FAQ for Prospective Students

Information about application deadlines for our graduate programs can be found on the Clinical Psychology PhD and Psychological Science PhD program pages.

Our formal interview process will take place early in the new year. Our faculty will contact applicants who are invited to interview. 

The following faculty mentors will consider applications for new PhD students for the 2025-2026 incoming doctoral class. GRE scores are not required to apply to our graduate programs, however applicants can choose to submit GRE score if they wish. If an applicant submits GRE scores, some of our faculty consider the scores in evaluating applicants, whereas other faculty do not. The table below indicates whether a faculty member considers the GRE in evaluating applicants.

• Dr. Kathleen Casto - considers GRE
• Dr. Chris Flessner - considers GRE
• Dr. Jill Folk - considers GRE
• Dr. John Gunstad - considers GRE
• Dr. Phillip Hamrick - considers GRE
• Dr. Amy Sato - considers GRE
• Dr. Mary Beth Spitznagel - considers GRE
• Dr. Jennifer Taber - considers GRE
• Dr. Clarissa Thompson - does not consider GRE
• Dr. John Updegraff - considers GRE
• Dr. Trevor Williams - considers GRE

In evaluating applications, the Department focuses on your grades and the courses in which they were earned, your personal statement, which should reflect your professional goals, areas of specialized interest, research experience and other relevant background experiences, your letters of recommendation, and your scores on the GRE (if provided). The Department will, of course, consider your complete application, including any special experiences or circumstances you might want to call to our attention.

From 2018 to 2023, the average undergraduate GPA of students admitted to our Clinical and Psychological Science programs was 3.73. Minimum requirements for admission can be found on the Clinical Psychology PhD and Psychological Science PhD program pages. 

All information about materials required for applying to our graduate programs can be found on the Clinical Psychology PhD and Psychological Science PhD program pages. When you are preparing to apply for our programs, make sure to also read our overview of the application process on our Program Application Process page.

The Department of Psychological Sciences will waive the GRE requirement for applicants for fall 2024. You are welcome to submit your GRE scores; if you choose to do so, that information may be used in admissions decisions by faculty mentors who consider the GRE. However, full consideration will still be given to applications that do not include GRE scores. 

The institution code for Kent State University is 1367, and the departmental codes are 2016 for Clinical, and 2007 for Psychological Science. We encourage applicants to look into the GRE Fee Reduction Program to determine if you are eligible for a fee reduction.

In the past, nearly all students have received full financial support in the form of a graduate assistantship, which includes a full tuition waiver, a stipend, and some health insurance benefits. We expect to be able to maintain this level of support in the future.

The typical time for completing the Ph.D. program has been five years in the Psychological Science degree program and about six years, including the internship, in the Clinical degree program.

Graduate courses/degrees completed at other institutions are evaluated for equivalency with our requirements on an individual basis.

Students admitted to either the psychology or clinical program may not change automatically to the other; such a change requires a complete re-evaluation of the student's credentials.

We do not have a program in either counseling or industrial psychology in the Department of Psychological Sciences. For the former, you may wish to consider programs offered in our College of Education, Health and Human Services in community, rehabilitation, or school psychology. Requests for information about these programs should be directed to the College of Education, Health and Human Services in White Hall (ogs@kent.edu).

You can contact international admissions in the Office of Global Education at 330-672-7980 or intladm@kent.edu. International applications are received and processed by KSU’s Office of Global Education.

For additional information on the international student application process, visit international admissions Frequently Asked Questions.

All decisions will be released by April 15, via the email you indicated on your application.

The areas of interest for Psychological Science include Behavioral Neuroscience, Cognitive/Cognitive Development and Social-Health.  Please visit our webpage at www.kent.edu/psychology/training-areas to learn more information about each training area and the core faculty members.

The areas of interest for Clinical Psychology include Adult Clinical Psychology, Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology.  Please visit our webpage at www.kent.edu/psychology/training-areas to learn more information about each training area and the core faculty members.

Our most recent data indicate that 90% of our PhD alumni who graduated between 2009 and 2017 are licensed. Our graduates who did not become licensed typically are in positions that do not require licensure (e.g., teaching faculty or research positions). Please note that graduate training alone does not lead to licensure immediately upon graduation because many jurisdictions have licensure requirements beyond the curricular requirements of a graduate program (e.g., passing oral and written licensing exams). Still, the professional preparation you receive in our program will assist you in preparation for licensure as a Clinical Psychologist. For more information on how the Kent State University Department of Psychological Sciences Clinical Program fits into your plans for licensure, please see our Professional Licensure Disclosure.

If you have questions that have not been answered by our online materials, contact the Psychological Sciences, Office of Graduate Admissions at:

Telephone:  330-672-8536
Email:  gradpsyc@kent.edu

Although it is geared primary towards clinical psychology programs, many people find Mitch Prinstein’s “Uncensored Advice for Applying to Graduate School in Clinical Psychology” to be very helpful in navigating the process of preparing for and applying to graduate school in psychology.