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Admission Policy Procedures

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Admission Policies and Procedures

The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences follows specific admission procedures for the graduate degrees in Counseling Psychology, Forensic Psychology, and School Psychology. Admissions requirements are based on an evaluation by the program’s admission committee. The steps and materials that need to be included for each applicant are listed below.

The graduate degrees in Counseling Psychology, Forensic, and School Psychology have prerequisite courses that are required for admission.  Applicants should have a bachelor’s degree (or complete one prior to the start of the fall semester) and evidence of having completed undergraduate or graduate courses in statistics, research, and abnormal psychology with a C or better.

Step 1: Submit a new graduate admissions application at ApplyTexas.org. If you're new to Apply Texas, you will be asked to first, activate an Apply Texas account. However, if you already have an account established, simply log into the portal to continue the process. Before submitting the application, you will be asked to submit a non-refundable/transferrable $25.00 fee.

Step 2: Submit all official college transcripts to the Office of Admissions & Student Recruitment. You need to send transcripts from every university that you attended. To expedite the processing of your application, we encourage for all documents to be submitted *electronically.

Step 3. Take the GRE General Test in time for your official results to be delivered to UHV. Official GRE General Test scores are sent to Office of Admissions & Student Recruitment. Register for the GRE General Test. When registering for the exam select UHV as the recipient (institution code: 6917). It is recommended that you take the exam in the fall before applications are due. GRE test scores are required in order to calculate your Admissions Index. A Graduate Admissions Index of 980 or above is required. The Office of Admissions will calculate the Graduate Admissions Index once the necessary materials are received.

Once the first three steps are complete, students can submit the following products to the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences by email to lass@uhv.edu:

Product 1. A 1-2 page essay that states the applicant’s reasons for applying to the program and the applicant’s career goals. This is often referred to as a Personal Statement. View APA’s Finding Fit webinar series for assistance on writing a personal statement.

Product 2. One Letter of Recommendation (including the Recommendation Form for Graduate Psychology Programs) from a non-UHV, non-family source.

All application materials listed above must be completed and received by February 15 to be considered for admission for the fall of that year. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Students may start the graduate psychology programs only during the fall semester.

Applicants may log into their myUHV student service center and check their To Do List for outstanding requirements that must be met before their application can be reviewed. Visit the Graduate Admissions page for additional information about the admission process.

If your application is completed and all products are received by February 15 and you have met the Admission Index and completed the prerequisite courses, your application will then be reviewed by the coordinating Program Director. Successful applicants will be offered a phone interview with UHV graduate faculty in psychology. The interview is a mandatory part of the application process and no applicant will be offered admittance to the graduate programs without an interview.

The Psychology Department graduate programs will not allow students to have Temporary Graduate Student status. All students must gain entry to a Psychology graduate program in Counseling, Forensic, or School Psychology through the admission procedures listed above.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the GRE? Which one do I take? How long before the deadline should I take the GRE?

  • The GRE is the Graduate Record Examination. It is commonly given as an entrance exam for individuals wanting to go to graduate school. More information can be found here.
  • Our admission requirement is that you take the GRE General Test. This is required to calculate the Admissions Index.
  • Only graduate students with previous graduate degrees are exempt from submitting the GRE scores.
  • You typically have to schedule your testing date several weeks in advance. You can select which universities will receive your scores before and after you take the exam. Once you take the exam, your official scores must be sent directly from ETS to UHV. This can also take several weeks. We recommend taking the exam by the end of the Fall semester to ensure you have enough time to take and send your scores before the February 15 deadline. Your application will not be reviewed if your scores are not received at UHV by February 15.

2. What is a Graduate Admissions Index?

  • The Office of Admissions will calculate the Graduate Admissions Index once the necessary materials are received. The formula for calculating the Graduate Admissions Index is:
    • (GPA * 200) + (15 * (GRE Verbal and Quantitative combined score – 260)
    • A of score of 980 or above is required. Students who already have a graduate or professional degree do not need to submit GRE scores.

3. I haven’t completed all three of the prerequisite courses. Can I still apply for the program?

  • Yes, you can apply. However, you MUST complete all three of the prerequisite courses before starting the program in the fall or your offer of admission will be rescinded. 

4. If I didn’t do steps 1 or 2 and didn’t submit all 3 products can I still be accepted into the program?

  • No. Incomplete applications are not reviewed by faculty and you will not be accepted to the graduate program. If you have any question about whether your application materials are complete or have been received please contact Jennifer Reeder.

5. If I miss the February 15 deadline, do I have to wait until next year to apply?

  • Yes, we only review applications once a year.  Students are only admitted to the psychology graduate programs at the beginning of the fall semester.

6. When will I hear if I was accepted?

  • Applications are not reviewed by faculty until after the February 15 deadline. When you will hear a response depends on the number of applicants and the number of interviews granted. This number varies every year; however, faculty try to process all applicants as quickly as possible. Typically, students hear about their acceptance status by the end of March.

7. I applied this year and wasn’t accepted. Is it worth it to apply again next year?

  • Acceptance rates vary every year dependent on the number of applicants. Some years you may have better odds of getting accepted than others. If you weren’t accepted, you should assess why.
  • If you decide to apply again, make sure that you meet the admissions criteria and that your materials are sent on time.
  • Also, make sure that you do your best to highlight what qualities and experiences you have that set you apart from other applicants. Your essay submission may need to be modified to better highlight your fit with the program. Please visit go here for assistance on writing a personal statement. Seeking out experiences and leadership activities related to your field of interests may also help to distinguish you from other applicants.

8. If I reapply do I have to resubmit all new materials (e.g., essay and letters of recommendation)?

  • You will need to resubmit your materials again. However, you can choose to use the materials that you submitted the last time.

9. Can I apply early? When should I start working on my application?

  • Yes, you may start turning in materials for your application starting August 1 of the year before you want to apply. However, your application will not be reviewed until  after the February 15 deadline. Students are only admitted to the psychology graduate programs once a year and only in the fall. We recommend starting on your application in the fall one year before you wish to join the program.

10. What would strengthen my application?

  • Please see number 7.

11. What if I already have graduate credit? Will any of my work transfer? 

  • Up to 25% of courses taken from non-UH institutions and up to 50% of courses from UH institutions may be accepted in transfer. This equates to approximately 15 credits from outside of the UH system or 32 hours from within the UH system.
  • Transfer credits cannot be more than 10 years old at the time of graduation from our program. For example, if you plan to complete the program full-time and have an anticipated graduation date of May 2023, your transfer credits must be from 2013 or beyond. It is up to the program director and coordinating faculty to determine if any of your courses will transfer to your new degree plan upon acceptance. This will not automatically happen and you will need to obtain syllabi from the courses you took and provide those to the program director upon your acceptance to the program.

12. If I graduated from another program will my prerequisite courses transfer to this program?

  • Statistics and research courses taken outside of the psychology field must be reviewed by faculty for equivalency prior to the admissions review.