is optional for the Applied Research and the Experimental Psychology concentrations.

Although we request GRE scores for our Quantitative concentration, we use a "holistic" approach to all admissions. If you do not have a current GRE score, were unable to take the GRE due to COVID, or have other concerns about meeting this requirement, please contact us about exceptions.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) if native language is not English, unless you have earned a degree from a U.S. institution.

Personal Statements

Many students are unsure what to include in their personal statements. We see this as an issue of inequity in which some students have more access to tacit knowledge about graduate school admissions than others. In the interest of increasing equity and fairness in our graduate application process, we have created this document to provide specific guidance about what we are looking for in applicants’ personal statements.

When we read your statement, we are hoping to learn more about your interest in the field of psychological sciences, why you chose our program, why you chose the specific concentration, and your future career goals. Tell us what it is about the field of psychological science that interests you. Are there specific lines of research that appeal to you? If so, tell us what those are. We are also interested in your reasons for choosing our specific program. For example, did your reasons have to do with our geographic location, particular aspects of our program, faculty members, or something else? We understand that you may not be sure about your career goals at this point in your career. However, if there are specific careers you are interested in pursuing, tell us what those are. If you have not done so already, you might want to look through the website for more information about graduates from the different concentrations. 

Reread your personal statement carefully and make sure it is free from typos, grammatical errors, and punctuation errors. Your statement should be well written, but it is not the place to demonstrate your creative writing skills. It should focus on the information detailed in the previous paragraph rather than on stories from your personal life. However, you should include details from your life that you feel are important for us to know. For example, your statement is a good place to explain any personal circumstances that may have resulted in low grades, low test scores, or lapses in your education.

Direct your questions about admission to the program to the Program Director: Dr. Brian Leventhal (leventbc@jmu.edu)

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