• Below are the required and recommended criteria, which provide the minimum foundation for advanced training in our psychology program.

•  Required
  • GPA of 3.0 or above on all undergraduate coursework.
  • GPA of 3.25 or above on all psychology coursework (if applicable)
•  Preferred
  • Hold at least a B.A. in psychology or have completed 30 hours of psychology coursework
• GRE scores are not required for the December 1st, 2024 admissions deadline
• International students are required to submit documentation of English language proficiency; please refer to this document. 

• The following application materials are needed for consideration for admission to the CPP:
  • Graduate School Application.
  • Graduate School Application fee.
  • Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate (if applicable) coursework from each institution attended.
  • Current vita outlining educational and professional experiences.
  • Declaration of intent outlining occupational goals, interests, and commitment to program (including a reasons for choosing the field of counseling psychology and the University of Akron). This should also include which program faculty member(s) you are most interested in working with and/or who you believe is the best fit for your interests. The faculty who are currently accepting students are Drs. Margo Gregor, Dawn Johnson, John Queener, and Ingrid Weigold.
  • A minimum of three letters of reference attesting to success in the field and probable academic success at the doctoral level.
  • Finalists will be required to be interviewed in the spring. Those invited for an interview will be asked to indicate which of two dates they prefer. The interviews will be virtual. 
  • International applicants are required to submit recent (less than two years old) TOEFL, IELTS, or U-ADEPT (university specific) test scores; please refer to this document.

To be considered for admission, all materials must be received by December 1.

Please see our FAQ. 

• STEM Designation:

  • The Counseling Psychology Program was recently awarded the STEM Designation at the university. As a result, international students who graduate from our program may obtain up to 3 years of extended OPT (employment window post-graduation), which is 2 years longer than the typical OPT duration offered by most other counseling psychology PhD programs in the country.

• Application Requirements:

  • Please visit the International Center website for general University information and the Graduate School’s Graduate Admissions page for University policies related to international student graduate admissions. Also note that you are required to submit a copy of recent (within two years) TOEFL, IELTS, or U-ADEPT scores with your application. This is based on Ohio’s state requirements for teaching assistantships; more information can be found here.

• Funding:

  • International students are eligible for the same assistantships as students from the United States. These include the same stipend and tuition waiver. Most assistantships in the Department of Psychology are teaching assistantships, and these are the assistantships that are offered to incoming students. The university requires that international students score at least a 23 on the Speaking Section of the TOEFL, at least a 7 on the Speaking Section of the IELTS, or pass the U-ADEPT (the university’s language test) within the past two years in order to be offered a teaching assistantship. This is also a requirement of admission to our program (click here for this separate document).

• Additional Fees for International Students:

  • International students at the university are required to purchase health insurance through the university, which is part of their semester fees. Students who are adequately covered by another insurance plan may request a waiver of the mandatory health insurance. See the International Center website for more information.

• Training Experience:

  • Some practicum and internship sites require US citizenship (e.g., VAs and federally funded sites). However, there are many training sites that do not have this requirement. Students (including international students) have generally been matched to their training site of choice. If any concerns arise, faculty are available to help make this process as smooth as possible.

• Further Questions:

  • Please contact Dr. Ingrid Weigold, admissions coordinator for the program, at weigold@uakron.edu or 330-972-8156 (email preferred) for further questions or if you would like to get in contact with any current international student for more information.