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Graduate Program in Psychology Faculty of Graduate Studies
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How to Apply

Aerial view of Vari Hall with the Ross Building behind it

December 1, 2023, is the absolute last day to create your application and pay the application fee. Once you create the application, you will receive your MyFile link and student number, approximately four to five business days later (please check spam/junk folders).

You will then have until December 15, 2023, to upload your documents. Please be sure to indicate the correct emails and names of your referees, as they cannot be changed. Referees will receive a link to complete, and they should be aware that they have only two weeks to complete the reference (please tell referees to check their spam/junk folders).

Required Documents:

  1. 2 references
  2. CV
  3. Statement of Interest (Applicants to Clinical and Clinical Developmental areas, please refer to the specific area pages for further details)
  4. Transcript
  5. Supplementary Information form (SIF)
  6. If you attended a university where courses were taught in a language other than English, Official English Language Proficiency test results are required. (Please refer to this page for the English proficiency requirement. )

We invite you to apply for Fall 2024 as of October 15, 2023. It is strongly encouraged to have your application submitted as early as possible.

We are not able to offer funded positions to international applicants at this time. If you are externally funded or self-funded, please visit the Faculty of Graduate Studies—International Students for more information.

Apply Online to York

Quick Links

If you have already applied to Graduate Psychology or are concerned about uploaded documents, read this FAQ page which may be of interest to you, including information on document processing times.

Interested in Graduate School in Psychology?  We have the answers.

Remember, applying to graduate school is like planning a trip around the world – it requires careful planning and preparation well in advance before the journey can begin.

Here’s a quick list of what you need to know:

Degree Requirement:  In order to apply, you will need an Honours BA (or BSc) in Psychology or the equivalent of eight full courses in Psychology.  The eight full courses can be any combination of half or full courses which add up to a total of eight full courses.

GPA:  Applicants will need a minimum B+ average from your last two years of study (or last 60 credits) in order to be eligible.  For Clinical and Clinical-Developmental applicants, it is recommended that you have at least an A average.

References: When filling out the online application, two (2) references are required (academic references preferred); however, you may submit up to three (3) in total.  Only the Clinical-Developmental Area specifically expects three references.  When you complete the referee information, a link is emailed to the referees and the referees will complete it online.

Statement of Interest:  You will need to complete a Statement of Interest, which should be no more than 2 pages double-spaced (standard margins, 12-point font).  Please note: If you are applying to one of our Clinical Programs and wish to enter the Neuropsychology stream for C or CD, please indicate this in your Statement of Interest.

C.V.:  You will need to submit a C.V. (regardless of the area to which you are applying).

Transcripts: You will need to upload transcripts of all courses taken at all Post-Secondary Institutions attended. We accept unofficial transcripts for your online application; however, we only accept unofficial copies that include your name and name of the Institution clearly shown on the transcript. As well if you have already graduated, the transcript must show the degree was conferred. If you are made an Offer of Admission, you will be required to supply official copies.

Supplementary Information Form:  You will need to complete this page with the names of any awards for which you have applied (e.g., OGS, SSHRC, CIHR, NSERC), your language skills, chosen Areas of Specialization, and finally, the names of supervisor(s) with whom you would like to work.  N.B.: It is very important that you do not leave blanks in Questions 1 – 4.

What else should I know? Admissions usually opens in mid-October and closes in mid-December.  However, we strongly advise that you apply several weeks well before the deadline as we have approximately 1000 applicants. Due to volume, last minute requests about issues the day before the deadline may leave you without an answer or time to remedy any errors. Please note when filling out your student Information Form, that edits cannot be made after submission. As well, we cannot add referees once you have submitted your two referee names and emails (or three referees if you are applying to CD).  Please have this information completed before you press “Submit”.  Meeting the minimum admission requirements is not a guarantee of admission. Only the most qualified candidates will be considered. In Question 3, the seven choices of specialization are:

  • Brain, Behaviour and Cognitive Sciences
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Clinical Developmental Psychology
  • Developmental Science
  • Historical, Theoretical, and Critical Studies of Psychology
  • Quantitative Methods
  • Social and Personality Psychology

**Please note: Clinical Neuropsychology and Clinical Developmental Neuropsychology are part of the Clinical and Clinical Developmental programs, respectively.

How many intakes do you have per year? We only have one intake per year, which is in the Fall term.

When is the deadline to apply?  The deadline for the Fall 2024 application cycle is December 1, 2023. We usually open the online system in mid-October which remains open for two months, until mid-December each year. Please note that December 1, 2023, is the last day to create an application for Fall 2024 admission. After your application has been opened, you will have until December 15, 2023, to upload everything before the Admissions system is closed. It is recommended to submit a complete application in October, thus allowing adequate time to attend to your application in case of unexpected delays.

You will need the equivalent of eight full courses in Psychology in order to apply, as well as a four-year Honours degree with a thesis. If you do not have the eight courses in Psychology, or the Honours degree, we recommend you upgrade your degree and take the required number of Psychology courses in order to qualify for graduate school. For further undergraduate study at York University, you may contact York Admissions at Ask an Expert.

Please include the area of research you are interested in pursuing, why you are interested in working within a specific faculty member’s lab, and why you would like to come to York University, as well as any other relevant information. A brief history of your academic and professional experience is also helpful.

We appreciate the benefits that a diverse student body brings to our programme. Our goal is for all students to feel welcome at York University, Department of Psychology. We invite students to disclose any extenuating circumstances related to diversity that may have affected their preparation for graduate school, e.g., a need to work, a need for paid employment, or part-time undergraduate experiences at the University. Please add this to your Statement of Interest when applying.

You can find the list of faculty accepting students under the “Faculty Taking Students for 2024” tab.  Each area of “Area of Specialization” has its own “Faculty Taking Students for 2024” tab.

Email addresses for faculty can be found on this page:

No. However, in your Supplementary Form, if you are interested in working with a specific professor, please add the names of up to three professors with whom you would hope to work. (Supervisor information belongs in Question 4 of the Supplementary Information Form). In addition, in your Statement of Interest, you may also go into further details about your possible research with specific professors.

International students are welcome to apply, if they are able to self-fund their tuition and living expenses.  At this time, unfortunately, we are unable to offer funding for international students. International students who are able to self-fund will require IELTS/TOEFL scores as well as meeting the above requirements for applicants. As well, please refer to the Faculty of Graduate Studies' International Admissions page for information regarding admission requirements, English language proficiency, degree equivalency, immigration, and support services..

No, our CPA-accredited clinical programs are designed and accredited as a unit (MA + PhD together) so a different kind of master's degree is not a substitute for the first two years of our program. It is not uncommon for students in our highly competitive Clinical programs to have other master's degrees prior to entry. The only exception would be if you have an MA from another CPA-accredited Clinical program.

York University requires a Master’s in Psychology as a prerequisite to entering the PhD program.

Please note that, for further inquiries, if your query is not answered above, you may write to gradpsyc@yorku.ca. In the Subject line, please put your full name, student number (if applicable), and whether you are a domestic or international student. We will reply to you as soon as possible. Good luck on your journey.

Next Steps

Now that you have applied, please be sure to check your MyFile for any changes in status, or reminders for outstanding requirements. Area faculty begin rating applications in January, and if a supervisor is interested, you should be contacted by the end of February for our first round of offers. Some Areas have an open house, other areas have individual interviews.  After the initial offers, timing is variable but additional offers may be made. Therefore, if you have not been contacted and there is no change on your My File application status, it means you are still under consideration. Your patience is appreciated.

If you are contacted with an Offer of Admission, you will have until April 15 to accept or decline, although we hope you will accept as soon as you can.

Learn More

The Graduate Program in Psychology at York is an exciting environment to pursue innovative, socially engaging, career-ready education. Contact our Graduate Program Assistant to learn more.

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How to Apply