Admission Criteria

The following information is used to guide our decisions on admission to the program:

  1. A formula score based on the overall undergraduate GPA, GRE Verbal, and GRE Quantitative scores.
  2. Three letters of reference. We would like to have at least one letter from someone from whom you have taken a college level course.
  3. A personal statement.

The formula score

A formula score combining overall undergraduate GPA and GRE scores has been found to be significantly related to performance in the program. For that reason it is the main piece of information on which admission decisions are based.

Formula Score = 100 * UGPA +

Percentile Rank of GREV score +
Percentile Rank of GREQ score +
Percentile Rank of Analytic Writing score

Note that the formula score is based on percentile ranks, not raw scores. Percentile ranks appear on your GRE report from ETS on the right of the sheet. Percentile ranks are values between 0 and 100. Make sure you put your percentile rank for each GRE score in the formula, not the raw score. In words, your formula score is equal to 100 times your overall undergraduate GPA (UGPA) plus the percentile rank of your GREV score plus the percentile rank of your GREQ score plus the percentile rank of your Analytic Writing score.

For example, the average UGPA of recently admitted students to the program is about 3.40. The average GRE Verbal percentile ranks is 54, of recent Quantitative percentile ranks is 44, and the average of percentile ranks of recent Analytic Writing scores is 42. Using the formula, a student whose UGPA and GRE percentile ranks are at these recent average values would have the following formula score:

Typical formula score = 100*3.40 + 54 + 44 + 42

= 340 + 54 + 44 + 42 = 480

In a typical admissions cycle, this score would be about average, meaning that roughly half of the admitted students have formula scores below this value and about half have scores above it. Stated another way, the probability of admission is lower for applicants with formula scores below 480. Students whose formula scores are below 430 are less likely to be admitted than those with scores closer to 480. A formula score below 380 is associated with a very low probability of admission. A student with a formula score above 480 will have a higher probability of being admitted. Exemplary letters of reference, a strong personal statement, or other evidence of a student’s ability to perform well in the program may positively influence the selection decision.

Please note that each year applicants are selected based on a rank-ordering and consideration of the above information.

Letters of reference

Applicants must submit three letters of reference. An applicant's file is not considered complete and will not be acted upon until all three letters are in the file.Here is a form for your references to complete when filing their recommendations. Copies of the form will be mailed to an applicant upon request. All reference letters should be from people who know the applicant well enough to comment frankly on his/her ability to complete a master's level program of study. At least one of the letters should be from a college professor who has observed the applicant's performance in at least one college-level course. Applicants should follow-up with their letter writers well before the application deadline to ensure that all reference letters have been submitted in a timely fashion.

Personal Statement

Your personal statement should:

1.explain why you want to pursue graduate education in research psychology.

2. identify the research area you would most like to pursue, and the faculty members whose research is most closely aligned with your interests.

3. provide the committee with any other information about yourself that will help us evaluate your application and your ability to succeed in a graduate school environment.

The statement should not exceed two pages and it should be typed. The statement will be evaluated in terms of its overall writing quality and evidence of your general knowledge of psychology and the requirements for success in our M.S. program. Show us you understand what it will take to succeed here and let us know how you can make a positive contribution to the program and to the field of psychology when you graduate.