Minimum Admissions Requirements

The following information is required as part of the application:

1. Complete online application form.
2. Application fee of $50 (in U.S. dollars). Once the application is completed and the application processing fee has been received by NSU, students will be able to upload supplemental documents to Supplemental Documents on their user profile.
3. Statement of Professional Goals
4. Curriculum Vita or Resume
5. Three academic or professional letters of recommendation. Once the application processing fee has been received, students will be able to put in Recommender's Email Addresses. They will receive an email with a link to the student's application, where the recommender will fill out the form electronically and upload the recommendation letter.
6. Official transcripts from all colleges or universities you attended need to be mailed directly to Enrollment Processing Services (EPS), including agency evaluation of foreign degrees for determination of U.S. equivalence (including Canadian transcripts). International Students should click here for further information. *
7. National Certification in School Psychology (NCSP), state certification, and/or state license - submit photocopies of each (Advanced Standing Applicants Only).
8. International Student applicants should submit English proficiency scores, if applicable. International Students click here for further information.*

Official electronic transcripts must be sent to electronictranscript@nova.edu
NOTE: EXTERNAL INSTITUTIONS ONLY.

If you have any questions about the admissions process, call (954) 262-7563 / 800-541-6682, 27563 (a-s-k-m-e), or email to gradschool@nova.edu.

International Students are encouraged to contact the Office of International Students Services at (954) 262-7240 or 800-541-6682, ext. 27240 or by email at intl@nova.edu.

How to Apply

To access a step-by-step guide on the application process, click here.

• After the Faculty Admissions Committee has reviewed all completed applications, it will invite a select group of eligible applicants to participate in an Interview Day. The Interview Day is typically held in December, January, and/or February.
• Applicants must have submitted their completed application and all required documents on or before the application deadline date in order to be considered for an interview.
• For the 2023-2024 academic year, interviews will be conducted via Zoom.

All transfer credits must be awarded during the candidate’s first academic year in the doctoral program. Consideration will be given only to graduate level courses taken within the past five years and before beginning coursework in the doctoral program. A request for transfer credit for first semester courses must be made by July 15. Request for all other transfer credit must be made by October 15 of the year in which candidates enter the program.

Candidates requesting transfer of credit must submit a written request for transfer along with supporting documentation to the doctoral program administration. The candidate must provide the Program Director with a syllabus and catalog description of courses for which transfer is sought. Faculty members evaluating transfer courses may require the candidate to provide further documentation and supporting material, such as class notes, and may request that they meet with the student to obtain clarification. The resulting evaluations are reviewed by the Chair of the Department of Clinical and School Psychology who makes the final determination.

Transfer credits are not taken into account when computing the candidate’s grade point average. The maximum number of transfer credits that will be applied toward graduation is fifteen (15).

Transfer of credits will be awarded when the course being evaluated meets all of the following criteria:

1. It is a graduate level course taken at an accredited college or university as a post-baccalaureate student. A graduate course is defined as one that would be credited towards a post-bachelor’s degree at an institution where the course was taken. This must be verified in the school’s bulletin/catalog or a letter from the chair of the department and an official transcript.
2. It is evaluated as equivalent in content to a course in the program’s required curriculum. Credit will not be awarded for electives.
3. It was completed no longer than five years before first enrollment in this program.
4. A grade of B or higher was received. A grade of P (Pass) or CR (Credit) or other such grades cannot be accepted as equivalent to B unless it can be officially verified as such.
5. The candidate must successfully demonstrate competence to the evaluating faculty member for assessment, statistics, and research design courses.

It will be the responsibility of the candidate to demonstrate satisfactorily the equivalence of the course(s) proposed in order for credits to be awarded. Course work submitted from a foreign institution will be evaluated for equivalency in accordance with accreditation standards.

No transfer credit may be applied to meet the academic requirements for practica, internship, the culminating research project, or electives. No transfer credit may be applied to meet academic requirements in psychological foundations courses taken in a terminal masters program.

Federal Regulations require that veteran candidates MUST report all prior credit and training, and that the school MUST evaluate such and grant credit as appropriate, with training time and tuition reduced proportionately and with the Veterans Affairs and candidate so notified.

Credits earned at Nova Southeastern University are transferable only at the discretion of the receiving school.

In accordance with the guidelines established by the American Psychological Association, accepted applicants have until April 15 to respond to our offer, although earlier notification is welcomed. Applicants who accept our offer must send a required deposit of $1,000 by April 15 to secure their place in the program. This nonrefundable fee is credited toward the first semester's tuition. Applicants may be subject to a background check upon acceptance into the program.

Candidates may be provisionally admitted to a degree-seeking program based on a review of unofficial transcripts or other specific program admission requirements. However, this admission includes a condition that final and official documents and requirements must be received within 90 calendar days from the start of the term. If these final and official documents and/or requirements are not received by that time, the candidate will not be allowed to continue class attendance. Financial aid will not be disbursed to a provisional/conditional candidate until he or she has been fully admitted as a regular candidate (i.e., all admissions requirements have been approved by the college/program admissions office). Candidates who have an unpaid balance 30 days from the start of the term will be assessed a $100 fee.

The university welcomes applications from all qualified candidates. Applications are reviewed after all required documents have been received. No waivers of the admission policies stated above will be offered.

NSU’s College of Psychology’s clinical, school, and counseling programs maintain affiliation agreements with health care and community agencies and may also place students within the NSU Psychology Services Center (PSC). These affiliations allow for student clinical training experiences required in the programs. Trainees will be required to undergo Level 2 background and drug screenings.

Please note that the university and affiliate sites have a zero-tolerance policy for drug use. Testing positive for illegal or illicit drugs, including marijuana (even if prescribed or certified by a physician), or a controlled substance for which the individual does not have a prescription, would constitute a failed test and as such, could invalidate the placement/match and result in a referral for further action. (Updated Feb 2022)

It is important to note that many agencies with whom the NSU College of Psychology partners for practicum/internship/post-doctoral residency program placements require that students show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 (including recommended boosters).

Not being vaccinated may eliminate some placements as an option and in turn disrupt the sequence of training, delay program progression, and/or timely degree completion.

Questions may be directed to the appropriate program office. (Updated Feb 2022)