The information provided below can guide you through the application process to the Ph.D. program in Psychology. There are two important facts to keep in mind:

1. All of your application materials should be sent directly to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
2. The deadline for submitting your application is December 1, 2009.
   

For further admission information, please check with the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GSAS). International students should also check on special requirements that are also described on that page.

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Preparing to Apply

1) Take the GRE (the General Test is required, and the Subject Test is strongly recommended) in the fall so the official scores will have been submitted well before the December 1^st Columbia application deadline. Send your scores to Columbia University, not the Psychology Department, using school code 2162. To be considered for admission, your combined verbal/quantitative GRE scores must be at least 1200.

2) If applicable, take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the IELTS and send your scores to Columbia University, not the Psychology Department, using school code 2162. International students must hold the equivalent of an American university baccalaureate (B.A. or B.S.) and be fluent in both written and spoken English. For more information on testing or degrees, please check the GSAS Admission page.

3) Arrange to have 3 academic references sent directly to GSAS. Ask the professors from whom you are requesting evaluations to see if they would like to use the online system. If they will be submitting their letter online, you’ll need to get their email addresses. If they will be submitting their references on paper, provide them with copies of the Letters of Recommendation Cover Sheet which can be downloaded from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences site.

4) Other Requirements:

• Written statement of academic purpose – a statement of approximately 500 words concerning your plans for graduate study and a professional career. Please be sure to include the areas in which you are interested and the names of faculty whose research attracts you. (to be submitted on-line)

• Official Transcripts – an official transcript is required from each undergraduate (and graduate) school attended showing all courses, grades and degrees received, if any. Applicants should request that the transcript(s) be returned to them in a sealed envelope with the signature of an authorized official across the seal.
  

If your transcripts are being sent from a foreign country, be sure to request that they are in English with explanations of the grading system. A certified translation may be done by the consulate or a professional agency if your school does not provide one.

• Application fee payment method – it is highly recommended that applicants use the online application. Only those who apply online may use a credit card to pay the application fee of $85.

The fee should be in the form of a personal or bank check in U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank, U.S. Postal Money Orders or Travelers Checks made payable to “Columbia University.” If you are an international student, applying from outside the United States, these are the following conditions: pre-printed on the check must be: a) the U.S. address, and b) the nine-digit ABA or routing number at the bottom. Applications are not considered complete unless accompanied by the fee.

 

5) For further information contact the admission counselor for Psychology - Stephanie Brusco - who can be reached by phone at 212 854-6726 or by email at .

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The Application

1) While Columbia recommends that all prospective students complete their application using the online process. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is no longer printing applications to be mailed.

Before applying online, please check first to be sure you meet the following system requirements:

• You will need a web browser that has Javascript activated.
• Supported web browsers include Internet Explorer 5 and above, Netscape 6 and above, Safari (for Macintosh users), and Mozilla/Firefox.
• Do not use AOL's internal browser.
• Pop-up blockers should be disabled.
• You must logout of the online application after each session.

2) You may submit your online application, even if the letters of evaluation have not yet been submitted by your recommender. When the letters are submitted, they will be attached to the rest of your documents.

3) Your application must include the following information::

• A completed online application or paper application (sent to the GSAS address listed below)

• A non-refundable fee of $85 for an online application (made out to Columbia University and sent to the GSAS address listed below)

• One official complete set of transcripts reflecting all undergraduate and graduate work, if any. These should be returned to the applicant in a sealed envelope with the signature of an authorized official across the seal and the applicant can send it to the GSAS address listed below

• Three letters of recommendation - if not sent in online, each should be sealed in an envelope and signed by the recommender and the applicant can send them to the GSAS address listed below

• A written statement of academic purpose

• GRE scores (official copies must be sent directly from ETS)

• If applicable, results of the TOEFL or IELTS examination

4)Once you have sent in your application materials, you can check the status of your application. You will need your Applicant ID number, starting with "C00" which will be emailed to you approximately two weeks after receipt of your application.

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Admission - The Interview Invitation

In January, selected students will be contacted by faculty either by phone or email and invited to attend ‘Prospective Days’ at Columbia. Prospective Days are held over a long weekend in February so these applicants can gain a first hand knowledge of the Psychology faculty, the current students and the program in general. It also provides the faculty with the opportunity to interact with prospective students to determine the degree of matching interests. The final selection of students occurs after this weekend.

While students who will be admitted will be contacted soon after by the department, the formal offer will come from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in email. Rejection notices will also come from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in email by March.

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