Advice and information for potential applicants

The University of Waterloo Clinical Program encourages applications of all qualified students.

We welcome diversity in terms of cultural or ethnic identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, and physical disability.

Admission to the Clinical Psychology Program is highly competitive:

• The program receives approximately 186 applications per year (average based on the last six admission cycles)
• We typically makes offers of admission to 4-6 students per year.

Successful applicants typically have:

• An Honours Bachelor’s degree, almost always with an Honours thesis;
• An undergraduate GPA above 85%;
• Strong reference letters from professors and research supervisors who know their work well;
• A well-written personal statement that highlights their research interests and experiences, and, importantly, fit with the prospective lab and faculty supervisor;
• Other notable accomplishments and experiences (e.g., diversity, first generation university student, awards, publications, presentations, ); and
• Submitted applications for Master’s-level scholarships (e.g., Canada Graduate Scholarship, Ontario Graduate Scholarship )

GRE Scores are no longer required for admission to the Clinical Psychology Program.

The faculty in our program have a broad range of clinically relevant research interests. To find a detailed account of each faculty member’s research interests, please visit our Clinical Faculty profile pages. Please do not reach out to prospective labs or faculty supervisors prior to applying to the program as faculty members are unable to comment on application packages outside of the formal evaluation process.

The following table provides information about our typical applicant pool and incoming class:

Although our clinical program is designed for the Ph.D. degree, typically students admitted to the clinical program spend their first two years working toward a Master’s degree before moving into the Ph.D. 

Minimum Guaranteed Funding

The minimum funding guaranteed by the university is $18,000 per year for two years of the Master’s degree and $26,000 per year for four years of the Ph.D. No student receives less than the minimum funding package offered to students in the Faculty of Arts.

Demographic Characteristics and Other Statistics on our Current Students

• In 2023-24, 69% (20/29) of our full-time clinical graduate students (excluding those on residency/internship) received external funding through OGS or one of the tri-council agencies (SSHRC; CIHR; NSERC). No student receives less than the minimum funding package offered to students in the Faculty of Arts. 
• Of the clinical students currently enrolled in the program (2023-24), 92% (35/38) identify as female and 8% (3/38) as male. Current students range in age from 22 to 39, with an average of 28 years. Students in the program have a range of backgrounds.
• Our program places equal emphasis on research and clinical work. Of the clinical students currently enrolled in the program (2023-24), there have been a collective total of 53 conference presentations (average 1.5/student), 201 conference posters (average 5.74/student), and 77 peer-reviewed publications (average 2.2/student), since joining the clinical area.

• Over the last five years (2020-2024), our average time to completion for the Ph.D. is 14 terms. This number includes the year-long predoctoral internship year.

• Statistics on student residencies/internships over the last six years (2019-2024):
  Those who obtained paid internships: 24/24 students = 100%
  Those who obtained CPA (or APA) accredited internships: 23/24 students = 96%
• In the last six years (2019-2024), two students have left the clinical program after obtaining a Master's degree.
• In the last six years (2019-2024), 14 out of 14 of our graduates have become licensed psychologists, or are currently in the process of becoming licensed.