Admissions Information and Requirements for Ph.D. in Applied Developmental Psychology

Guidelines and Information

Completed applications to the Ph.D. in Applied Developmental Psychology will include each of the following items:

Resume/CV
Submitted directly via the online application.

Official transcripts
Please be sure to order official final transcripts from all previously attended institutions confirming degree conferral (if applicable) at least one month before the posted application deadline. Transcripts should be sent directly from your prior institution(s) via secure electronic delivery to the Office of Admissions at [email protected].If electronic delivery is not available, please request that your transcripts be submitted by postal service in a sealed envelope from the institution to: 

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Office of Admissions
Keating Hall Room 216
Fordham University
441 E. Fordham Rd.
Bronx, NY 10458

Please note: We strongly recommend that you upload unofficial copies of your academic transcripts to your application while the Office of Admissions awaits receipt of your official transcripts. 

Please ensure that all official transcripts from previously attended post-secondary institutions are submitted in English, or are accompanied by a certified English translation. For academic transcripts from institutions outside the United States, applicants are strongly encouraged to obtain a course-by-course credential evaluation. Transcripts and credentials conversion information is available on the GSAS International Students page.

Official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Scores
GRE scores are optional for both the Ph.D. and M.A. programs. Applicants who wish to submit GRE scores may do so, but scores are not required (scores should be sent directly by the testing service to the Office of Graduate Admissions, Fordham University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences – Code #2259). 

Official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Subject score
Recommended not required, please see above statement on the GRE scores.

Statement of Intent
Up to 900 words, submitted via the online application that provides a response to the following question prompts:  

  1. What are your academic and career goals in seeking doctoral training as an applied developmental psychologist?
  2. How has your previous work (coursework, research, professional work experiences) informed and/or prepared you to achieve these goals?
  3. How will Fordham’s ADP Doctoral Program help prepare you to achieve these goals?
  4. Which specific mentor or research lab is the best fit for your interests/goals, and why?

Supplemental Essay
Statement of up to 500 words, submitted via the online application that provides a response to the following question prompts:

  1. How has your educational, research, professional, and/or personal (e.g., cultural, economic, or social) experiences prepared you to contribute to the ADP Doctoral Program’s commitment to diversity and social justice? 
  2. How will the ADP Doctoral Program help you to learn and grow within the areas of diversity and social justice?

Writing Sample
10 - 30 pages in length, submitted via the online application.

Three letters of recommendation
Submitted directly via the online application. Enter the following information for each of your recommendation providers: name, address, email address, phone number, and institution. Make sure you enter your recommenders' email addresses correctly so that they each receive an automated email instructing them on how to submit their recommendations online. Mark the waiver statement for each recommender you enter.

English Proficiency Requirements

International applicants whose native language is not English are required to complete and submit to GSAS prior to matriculation their official scores from one of the following accepted English language competency exams:

Official TOEFL, IELTS, DET, PTE Academic, or Cambridge English Qualifications scores should be sent directly by the testing service to the Office of Graduate Admissions, Fordham University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (our ETS TOEFL score code #2259). Please consult the English Proficiency page for additional information.  

Minimum score requirements for most programs:

Exam Score
TOEFL iBT 100
IELTS 7.0 band score
DET 130
PTE Academic 68
Cambridge English Qualifications 185 Overall Score on the B2, C1 Advanced, or C2 Proficiency exam

Exemptions to the English Language Requirement

Exemptions from this requirement can be requested by the applicant in her/his application, or can be made in writing by the applicant to [email protected]. Exemptions are generally permitted for international applicants who:

  1. are native English speakers from countries where English is an official language; and/or
  2. have completed, within the past five years, at least two years of study at an undergraduate or graduate institution in the United States or in a country where English is the official language of instruction.

GSAS retains the right to request language evaluation from any applicant. The Fordham English Language Test (FELT), administered by Fordham’s Institute of American Language and Culture (IALC), may be required for those students whose English proficiency scores do not meet GSAS program requirements. Additional coursework may also be recommended by the IALC.

Students are permitted to register for two GSAS courses during the academic term in which they are completing any IALC-recommended coursework, which generally occurs during their first semester of study.

Please note: Tuition costs associated with the learning of English as a second language are the responsibility of the student and will not be covered by a GSAS tuition scholarship. GSAS merit-based tuition scholarships are not applicable to the costs of additional coursework recommended by the IALC.

Contact [email protected] with any admission-related questions.