Admission requirements, acceptance rates, and financial assistance in clinical psychology programs. Diversity across the practice-research continuum.

129 directors (80% response) of APA-accredited clinical psychology programs provided information pertaining to admission requirements, acceptance rates, financial assistance, and theoretical orientations. Summary data are presented and comparisons are made among 4 types of clinical programs: PsyD programs, practice-oriented PhD programs, equal-emphasis PhD programs, and research-oriented PhD programs. Clinical doctoral programs held similar expectations for undergraduate preparation in psychology, but robust differences emerged on preferred Graduate Record Examination scores, acceptance rates, and financial assistance. In the most extreme comparison (PsyD vs. research-oriented PhD programs), students were 4 times more likely to gain acceptance but 6 times less likely to receive full financial assistance in PsyD programs. Implications of these results for potential graduate students and for the future of applied psychology programs are briefly discussed.