Doctoral Admissions—Counseling Psychology
The GRE is no longer a requirement when applying to the Counseling Psychology doctoral program
Please follow the directions below to apply to Western Michigan University's counseling psychology doctoral program, offered through the Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology.
All applications MUST be COMPLETE by the due date listed below in order to be considered for admission
- Dec. 1 for the fall admission
Admissions process
WMU has a new online graduate application system that allows all students (domestic and international) to submit required information into one system. General application information for the University, as well as specific requirements for individual programs, are captured into this system.
Your application must be received by December 1.
Application information for international applicants
The deadline for receipt of all admission materials for the counseling psychology doctoral program is Dec. 1 for the fall semester (our doctoral program admission deadlines are earlier than the general application deadlines for Office of International Admissions and Services). Application procedures for international students are available from the Office of International Admissions and Services.
Admission review procedures
Initial screening of applicants is based on:
- An assessment of a student's grade point average
- Graduate Record Examination scores
- Appropriateness of academic preparation
- Relevance of professional experience
- Quality of references
- Appropriateness of career goals
- Quality of submitted writing samples
Applicants to the counseling psychology doctoral program should request current admission information from both the WMU Office of Admissions and the Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology.
In mid-January, selected applicants are scheduled for interviews with faculty and current students. Virtual interviews will be held on Thursday, January 23, 2025 and Friday, January 24, 2025 from 9-5pm. All applicants are encouraged to block out one of these dates for the virtual interview day with the program. Applicants not selected for interviews will be notified. Following the interview process, the counseling psychology training committee decides which applicants will be offered admission into the program. Notification of acceptance, alternate status, or denial is made in early to mid-February. Offers of admission must be accepted or declined by April 15.
The number of applicants recommended for admission each year varies and is determined primarily by the availability of faculty advisors for incoming students. The program received 42 completed applications for 2022-23, and admitted four students. Over the last seven years, 90 percent of students who matriculated in the doctoral program remain current or have graduated. Over the same period, the mean and median number of years to complete the doctoral degree for students entering with a bachelor’s or master’s degree is six (14 percent took fewer than five years, 24 percent five years, 27 percent six years, 19 percent seven years and 16 percent took more than seven years).
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