General Admission

• Entrance Exams - GRE & English Language Proficiency 

  IMPORTANT: The GRE is not required for the Fall 2025 admissions cycle. Not submitting GRE scores will not be counted against an applicant. Please disregard any information that states that the GRE is required for Psychology graduate admission. Scores from the GRE Psychology subject test are not requested or considered in the application process.

  For international students who must submit evidence of language proficiency, applicants should take their exam so that we receive the scores by our application deadline. You can read more about the English Language Proficiency Requirement on the Graduate Division website. 

  Check with Educational Testing Service to be sure your scores will be submitted on time. 

• Faculty Accepting Students in the Fall 2025 application cycle 
  • Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience: N/A
  • Clinical Science: Profs. Aaron Fisher, Allison Harvey, Hedy Kober*, Giovanni Ramos**, and Jasmin Brooks Stephens**
  • Cognition: Prof. Anne Collins, Steven Piantadosi, Mariam Aly, and William (Bill) Thompson
  • Cognitive Neuroscience: Profs. David Whitney, Hedy Kober, Richard Ivry, and Amitai Shenhav
  • Developmental: Profs. Mahesh Srinivasan, Fei Xu, Qing Zhou, and Celeste Kidd
  • Social-Personality: Profs. Serena Chen and Iris Mauss

  *Hedy Kober is accepting (1) student in either Clinical Science OR Cognitive Neuroscience.

  **Students interested in having Giovanni Ramos or Jasmin Brooks Stephens as their "Faculty Preference #1" should list "Aaron Fisher", then indicate in the text field below who their preferred faculty is.

  Faculty contact regarding admission
  Applicants may try to contact faculty with whom they wish to do research before they apply, but this is not encouraged.  Many faculty do not communicate with or meet applicants outside of the official application process. 

  To determine which faculty member’s research matches your interest, visit Research Overview and Faculty on our website.

• Application 
  Submission of materials after application deadline

  Applicants may not upload materials after the application deadline. Applications must be completed by the deadline. You may continue updating materials in your application up to the point of submission. Once you have submitted the application, you may no longer make changes, so be sure your application is 100% complete before submitting.

• Program Information (Offered and Not Offered)

  Offered 

  Ph.D. - We only admit students who intend to earn a Ph.D. degree

  Not Offered 

  Master's. - Our department does not offer a terminal Master’s degree program. Students admitted to our graduate program do, however, have the option of earning the M.A. degree while working toward the Ph.D. degree.

  Psy.D. - We do not offer a Psy.D. degree program. Our Clinical Science area offers only the Ph.D. degree and is highly focused on research.

• Tips to Become a Competitive Candidate 

  Here are some tips to become a competitive candidate:

  First, regarding courses, there are not any specific classes that you need to complete for admission to our program, but we strongly recommend that you take an introductory psychology course, several advanced courses in psychology, research methods and statistics.

  Second, the admissions committee seeks students who have laboratory or field research experience, a general knowledge of psychology (and their particular subfield), and the ability to conduct high-level research in that subfield.

  Third, writing a strong personal statement and having extremely good letters of recommendation are both essential. Also, it is beneficial for applicants to our Clinical Science program to have volunteer or paid clinical experience (e.g., hospital internships, suicide/crisis hotlines, educational work with children, etc.).

   

  Competitive candidates for our program will have a Bachelor's degree in Psychology (or a closely related field) from an accredited 4 year institution. Those with a Bachelor's degree in field other than Psychology, should consider acquiring a Post Baccalaureate degree in Psychology, such as the one offered through UC Berkeley Extension.

• Admission Statistics  

  How competitive is the program?

  The admission rate to our graduate program for the 2024 entering class is approximately 2%. 831 people applied and 25 were offered admission. Clinical Science is our most competitive area, with an admission rate of less than 1%.

  2024	Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience	Clinical Science	Cognition	Cognitive Neuroscience	Developmental	Social-Personality	All
  Applications	24	279	71	78	133	246	831
  Admission Offers	1	5	1	4	8	6	25
  Incoming Class	1	3	1	3	6	4	18

  Students entering the program in 2024 received undergraduate degrees from the following institutions:

  • Alliant International University
  • Arizona State University 
  • Cornell University
  • National Taiwan University
  • New York University
  • Princeton University
  • The Evergreen State College
  • University of California Berkeley
  • University of California Davis
  • University of California Los Angeles

  • University of Central Florida
  • University of Colorado, Boulder
  • University of Mary
  • University of Nevada, Reno
  • University of Toronto
  • University of Washington
• Psychology Courses 

  Courses completed to be considered for admission

  There is no set number of courses that are required. In general, a broad-based education in psychology is preferred in addition to introductory psychology, research methods and statistics. Advanced courses in the area to which you will apply are helpful but not required.

  Where to take psychology courses if already obtained an undergraduate degree in a different field:

  The courses should be advanced courses, so taking courses at a 4-year institution is appropriate. Enrolling in a post-baccalaureate program is an option (Berkeley Psychology Postbac program). You may take courses through a continuing education program or during the summer. Online courses may not be the best option.

  If you already have a B.A. or Master's in psychology:

  Bachelor’s degree in psychology

  A bachelor’s degree in psychology is not required for admission to our graduate program, though most of our admitted students have an undergraduate degree in psychology. Whatever your major, it is important to have a strong background related to the area of psychology to which you will apply. Degrees in a biological, cognitive, or social science are often closely related to areas of psychology in our graduate program.

  Master’s degree in psychology

  A master’s degree in psychology is not required for admission to our graduate program; most of our admitted students do not enter with a master’s degree. Students who enter with a master’s degree in psychology start at year one of our program, just like students with a bachelor’s degree.

• Research Experience   

  Needed research experience in psychology

  It is essential to have laboratory or field research experience in psychology before you apply. Successful candidates have a minimum of one year of research experience, either as undergraduates or following a bachelor’s degree (e.g., postbac program, research assistant position); most have substantially more experience.

  Tips on how to get research experience:

  If you do not have laboratory or field research experience in the area (of psychology) of interest to you, then you must attain such experience before applying. To find research opportunities, review the research interests of professors in psychology departments at universities or colleges (4-year institutions) near you and then contact the specific faculty members whose research interests you, asking if they have research positions (volunteer or paid) to which you may apply. Postbac programs are another option for obtaining this research experience.

  Consideration of experience

  Academic research experience is highly valued, particularly in the context of a psychology or neuroscience laboratory, but also in other academic settings. Other work experience, including jobs and internships, are also valuable, particularly if it has helped you to 1) hone one or more of the following essential skills: critical thinking, teaching, writing, leadership and/or teamwork, and time management and 2) develop into a mature young adult with a strong work ethic.

• Letter of Recommendation  

  Who to ask for letters of recommendation:

  Letters of recommendation should be from individuals with whom you have worked closely in an academic, clinical, research or professional setting so they can comment positively on your accomplishments, and your potential to succeed in a graduate program.

  Required letters of recommendation

  We require three letters of recommendation; a fourth is acceptable. At least two should be from professors and/or research supervisors.

• Statement of Purpose and Personal History Statement 

  Statement of purpose

  In your statement of purpose, please describe your aptitude and motivation for graduate study in your area of specialization, including your preparation for this field of study, your academic plans or research interests in your chosen area of study, and your future career goals. Please be specific.

  Some questions to consider are:

  • What sparked your interest in psychology?
  • What are your academic achievements?
  • What are your general and specific areas of research interest?
  • Why would UC Berkeley be a good intellectual fit for you? You also should discuss why you are interested in your emphasis and the specific faculty members you selected.

  Personal History statement

  The personal history statement should discuss how your personal background influences your decision to pursue a graduate degree in psychology. For example, please include information on how you have overcome barriers; evidence of your academic service to advance equitable access to higher education for women, racial minorities, and individuals from other groups that have been historically under represented in higher education; evidence of your research focusing on underserved populations or related issues of inequality, or evidence of your leadership among such groups.

  Some questions to consider are:

  • What hardships have you overcome?
  • What have been your successes?
  • What obstacles came up? Show how you persevered.
  • How did you become interested in psychology?
  • Were you in some way different from the majority of students in your class?
  • Was your family supportive in your decision to choose psychology as a career field?
  • Were you influenced by your parents’ education and career?
  • Were you in a single parent family?
  • Was much of your time spent taking care of your siblings?
  • Did you work while going to school?
  • Is psychology a common career field for people of your cultural background?
• Transcripts   

  Submission of transcript from host university if studied abroad

  In some cases, the transcript of the home university only contains credits/units from the host university. In these cases, it is necessary for the applicant to submit the transcript from the host university. You do not need to submit the transcript from the host university in cases where the credits/units, grades, course names and course numbers appear on your home university’s transcript.

 Prior to contacting our office, please read through our Admissions webpages. Still have a question? Please contact us at psychgradadmissions@berkeley.edu.