• General Admissions Information
• Academic Year Admissions
• Summer Cohort Admissions

General Admissions Information

All applications are processed through the School of Graduate Studies and Research at CWU. Submit all application materials in accordance with instructions on the CWU School of Graduate Studies and Research website.

Our admission decisions are based on a composite of criteria applied to all of the credentials presented in your application.  We do not use absolute minimum scores ("cutoffs") to make admissions decisions.  However, those students with GRE scores at or above the 50th percentile and a GPA of at least 3.0 in the bachelor's degree are especially encouraged to apply.

Students must have a baccalaureate degree (in any field).  In addition, coursework equivalent to PSY362 Introductory Statistics and PSY363 Intermediate Statistics and Research Methods are prerequisites. Students who have not completed PSY363 (or an equivalent) may take the course as a part of the graduate program of study.

To apply for admission to the Education Specialist Program in School Psychology, complete the following steps:

1. Complete the Graduate School Application, which is available on the CWU's School of Graduate Studies and Research website and pay the application fee.  Do NOT send your application to the Psychology Department.
2. Submit official transcripts from your undergraduate institution(s) and graduate credits from each school previously attended to CWU's School of Graduate Studies and Research.  If you attended CWU, it is not necessary to provide a CWU transcript.
3. All applicants must submit official scores for the General Aptitude Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).  The ETS Institution Code number to use to have your GRE scores reported to CWU's Graduate School is 4044.
4. All applicants must arrange for three letters of recommendation to be sent to CWU's School of Graduate Students and Research.
5. All applicants must submit a personal statement that identifies the student's interest in pursuing graduate study in School Psychology.

Academic Year Admissions

The application deadline for Fall admission is February 1.

Applicants who are interested in applying for an assistantship are encouraged to complete and submit their application materials prior to the February deadline.  Applications submitted after this date will be actively considered if space in the program is still available.

Procedure: Review of applications will begin in February and will continue until the available openings for the next class are filled. Applicants are encouraged to complete their applications by the February deadlines (typically February 1st), although applications received after this date will be actively considered.

Graduate research and teaching assistantships: Currently, a limited number of research and teaching assistantships are available for qualified students. These assistantships offer a monthly stipend and a tuition waiver. Assistantships are awarded to students who are beginning in the fall quarter only.

Summer Cohort Admissions

For admission to the program, applicants must have a master’s degree (or higher) in a related field OR have a bachelor’s degree and be employed in a professional position in a school system and have at least 3 years of post-bachelor’s work experience.

The prerequisites for the program include bachelor’s level statistics courses equivalent to the CWU courses PSY362 Introductory Statistics and PSY363 Intermediate Statistics. Applicants may be admitted without this coursework, although it is strongly advised that applicants have at least one undergraduate statistics course. If applicants do not have coursework in statistics, the coursework would be included as a part of the course of study for completion of the degree. PSY362 is typically offered online while PSY363 Intermediate Statistics is currently only offered on-campus in Ellensburg during the summer.

In addition to the online application, official transcripts, GRE scores, letters of recommendation, and personal statement detailed above in steps 1-5, the summer cohort admissions applications includes:

• A signed District "Commitment to Training Form". This form verifies the commitment the district is making to the student’s practicum training experiences. Listed below are conditions the district agrees to by signing the form.

1. The district will support the applicant by allowing time for practicum activities during the academic year (approximately 50 hours per semester). The release time must include 2 full days per quarter to allow the employee work with a district supervising psychologist. If a district requires funding for a substitute to grant release days, the student will be responsible for reimbursing the district for the substitute.
2. The district will provide on-site supervision by a credentialed school psychologist over the course of the students’ enrollment in the program.
3. The letter must be signed by the Special Education Director as well as the immediate supervisor of the employee who can approve release days for practicum.