Experimental Psychology Application Information
Applicant Qualifications, Information, and Timeline
Applicants are required to have a BA/BS in psychology or the equivalent (usually several classes in the core areas of psychology, statistics, and research methods), and an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher for the last two years is preferred.
Students entering the Experimental doctoral program at Idaho State University with a master's degree will receive full or partial credit, based on consideration of completed course work and research. The Department Chair, the Director of Experimental Training, and the departmental subject matter expert(s) will review relevant documents and determine the course work and research, if any, that will be counted toward the doctoral degree.
The following items are required for a complete application: CV/resume, unofficial college(s) transcript, contact information for three people who have agreed to write letters of recommendation for you, and a personal essay. The essay should describe your preparation for graduate training, the research interests you might like to pursue during your graduate training, and the aspects of the program that match your training goals and interests, including your interest in the research of specific faculty members. Ideally, this essay will be 2-3 pages in length. You can learn about obtaining feedback on your essay at https://www.asfp.io/.
GRE scores are not required nor expected, and applications are considered complete without GRE scores. However, if students submit scores, the Experimental Training Committee may take them into consideration along with the rest of the application as part of a holistic review. Students who do not submit GRE scores will not be penalized in any way during the application review.
You are encouraged to contact faculty members who you would be interested in working with via email to let them know you intend to apply to the PhD program, are interested in working with them, and how you see your interests overlapping with theirs. You can also ask them if they intend to accept new students for your desired start date.
All application materials must be received by the December 1st deadline.
The Experimental Training Committee will review applications and meet to make interview invitation decisions in mid January. Interviews will be scheduled in early February. Applicants invited for an interview by the Experimental Training Committee will be notified of dates and times. Interviews will be hosted in person in Pocatello, ID. Virtual interview options will be provided for those who cannot make the in person events.
| 2018-19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Complete Applications | 21 | 28 | 15 | 19 | 21 |
| Number of Admission Offers | 9 | 12 | 6 | 9 | 7 |
| Number Enrolled | 3 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| Number of New Students Funded | 3 | 6 | 3 | 4* | 2 |
| Mean Undergraduate GPA | 3.80 | 3.63 | 3.54 | 3.55 | 3.65 |
*All 5 students were offered funding but one student declined.
Graduate Application Fee WaiversMcNair Scholars. The ISU Graduate School offers application fee waivers for McNair Scholars applying to graduate degree programs at Idaho State University. If you are a McNair Scholar, please see the ISU Graduate School information for McNair Scholars and contact the McNair Scholar office at your university before you submit your application.
Need-Based Graduate Application Fee Waivers. The ISU Psychology Department recognizes that the application fees for applying to our program can be a barrier for some applicants. As such, we are pleased to be able to offer a limited number of need-based application fee waivers to applicants who might not otherwise be able to afford these costs to remove this barrier to graduate admissions.
If you are in financial need and would like one of these waivers, please email the ISU Psychology Department (psych@isu.edu). In your email, please indicate that you are applying to the Doctoral Program in Experimental Psychology and indicate that you have a financial need. Please do this before you submit your application, as application costs cannot be refunded. Using a fee waiver will not affect the review of your application.