How to Apply

  The application cycle for Fall 2024 is now closed. The application cycle for Fall 2025 will open mid-August 2024. Priority deadline for Fall 2025 is Dec. 1, 2024.

Students with a bachelor's degree in psychology or a related major and students with a master's degree in psychology or a related major may apply. Students will need to demonstrate their abilities to succeed in a doctoral level program through GPA (3.0 or better or an overall graduate school GPA of 3.5 or better at the time of the degree posting), research experience, and experience in the field.

Students who have been admitted to the PsyD Program will need to secure their spot in the cohort by submitting their enrollment deposit by April 15th.

Students who have been placed on the waitlist for the PsyD Program should hear from the program when space becomes available. 

Start your application

Application Requirements

GRE scores are not required.

• Start your online application.
• Recommendation Forms (2 Required)
  • List your recommender’s name and contact information on the Recommender page of your online application. Recommendations should come from recommenders who know you professionally, academically, or in related volunteer experience that are ideally in supervisory roles and not personal relationships (e.g. friends, family members, therapists, etc.). Cal Lutheran will send the required form to your recommenders.There is a space at the end of the form for your recommender to upload their Recommendation Letter. You do not need to wait for your recommenders to send in their recommendations to continue with your application.
• Complete the rest of the application, sign, and click submit.
• Request Official transcripts from all regionally accredited 4-year colleges and universities attended and any graduate work. Official Transcripts must be ordered and sent directly to Cal Lutheran via certified e-transcript or mail. We recommend e-transcripts if available at your institutions. (3.0 cumulative GPA from bachelors or 3.5 from masters as stated on degree posted transcript required to apply.)
  

   

   By email:                                                                           By mail:

   If a selection list is available please choose:             California Lutheran University
   California Lutheran University                                      60 W. Olsen Road, #2200
   or use the following email address                             Thousand Oaks, CA 91360-2700
   for direct entry: clugrad@CalLutheran.edu

  • Official transcripts from the college/university where prerequisite courses were completed must also be sent
  • International Candidates are required to send a sealed evaluated transcript from an approved evaluation service or provide an official sealed English Translation of transcripts.

Finalizing Your Application

After submitting your completed application, go to your Application Portal where you can upload or fill out the remaining application materials.

• Statement of Purpose
  • Applicants are to review the PsyD Program philosophy available on the website and illustrate how the program’s philosophy fits with their own personal objectives. Please include 3-5, double-spaced, typewritten pages for the statement of purpose.
• Resume or CV
• Clinical Experience Form
• Research Experience Form
• Pre-Requisite Requirement Form
  • Applicants who hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree in psychology must have at least 3 credits of statistics with a grade of B- or better. Applicants who do not hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree in psychology are required to have at least 3 credits of statistics and an additional 12 credits of undergraduate or graduate-level psychology courses, all with a grade of B- or better.
• Submit the non-refundable application fee (Fee waivers provided to applicants who attend an Info Session)

International Applicants

In addition to the above application requirements, International Students are required to provide the following:

• Official transcripts and degree certificates or certified true copies in English of all college and university records sent directly from each institution to CLU
• Students are required to complete an official transcript evaluation stating their degree is equivalent to a US bachelor’s degree. The evaluation must include GPA equivalence and course-by-course listing, done by a NACES  member company. CLU recommends two providers who have offered CLU applicants a streamlined process for obtaining an evaluation. These are IEE and SpanTran. 
•  Language Proficiency
• Minimum Acceptable scores for: Duolingo English Test score: 120; TOEFL score: 88; IELTS score: 6.5; Pearson’s (PTE Academic) score: 58; Completion of ELS 112
• Applicants who earn a bachelor's degree in an English-speaking country may have the proof of English proficiency requirement waived on a case-by-case basis. Please contact International Admission for more information: intladmission@CalLutheran.edu.

• Financial Responsibility Statement or Official Bank Statement
• Copy of Passport