Although the formal application of persons with a B.A. is for the master's degree, admission to the graduate program in psychology is open only to applicants who intend to pursue the Ph.D. in a full-time program. Most students who are admitted have completed a B.A. or B.S. in psychology, although persons with outstanding records who have majored in other subjects will be considered. Similarly, individuals who have an M.A. degree in psychology from another university will be considered when their credentials are unusually strong. Students who are admitted with a master’s degree will be required to take all the clinical core courses.
The competition for admission is keen, with seven or eight students selected each year from a large pool of applicants. (See Student Characteristics table below.) Grades (especially the last two years of undergraduate study), GRE scores, and letters of recommendation (preferably from psychology instructors) are used to select the most promising students among the applicants. Flexible admission criteria are used in an attempt to select those students with the best potential for success in our program. We admit students to work with specific faculty members, although students may choose to work with another faculty member if the initial match is not satisfactory. Students should make their research interests clear in their applications. Clinical admissions are for the fall semester. In order to insure full consideration for admission, applications to the clinical area should be completed by December 1st. Students are notified of our admissions decisions by April 15th. Typically, eight students are accepted into the program each year. Assistantship decisions are made following admissions decisions.
Open House
Each year the clinical program holds an Open House for selected applicants. The Open House provides an opportunity for applicants to meet with faculty and students in the clinical program and learn more about the training environment, the campus, and the local community. Although attendance at the Open House is not required for admission, applicants are strongly encouraged to attend and past applicants have reported it was very helpful in their decision making. The Open House is by invitation and more information will be sent when the invitations are made. For students applying for admission for the 2012-2013 academic year, the Open House will be held on February 15 and 16, 2012.
Students currently in the clinical curricular area of study are distributed as follows:
| Applicant data for academic year beginning in August of: | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Number of applicants: | 153 | 159 | 191 | 145 | 166 | 151 | 219 |
| Accepted for admission: | 14 | 12 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 13 |
| Actual size/incoming class: | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 |
| Number receiving financial aid: | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Of those entering in: | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Mean Verbal GRE (Median): | 561 (575) | 551 (520) | 559 (580) | 556 (565) | 526 (520) | 544 (530) | 570 (560) |
| Mean Quantitative GRE (Median): | 649 (660) | 663 (660) | 677 (660) | 650 (640) | 654 (670) | 675 (660) | 669 (680) |
| Mean Undergraduate GPA: | 3.64 | 3.65 | 3.82 | 3.73 | 3.78 | 3.62 | 3.83 |
| Outcomes for academic year of (August to August): | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
| Number of students completing program, BA/BS entry: | 4 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 6 |
| Mean years to completion for this cohort: | 7.75 | 7.67 | 7.87 | 7.38 | 7.93 | 7.58 | 7.08 |
| Median years to completion for this cohort: | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7.5 | 6.83 |
| Range for this cohort: | 6-9 | 7-9 | 7-12 | 6-9.33 | 6.33-10 | 7-8.33 | 6.08-8.67 |
| Time to completion | Number of students |
| Less than 5 years: | 0 |
| 5 years: | 0 |
| 6 years: | 6 (16%) |
| 7 years: | 14 (38%) |
| More than 7 years: | 16 (44%) |
| Graduation outcomes for academic year of (August to August): | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
| Number of students completing program, MA/MS entry: | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Mean years to completion for this cohort: | 5 | 9.67 | 0 | 11 | 7.33 | 0 | 7 |
| Median years to completion for this cohort: | 5 | N/A | 0 | N/A | N/A | 0 | 7 |
| Range for this cohort: | 5 | N/A | 0 | N/A | N/A | 0 | 6-8 |
Over the past seven years, seven students who entered with a thesis-based MA/MS in Psychology have graduated from the program. The mean years to completion for this group of students is 7.42; the median years to completion is 7.33; and years to completion range from 5 to 11.
| Time to completion | Number of students |
| Less than 5 years: | 0 |
| 5 years: | 2 (29%) |
| 6 years: | 1 (14%) |
| 7 years: | 1 (14%) |
| More than 7 years: | 3 (43%) |
Among the graduates of our program who received degrees in the academic years between 2001-2002 and 2008-2009, inclusive, 40/55 are licensed as clinical psychologists (73%).
|
Fall 2011/ Spring 2012 |
# of Hours |
DeKalb Campus (per hour) |
Regional Courses (per hour) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition, In-State* | 1 - 12 hrs | $320.40 | |
| Tuition, Out-of-State* | 1 - 12 hrs | $640.80 | |
| Activity Fee* | 1 - 12 hrs | $1.81 | --- |
| Athletic Fee* | 1 - 12 hrs | $20.12 | --- |
| Facilities Fee* | 1 - 12 hrs | $41.86 | --- |
| Services Fee* | 1 - 12 hrs | $20.17 | --- |
| Outreach Delivery Fees | 1 hr or more | --- | $56.00 |
| Technology Surcharge | 6 hrs or less | $125.00 per term | |
| 7 hrs or more | $250.00 per term | ||
| Student Medical Insurance** | 9 hrs or more | $415.00 | --- |
* No additional charge for more than 12 credit hours.
** For instructions on waiving insurance online, please view the Student Health Insurance website. All international students, regardless of credit hour load and campus location, are automatically enrolled into the student medical insurance.
A student who is appointed to a university graduate assistantship will receive a full tuition-waiver scholarship for each semester of the contract period in addition to a monthly stipend. Payment of fees is the responsibility of the student. The 2011-2012 stipend for a full-time nine month position is $12,047.40. In the last 15 years, all entering students have been awarded full-time assistantships.
For more information visit: http://www.niu.edu/bursar/tuition/graduate.shtml
| Applicants for internships for academic years of: | 2004-05 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
| Number of students who applied for internships: | 7 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 6 |
| Number and percent of total who obtained internships: | 7 (100%) | 3(60%) | 8(89%) | 6 (85%) | 8 (67%) | 7 (100%) | 6 (100%) |
| Number and percent of total who obtained paid internships: | 7 (100%) | 3(60%) | 8(89%) | 5 (71%) | 8 (67%) | 7 (100%) | 6 (100%) |
| Number and percent of total who obtained APA/CPA-accredited internships: | 7(100%) | 3(60%) | 8(89%) | 5 (71%) | 8 (67%) | 7 (100%) | 6 (100%) |
| Number and percent of total who obtained non-accredited APPIC member internships: | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number and percent of total who obtained non-accredited, other membership organization internships (e.g., CAPIC): | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number and percent of total who obtained non-accredited, internships conforming to CDSPP guidelines (school psychology programs only): | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Number and percent of total who obtained two-year, half-time internships: | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Year of first enrollment | Number of students enrolled | Number and percentage who graduated with doctorate | Number and percentage of students still enrolled in program | Number and percentage of students no longer enrolled for any reason other than graduation |
| 2004 | 8 | 3 (37.5%) | 2 (25%) | 3 (37.5%) |
| 2005 | 8 | 1 (12.5%) | 5 (62.5%) | 2 (25%) |
| 2006 | 7 | 0 | 5 (71.4%) | 2 (28.6%) |
| 2007 | 7 | 0 | 5 (71.4) | 2 (28.6%) |
| 2008 | 8 | 0 | 8 (100%) | 0 |
| 2009 | 9 | 0 | 9 (100%) | 0 |
| 2010 | 8 | 0 | 8 (100%) | 0 |
| Year | Site Name |
| 2008-2009 |
|
| 2009-2010 |
|
| 2010-2011 |
|
| 2011-2012 |
|
*Data updated as of 09/15/11