Preparing to Apply

*The GRE requirement will be waived for FALL 2025 Admissions (the Admission Committee will not consider the GRE scores in their decision)

Send your scores to Columbia University, not the Psychology Department, using school code 2162. 

The following applicants must complete the English proficiency requirement (TOEFL or IELTS):

 -   applicants whose native language is not English and who have received an undergraduate degree from an institution in a country where the official language is not English

  -  applicants who have received an undergraduate degree from a non-English speaking country and are now studying at the graduate level in the U.S. or another English-speaking country.

To be eligible for admission, applicants must meet the minimum score requirements of 7.5 on the IELTS exam or a 100 on the TOEFL exam. Applicants who are required to submit English proficiency exam scores and who have not met these minimums may not be offered admission.

Judgments concerning equivalency of international baccalaureate degrees are made by the Graduate School. In general, only those international students who (a) have the equivalent of the U.S. baccalaureate degree with a superior examination record and (b) can understand rapid idiomatic English and can speak, write and read English with a high degree of facility are eligible for admission.

The Graduate School accepts applications from students who have earned or will earn 3-year bachelor's degrees in Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, and any country which is a participant in the Bologna Process.

More information for international applicants can be found on GSAS website 

Letters of recommendation must be submitted through the GSAS online application system. Letters of recommendation may not be sent via email, nor may paper letters be sent via postal mail. All letters must be uploaded by the recommender directly to the application system.

You may submit your online application even if your letters of recommendation have not yet been submitted. Once the letters are received, we will append them to your application.

• A statement of academic purpose – submit a statement on-line of approximately 1000 words concerning your plans for graduate study and a professional career. Please be sure to include the areas in which you are interested and the names of faculty whose research attracts you.
   
• Transcripts – Applicants should upload a transcript or record (e.g., web-based transcripts, mark sheets, relevé de notes) of any academic work from each university-level institution you have attended for use in review of your application. Official transcripts are required only after an offer of admission has been made and accepted. More instructions on submission of transcripts can be found at GSAS Admission 

• A nonrefundable fee of $120 will be required for the 2025 online application. Applications are not considered complete until the fee has been paid. Decisions will not be released on applications with pending application fee payments.
   
• The application fee must be paid by credit or debit card. Accepted:  Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover cards, which are processed through our secure payment system.
  
   

The Office of the Provost has mandated that all incoming students throughout the University complete a credentials verification process.  For an overview of this process, including information about required forms and materials, please visit GSAS website.
 

Any questions about transcripts/credential verifications should be directed the Office of Admissions  at [email protected].