How to Apply

Graduate Application Information:

Admission to our graduate psychology programs is limited and very competitive. Our department has a standard priority date of Dec. 1 for PHD applicants and Dec. 15 for Masters I/O applicants. For this upcoming Fall 2027 application cycle, the priority dates are Dec 1, 2026, for PHD applicants and Dec. 15, 2026, for Masters I/O applicants. It is the applicant’s responsibility to adhere to departmental deadlines to ensure timely processing and review of their applications. We urge students to submit all documentation by the appropriate deadline. Applications may still be reviewed beyond this date on a case by case basis as indicated by the departmental chair, consent of the faculty, and as departmental funding allows.

The application portal will open in September. Graduate Admissions will forward graduate program applications to our department once all departmental materials/applicable test scores have been submitted via SLATE and only fall-intended degree-seeking applicants will be reviewed by our faculty. Qualified applicants are admitted once a year in Fall terms only and must be degree-seeking. Any non-fall/non-degree seeking applicants will be asked to submit the Graduate Application for Update/Readmission form to have their file reviewed for the applicable fall semester. Selected candidates are typically notified in the April to May time frame for Fall-start terms only; however, this time frame is subject to change.

Effective Fall 2026, the GRE will not be required for any of our Psychology graduate programs.

Admission steps:

1. Submit Application and Pay Application Fee: Apply - Admissions - The University of Texas at Arlington
   • Domestic Applicants: Graduate Students - Admissions - The University of Texas at Arlington
   • International Applicants: International Graduates - Admissions - The University of Texas at Arlington
2. Submit official transcripts from all 4-year institutions attended
3. FOR NON-NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS: If applicable, submit official English Language Test scores as determined by Graduate Admissions to demonstrate a sufficient level of skill with the English language to ensure success in your studies. Meeting the minimum admission requirements does not guarantee acceptance and programs may give preference to students with higher scores. Only scores submitted directly by ETS or IELTS to UTA are acceptable. UTA’s ETD Institutional code is 6013.

    

   TEST	MINIMUM SCORE
   TOEFL IBT (INTERNET BASED) FOR THE TOEFL SCORE SCALE UPDATE: https://www.ets.org/toefl/institutions/ibt/score-scale-update.html	4 ON 6-POINT SCALE OR 79 ON 120-POINT SCALE (6-POINT SECTIONAL SCORES OF: 4.5 WRITING, 4 SPEAKING, 4 READING, 3.5 LISTENING OR120-POINT SECTIONAL SCORES OF: 22 WRITING, 21 SPEAKING, 20 READING, 16 LISTENING)
   TOEFL COMPUTER BASED	213
   TOEFL PAPER BASED	550
   IELTS	6.5 (SECTIONAL SCORE OF 7 FOR SPEAKING)
   DUOLINGO	100

    

    

   •  This requirement will be waived for non-native speakers of English who possess a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited US institution OR for applicants who have graduated from secondary schools or post-secondary schools in the following countries and meet English language proficiency as indicated by the university catalog: Graduate Admissions | University of Texas at Arlington University Catalog. International applicants may still be expected to submit a test score of English language proficiency to be eligible for a graduate teaching assistantship.
   • English Proficiency for Graduate Teaching Assistants: Before being appointed to an assistantship at UT Arlington, a student whose native language is not English must demonstrate acceptable skill with spoken English by providing a minimum score of 23 (OR 4.5 on the 6-point scale) on the Speaking portion of the TOEFL iBT exam OR a minimum score of 7 on the Speaking portion of the IELTS exam OR take and pass the UTA Developmental English course to meet this requirement. Only official scores provided directly to UT Arlington by ETS or IELTS are acceptable. The English proficiency requirement will be waived for non-native speakers of English who possess a bachelor's degree from an accredited U.S. institution.
4. Submit an academic resume (CV) via SLATE.
5. Submit a minimum of 3 recommendation letters via SLATE preferably from professors or employers.
6. Submit your statement of purpose via SLATE. On average, most personal statements are 2-3 pages long, however, there is no page limit.
   • This statement should cover laboratory field or applied interests, career plans, research experience, and how our graduate psychology program at UT Arlington can serve to further your interests and plans. PHD applicants will need to include information about their intended research specialization (a singular/specific focus) and one preferred faculty member. PhD applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the specific faculty member of interest prior to or during the application process. Please note that MS applicants are not required to list or include any reference to preferred faculty mentors.
   • Please include a cover page with your personal statement that includes your name, UTA ID number, Program of Interest, and preferred faculty mentor except for MS programs. Your last name and page numbers should be on the header.
7. Check your application status via SLATE. You may also email psychologydepartment@uta.edu if you have any questions OR issues submitting any departmental materials via SLATE.

(Note: No terminal M.S. application accepted except for I/O program).

There are no fixed criteria for admission to the M.S. or Ph.D. programs in Psychology. Of course, the student is expected to have successfully completed the appropriate work prior to admission. In the case of the M.S. program, an undergraduate B.A. or B.S. degree is required. As calculated by the graduate school, a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in undergraduate work is expected for unconditional admission. For the Ph.D., a minimum of 30 graduate hours with a GPA of 3.0 or better as calculated by the Graduate School is required. Beyond these minimal criteria, there is no single criterion that determines whether a positive or negative admission decision is made.

Our admissions focus is on seeking a positive indication of potential success in the program.

These indications include:

In summary, the department views its mission in the M.S./ Ph.D. program as to train students to be enthusiastic about conducting psychological research. Accordingly, we seek students who show aptitude in as well as motivation for research. Students interested in the terminal M.S. program in Industrial/Organizational Psychology will have their records examined for indicants of potential to succeed in industrial settings.

TYPES OF ADMISSION

Probationary admission: If an applicant does not have a majority of the positive indications for unconditional admission described above, they may be considered for probationary admission after careful examination of their application materials. Probationary admission requires that the applicant receive a B or better in their first 12 hours of graduate coursework at UTA.

Deferred Admission: A deferred decision may be granted when a file is incomplete or when a denied decision is not appropriate.

Provisional Admission: An applicant unable to supply all documentation (including certified transcripts, GRE scores, letters of reference, and personal statements) prior to the admission deadline but who otherwise appears to meet admission requirements may be granted provisional admission.

Denial of Admission: Applicants whose records in the aggregate do not show sufficient positive indications of potential success will be denied admission.

DEADLINE NOTE FOR ASSISTANTSHIPS

PHD applicants who would like to be considered for assistantships should have their applications and departmental forms sent to the University of Texas at Arlington by Dec. 1 of the previous year for the future fall semester. Please visit this link for the most updated version of the Psychology Graduate Student Handbook: Graduate Resources - Department of Psychology - The University of Texas at Arlington (uta.edu)

PhD Application process: We are a mentor-based program, meaning that you will work directly with a faculty mentor. Prior to applying to the program, you should communicate with the specific faculty member(s) that you are interested in working with.