Apply to study psychology
As a psychology student in the School of Science, you’ll earn an Indiana University degree.
Our admissions process depends on your educational level. When you’re ready to apply, follow the guidelines listed on this page.
Talk to someone about psychology programs
Undergraduate programs
Graduate (M.S./Ph.D.) programs
For application and admissions questions, please contact us by email:
gradpsy@iu.edu
Undergraduate admissions
Our undergraduate students enter the School of Science as direct admits or through University College. Either way, you will follow the same degree requirements.
Graduate admissions
We look for applicants who have the potential to make important and creative contributions as psychologists. If you have a strong commitment to research, education, and a scientific perspective, we invite you to come to campus and meet with faculty. We encourage minorities and persons with disabilities to apply.
Important dates
The application cycle for our Clinical Psychology and Addiction Neuroscience Ph.D. programs opens September 1 and closes December 1.
The application cycle for our Industrial/Organizational M.S. program opens September 1 and closes February 1.
Graduate program general requirements
To be admitted, you must have an undergraduate and graduate grade point average of 3.2 or higher on a 4-point scale.
You must also submit the following:
- Graduate Record Examination—scores are used in the overall evaluation process by the area to determine preparation for graduate training, but there is no minimum score required and all credentials are considered by the admissions committee. Only valid GRE scores are accepted; test scores are valid for five years after the testing year in which you tested (July 1-June 30).
- Addiction Neuroscience Ph.D. program—GRE scores are not required.
- Industrial/Organizational Psychology M.S. program—GRE scores are not required.
- Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program—the GRE test is optional for the Fall 2024 admission cycle. Applications with and without GRE scores will be given equal consideration.
- TOEFL—If your native language is not English, you must demonstrate English proficiency.
Requirements by degree program:
Entering students must meet the minimum admission requirements of the Graduate School of Indiana University Indianapolis, as well as departmental requirements.
We seek talented and motivated persons who have an interest in the fields of behavioral and/or addiction neuroscience. A strong record of undergraduate research experience is given high priority in evaluating applicants.
All applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution (you do not need a Master’s degree to apply). Majors in the life sciences (psychology, biology, or chemistry) are particularly encouraged to apply. Academic preparation and performance in the life sciences (e.g., experimental psychology and behavioral neuroscience; cell and systems biology; chemistry) are given high priority in considering candidates for admission.
Entering students must meet the minimum admission requirements of the Graduate School of Indiana University Indianapolis, as well as departmental requirements.
We are particularly interested in receiving applications from persons with a strong commitment to research, scholarly work, and a scientific perspective. Previous research experience or the completion of an undergraduate research project is seen as particularly positive (but not required). We value a broad liberal arts or science-based undergraduate education as the foundation for graduate study. We take a balanced approach to admission, and relative weaknesses in one area may be balanced by strengths in others. The clinical psychology program is committed to creating a diverse learning environment for its students; persons with disabilities and minorities are encouraged to apply.
Psychology GRE (NOTE: The Psychology GRE is strongly recommended, but not required.) The mean GRE score on the Advanced subtest in Psychology for students admitted to the program since 2007* is 704 (approximately 76th percentile).
*Per APA requirements, we provide information on the past 7 years.
Prerequisites: All applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. You do not need to major in psychology to apply; however, except in unusual circumstances, students admitted to the program are expected to have completed at least 15 credit hours in psychology prior to admission. Graduate courses will assume basic understanding in key areas. Students without preparation in these areas may be asked by their instructors to complete remedial activity prior to enrolling in the graduate course (e.g., reading an undergraduate text or taking an undergraduate course):
- tests and measurement
- statistics
- human physiology or physiological psychology
- abnormal psychology
Entering students must meet the minimum admission requirements of the Graduate School of Indiana University Indianapolis, as well as departmental requirements. This program requires an undergraduate course in statistics, in research methodology, and an introductory psychology course.
Admission to this program is competitive. In recent years, we have averaged 82 applications annually. Partial funding is available for admitted students.
Degree: While a bachelor’s degree in psychology is preferred, we will consider applicants with degrees in related areas that include coursework in social science, statistics, and research methods.
Prerequisites: Our program emphasizes strong quantitative and methodological skills. All applicants must have completed a course in each of the following: statistics, methodology, and introductory psychology. Students who have not met these prerequisites may still be admitted but must complete the approved prerequisite courses before enrolling in the program in the fall.
Graduate program application and instructions
To apply to one of our graduate programs, you must complete the IU Indianapolis Online Application.
When you do, please be sure to complete the personal statement regarding your goals and plans for your professional career, and include information for your recommendation providers. Electronic copies of transcripts and degree certificates may be attached to the application for an initial review.
An application fee will be charged which may be paid by credit or debit card.
More information about the online application is available on the Graduate School website.
Fee waiver eligibility
You may be eligible for a fee waiver (coupon code) if you have participated in one of the following programs. You must send proof of participation by email to gradpsy@iu.edu before completing the application to receive a coupon code. Apply the coupon code on the payment page of the application.
- AmeriCorps
- Bepko Scholar
- Bridges to the Doctorate
- Fulbright Scholar
- Herbert STEM Scholar
- Herbert Fellow
- Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP)
- McNair Scholar
- SPEA Exec Education
- MSECE with EW Emphases (Crane)
- National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
- SROP
- Project Lead the Way Teacher
- Woodrow Wilson Fellowship
- Teach for America
- Peace Corps
All hard copy documents should be submitted to the following address:
IU Indianapolis Department of Psychology
Attn: Graduate Application
402 North Blackford Street, LD 124
Indianapolis, Indiana 46202
Unofficial transcript(s) of all previous university work is required (with English translation, if applicable) and must be submitted with your application; this includes transcripts for programs that were not ultimately completed. All degrees awarded should be documented. A list of university courses and their titles which do not appear on the transcript(s) should also be submitted, if applicable. If selected for admission, you will be required to provide your original documents (hard copy or electronic) at a later time.
If you choose to send hard copies at this time, note that all transcripts and degree certificates must be in original, stamped, and sealed envelopes issued by the appropriate university/college authority. Loose or unattested copies cannot be accepted. We do not accept transcripts or other academic documents from WES, or any other external credentials analysis agency.
English language proficiency can be waived by applicants who have received a baccalaureate degree or graduate or professional degree within 36 months from a school where English is the primary language of instruction/where English is the native language. (See test scores section for more information.)
Your two- to three-page explanation of why you want to enter this program.
Three confidential letters of recommendation are required. Letters of recommendation should be provided by professionals (consider faculty members, administrators, internship/co-operative education supervisors, and employers) who are familiar with your work and strengths.
When you create a recommendation request in our electronic application, an email request will be sent to the recommender on your behalf. Please advise your recommender to look for this email in their inbox, as well as their spam or junk-mail folder.
Submit GRE and/or English language proficiency scores, if appropriate. Only official score reports from the testing agency are acceptable. Please note, at this time we are not able to accept IELTS scores electronically; paper score reports can take two–four weeks to be delivered to the department through the mail, so please plan accordingly. The IU Indianapolis institution code for ETS test reporting (GRE and TOEFL) is 1325.
GRE scores—see specific requirements in the Graduate program general requirements section on this page.
English proficiency scores must meet all requirements listed (both total and section minimums, if applicable):
- TOEFL—80 Total, 19 Reading, 14 Listening, 18 Speaking & Writing
- IELTS (Academic test only)—overall band score of 6.5 or higher, 6.5 Reading, 6.0 Listening, 6.0 Speaking, 5.5 Writing
We cannot accept completion of ELS Intensive English coursework or IU Indianapolis EAP test scores as sufficient proof of English proficiency for admission purposes.