Fall 2026 Virtual Information Sessions

The Counseling Psychology PhD Program at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, invites prospective graduate students to join us for 3 virtual information sessions! These sessions will provide applicants with information about the program and answers to your questions!

1. Wednesday, September 16 from 1:00–2:00 p.m. — Register for Virtual Information Session #1
2. Monday, October 19 from 4:00–5:00 p.m. — Register for Virtual Information Session #2
3. Wednesday, November 11 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. — Register for Virtual Information Session #3

The UT Counseling Psychology PhD Program hosts a virtual information session over Zoom each fall, prior to the December 1 application deadline. This session, hosted by current program faculty, will offer prospective applicants a chance to learn more about our program and to ask questions. Please contact the Director of Clinical Training for information about the virtual information session.

About the Program

The UT Counseling Psychology PhD Program trains doctoral-level psychologists in research, practice, and social justice advocacy. The PhD our graduates receive allows them to apply for licensure as a psychologist in all 50 states, though licensure in a small number of states requires additional coursework (see UT Consumer Disclosure Chart). Because our graduates are highly skilled behavioral scientists, clinicians, and social justice advocates, they are well-qualified to be college and university faculty members, staff psychologists in university counseling centers, VA and military psychologists, consultants to business and industry, psychologists in private practice, and many other types of professionals.

We welcome applications from individuals who will have earned a bachelor’s degree by the time of enrollment and who have a strong background in psychology (regardless of major), and individuals who are earning or have earned a Master’s degree in counseling or a related field.

Since 2004, nearly one third of the students admitted have been U.S. racial and/or ethnic minority individuals or international students. Diversity is also represented across our cohorts in terms of age, disability status, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, social class, veteran status, and other dimensions of identity and life experience. We encourage applications from US racial and/or ethnic minority students, international students, and any person who brings diversity to our program. The program requires students to enroll full-time and stay in residence for the first three years of their training. If you decide to apply, you will find detailed instructions and application materials by clicking here. Applications are due by the close of business (Eastern US time) on December 1. Students who apply to our program should be specifically interested in earning a doctoral degree in counseling psychology (i.e., applications will not be considered for the other programs in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, including the Clinical Psychology Program) and being mentored by a faculty member in the Counseling Psychology Program. We do not accept applications for a terminal Master’s degree.

To find out more about the field of counseling psychology and whether your interests and values might be a good match for our program, see our Frequently Asked Questions, and our students’ research and profiles.

Admissions

Student selection process. The UT Counseling Psychology Ph.D. Program typically receives over 125 applications each year, from which five students are admitted. After an initial screening of applications, approximately 25 students are invited to visit campus in January or February for UT Counseling Psychology Visiting Day. During this day-long event, applicants interview individually with 1-2 members of the core faculty with whom they have indicated an interest in working, and who would be their advisor, if admitted. Applicants also tour the Department and campus, participate in Q&A sessions with current students, and participate in group interviews focusing on research, clinical, and social justice domains. Applicants who are unable to attend in person are invited to interview by Zoom. Soon after Visiting Day, offers of admission are extended to five applicants, and a group of about 10-15 “alternates” is selected. As required by the American Psychological Association, an applicant who receives an offer has until April 15 to decide whether to accept, but we encourage applicants to let us know their decision as soon as they are able so we can make offers to those on our alternate list or let them know our cohort is full. 

Application procedures and admission requirements. Applicants to the UTCPP are required to have a bachelor’s degree from a college or university accredited by the appropriate regional accrediting agency or international equivalent. The Graduate Council requires a minimum grade point average of 2.7 out of a possible 4.0, or alternatively a 3.0 during the senior year of undergraduate study. A master’s degree is not required for admission, but students who have earned a previous master’s degree are encouraged to apply. Current admissions requirements can be found on the UT Department of Psychology and Neuroscience admissions website.

To start an application, please see the Graduate School website.

Assistantships

Counseling Psychology students are guaranteed an assistantship and tuition waiver from Department of Psychology and Neuroscience funds for their first year of full-time graduate study. For the 2023-24 academic year, our funding ranges from $18,500 to $20,700 depending on the specific appointment and whether the appointment is for 9 or 12 months. Some students might receive additional summer pay for teaching responsibilities or work on sponsored projects managed by their faculty mentors.

In addition to the stipend, graduate students receive waivers to cover fulltime enrollment, maintenance fees, and student insurance coverage. Students might be responsible for additional enrollment expenses and fees.

Although in their second year and afterward the Department does not guarantee funding for any student, in every year from 2004 to the present, all Counseling Psychology students in good standing who sought an assistantship in their first five years have been supported. Typically, Counseling Psychology students hold Teaching Assistantships in their first and second years. In the third and fourth years, many students continue in Graduate Teaching Assistantships, some taking full responsibility as instructors of courses such as Abnormal Psychology, General Psychology, or Research Design. Other students have provided counseling services in community agencies, or in campus units such as Arts and Sciences Advising, UT Residence Life, the Office of Career Services, or the UT Student Counseling Center, and the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Psychological Clinic. These service-related assistantships provide valuable training opportunities, but the program cannot guarantee these assistantships because selection of students is determined by the agencies providing the funding. However, students receive intensive training in their first two years so they can successfully compete for these selective assistantships. Students who make steady academic progress should be ready to begin a full-time paid APA-accredited internship in their sixth year of training (or sooner if they enter with a Master’s degree).

Fellowships

Unlike Assistantships, fellowships ordinarily do not carry an expectation of service. Fellowships provide a tuition waiver and a stipend at a level that is equal to, and in most cases greater than, an assistantship. Fellowships involve a competitive selection process and may be awarded by outside agencies or from internal UT funds. Some fellowships provide multiple years of support, while others cover only a student’s first year in the program. When a student’s fellowship ends, she or he is eligible to receive an assistantship as described in the previous section. Recently, four Counseling Psychology students have been awarded fellowships including the APA Minority Fellowship (three years of support) and the University of Tennessee Diversity Enhancement award (tuition and stipend in the first year).

The UT Graduate School keeps up-to-date information about both internal and external graduate fellowships and awards.