The deadline for applying to all 3 of the UK Psychology Doctoral Programs (Clinical; Cognitive Neuroscience; and Developmental, Social and Health) for admission into the Fall 2025 cohort is December 1, 2024.

Admissions occur each year for the FALL semester ONLY; admissions do NOT occur during spring or summer semesters.

All psychology program have eliminated the GRE general test requirement and will not accept or consider GRE scores as part of the application process. Please do not submit your GRE scores through ETS or report your scores anywhere in your application, including on your CV or personal statement.

All documents must be uploaded to the online application.  If you have any difficulty uploading the required documents or completing the application, please first contact grad.admit@uky.edu or call either 859-257-9390 or 859-257-4905.  If you continue to have issues with your online application or have other questions regarding graduate program applications, you may contact Tamra Nowitzki (tamra.nowitzki@uky.edu, 859- 257-9640) to ensure that your application will receive full consideration.

The University of Kentucky has minimum requirements for admission into the Graduate School, which can be reviewed here.

Admission to the doctoral programs in psychology at the University of Kentucky is very competitive. We average 200-300 completed applications each year and admit 9-12 students per cohort.

The Department of Psychology adheres to University policy and federal law prohibiting unfair discrimination on the basis of age, ethnic classification, handicap, race, sex, or veteran status in the provision of educational or employment opportunities and benefits. The Department of Psychology sincerely values providing a space that is affirming and welcoming to everyone and we are taking active steps to demonstrate that in instructional, research, and service efforts. There is a dedicated Access, Community, and Engagement Committee, which is currently led by Dr. Shannon Sauer-Zavala and includes graduate students, post docs, and faculty from the department. 

Programs

You can find a list of offered psychology graduate programs here.

If you choose to apply for a Clinical Psychology program and either Cognitive Neuroscience and/or Developmental, Social, and Health programs, it is necessary that you separately apply for the Clinical and the Experimental degree programs through the Graduate School; this will require you to pay two separate application fees. If you choose to apply for the Cognitive Neuroscience and Developmental, Social, and Health programs, then only one fee is required because both programs fall under the heading of an Experimental Psychology degree. However, you must indicate your intention to apply for both programs by checking all appropriate areas on your online application through the Graduate School.

The application procedure is a time-consuming process and should be initiated as early as possible. Before any application will be reviewed, the required fee and all materials must be received. At this time, the Department of Psychology is not waiving any fees.