Application Information
Admission to the doctoral programs in psychology at the University of Kentucky is very competitive. We average about 2,000 total inquiries concerning admission to our programs each year and receive about 400 completed
applications for consideration.The Department of Psychology adheres to University policy and public law prohibiting unfair discrimination on the basis of age, ethnic classification, handicap, race, sex, or veteran status in the provision of educational or employment opportunities and benefits. The Department of Psychology is committed to facilitating the recruitment and training of members of
groups historically deprived of equal educational and professional opportunity.Graduate School Admission Requirements
- Applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree from a fully accredited college or university. An overall undergraduate grade-point average of 2.75 (3.0 on all graduate work) is required by The Graduate School.
- Applicants must submit official scores on the verbal, quantitative and analytical portions of the Graduate Record Examination.
- Applicants must have oneofficial transcript sent by each institution of higher learning previously attended. All transcripts must be sent to The Graduate School and must bear the Registrar's signature and/or official seal of the issuing institution.
- The University of Kentucky requires a minimum score of 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for all applicants whose native language is not English.
- Applicants, particularly those outside the U.S., should consult the Graduate School Bulletin for additional details. The bulletin can be obtained by writing or calling The Graduate School, or pointing your browser to http://www.rgs.uky.edu/gs/bulletin/bullinfo.html.
Departmental Admission Requirements
Unless certain courses are included in the
applicant's background he/she may be requested to fulfill these requirements during his/her first year of study. The courses are:
- One course in psychological statistics
- One course in either:
- general experimentation
- sensation-perception
- learning
- animal behavior
- cognition
- One course in either:
- child
- personality
- abnormal
- testing
- social psychology
Application Procedure
The application procedure is a time-consuming
process and should be initiated as early as possible. Before any formal action can be taken, all
required materials must be received by the Graduate School, which forwards them to the
Department of Psychology. It usually takes several weeks for all the application materials to be
received; therefore, forwarding unofficial copies of transcripts and GRE scores allows us to
begin evaluating files more quickly.Please note that you need approval from both
the Graduate School and the Department of Psychology before you can be admitted to the
University; thus it is very important to follow the instructions about where to send
materials.To receive full consideration for Fall 2008 admission,
all application materials must be on file in the Department of Psychology
by Wednesday, January 2, 2008.
If you would like notification of
the completion of your file, send a self-addressed, stamped postcard to
the Department. Invitations to visit the Department and/or offers of admission
are usually made in writing or by telephone during February and March. Please
contact Melanie Kelley at 859-257-9640 or 800-315-7792 or mkkell5@email.uky.edu
with any questions or concerns.
Application Checklist
Send to the Department of Psychology:
- Departmental application. You can download the application form from the Forms Page at our web site.
- A photocopy of GRE scores. It is recommended that you send a photocopy of your scores to the department in order to activate your file at the earliest date. The advanced test for psychology is not required but may be submitted.
- Autobiographical Statement. This statement should describe your personal interests, expectations and goals. It should answer the following questions: What can you see yourself doing in ten years from now? What issues and content areas do you find exciting? What experiences have led you to this orientation? What, if any, past research experience have you had? What kind of research would you like to pursue in graduate school?
- 3 letters of recommendation. Recommenders should be faculty members or psychologists who know you well. No waiver form is required. We do not use a standardized form for recommendation letters.
- A photocopy of transcripts. One copy of all college transcripts should be sent to the
department. Do not send photocopies to the Graduate School.
In order to minimize confusion and time composing an applicant's complete file, please send all materials listed above directly to us at the following address:
Office of Research and Graduate Studies
Department of Psychology
106-B Kastle Hall
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY 40506-0044
Send to The Graduate School:
- Graduate School application. Complete the form titled "The University of Kentucky Graduate School Application for Admission," which can be downloaded or completed online here.
- Application fee. The fee is $40 for domestic applicants and $55 for international applicants. A check or money order made payable to "The University of Kentucky" should accompany the completed Graduate School application and be sent to the address below.
- Official GRE scores. Arrange to have the Educational Testing Service send one official copy of your Graduate Record Examination scores to the Graduate School. Our institution code is 1837, and our department code is 2016. No photocopies will be accepted by the Graduate School.
- Official transcript. Send one official transcript directly to the Graduate School
to activate your file. Be sure the transcript is sent directly from the University. No student
copies will be accepted.
The Graduate School
University of Kentucky
106 Gillis Building
Lexington, KY 40506-0033
Download and print a copy of the application
checklist.
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Last updated: December 19, 2007