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Department of Psychological Sciences
Graduate Application Requirements

GRE requirements vary by program. Updated information for each program appears below under the heading "GRE".

Application Deadlines for Fall 2026 Admission

(Fall is the only semester that students may start our programs.)

December 1, 2025*

February 2, 2026*

March 31, 2026*

*The system will not allow you to submit an application for Fall 2026 admission later than 11:59 pm EASTERN time on the deadline date. If you are in a time zone west of there, you will need to submit your application one or more hours earlier in your local time. For example, if you are in the Central time zone and have a December 1 deadline, you must submit no later than 10:59 pm Central time on December 1.

Application Requirements

Complete Auburn University’s Graduate Application online.  

To apply online, you will need the following: 

  • Statement of Intent **
    • Guidelines for the statement are included in the "detailed instructions" linked near the bottom of this page.
  • Biographical and Education Background
    • Personal information and, for all universities/colleges you have attended, the names, dates of attendance, majors, GPAs, and any degrees earned.
    • Unofficial transcripts must be uploaded** as part of the Graduate School online application. Upload a transcript for each postsecondary institution attended. If the transcript is not in English, upload a certified English translation. Official transcripts are not required at the time of application, but if you are selected to interview for admission you will need to have official transcripts sent from each institution to the AU Graduate School prior to the interview, as described in the "detailed instructions" linked near the end of this page.
    • Non-U.S. Undergraduate Degrees: admission requires a degree that is “equivalent to a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution”. If you plan to use a degree from a non-U.S. institution to fulfill this, please see the "Note on non-U.S. undergraduate degrees". It provides a specific query to send to the Graduate School several weeks before the application deadline to verify whether your degree will satisfy this requirement. Do this before you initiate the online application and invest any resources in the process. 
  • List of Psychology Courses** 
    • A list of all psychology courses you have taken or will take by the end of Spring 2026 semester.
  • CV or Resume** 
    • The CV/resume is your opportunity to highlight your accomplishments including relevant research experience, publications, awards, volunteer work, and skills. 
  • Letters of Reference
    • Three letters are required (except for the online MS in I-O program, which requires two letters). 
    • You will need to provide the following information about each recommender: name, address, title, organization, relationship to you (professor, employer, etc), and email address.
  • GRE
    • Optional for Clinical Psychology PhD program
    • Optional for Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences PhD program
    • Recommended (General Test only) for Industrial and Organizational PhD program 
    • Not required for Industrial and Organizational MS program
    • Required (General Test only) for Applied Behavioral Analysis MS program 
  • English Proficiency Requirement/TOEFL/IELTS Scores (International Students Only):
    • See “English Proficiency Requirements” to determine which option (A, B or C) to use to fulfill this requirement. Figure this out several weeks before the application deadline. Before you initiate the online application and invest any resources in the process, make sure that you can complete all required actions by the specified timeline. 
    • For Option A be aware that our required minimum scores are higher than what the Graduate School requires for general admission. Duolingo and GRE scores do not fulfill this requirement. Official TOEFL or IELTS (including Speaking Section) scores that meet or exceed the minimums in “English Proficiency Requirements” must be received by the Graduate School no later than December 8 for PhD applicants (February 9 for ABA MS applicants). Scores that are self-reported/uploaded on your online application are not sufficient - official scores must be sent directly to the Graduate School (ETS institution code 1005) from the testing institution (ETS, or IELTS) per the timeline specified above. There is no need to specify a particular department when ordering scores sent.
    • Applicants using Option C should send the query specified in “English Proficiency Requirements” several weeks before the application deadline.
  • Application Fee

**Once you submit your online application, it is not possible to make changes to files that you uploaded with your application. Whatever is there at the time you submit your online application is what the admissions committee will see. 

Detailed Instructions: download detailed application instructions here.

Questions?