Frequently Asked Questions

Undergraduate Psychology courses including general Psychology, statistics for behavioral sciences, and experimental Psychology are required. These are courses equivalent to LSU’s PSYC 2000 (Introduction to Psychology), EXST 2201 (General Statistics) & PSYC 2017 (Research Methods in Psychology).

If you lack these courses, you must make up the deficiencies before applying for admission to our program.

No, but prior research experience is considered particularly valuable.

No, only the General GRE is required. Official GRE scores should be sent to the Graduate School code 6373.

No, our doctoral students come from a number of universities nationally, including liberal arts colleges, 4 year private and public colleges and universities.

While there is no “all inclusive” item or test, the admission committee will look at a variety of factors. These factors include your GPA and relevant courses taken (undergraduate and graduate), GRE general scores, letters of recommendation, experience and application essay questions.

No. The Psychology Department only admits graduate students for the fall semester. Application deadline is December 1st.

The admissions process is very competitive. Each year over 200 complete applications are received. We are able to accept between 14 and 23 of these applicants each year.

Nearly all of our students accepted have an undergraduate degree in Psychology and some also have master’s level courses and degrees. The fall 2018 incoming class had an average GPA of 3.71 and GRE of 310 (verbal 157 & quantitative 153). The departmental minimums for admission are a 3.0 GPA and 297 GRE. Graduate school GPAs are also considered.

In addition to the Graduate School admission requirements, a TOEFL score of at least 550 on the paper-based test or 79 on the Internet-based test, an IELTS score of at least 6.5, or a PTE score of at least 59 must be received before an international student’s application is evaluated for admission. You may be exempt from this requirement if have completed a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. institution or have a college-level degree showing completion of post-secondary education in a country where English is the primary official language. Please see the Graduate School’s website for more information.

December 1st is the application deadline for Fall admission.

In order to complete the application forms, familiarize yourself with these departmental requirements, together with the requirements and regulations in the LSU Graduate Bulletin. The application procedure is a time-consuming process and should be initiated as early as possible. It usually takes several weeks for all the required materials to be received. Each of the areas of specialization has a faculty admissions committee that acts upon an applicant's file when all materials—including GRE scores, transcripts and three letters of recommendation—have been received. Please use our checklist provided with the application. The applications are available through the links posted on our website.