University of Exeter

Who can apply

If you have any incomplete assessment/reassessment or other criteria from another University, it may not be possible for us to offer you a place on the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, or you may be required to provide proof that you have withdrawn from your incomplete programme. 

Any offers made to applicants currently studying for a PhD will be conditional upon the applicant passing their viva with at no/only minor modifications (three months) before the DClin acceptance deadline in June.

If you entered an HEE funded training from April 2022, you will not be eligible to receive NHS funding for a subsequent psychological professions training, such as the DClinPsy programme, until a minimum of 2 years after you completed the previous training (see HEE Psychological Professions Funding for more information).

It is your responsibility to check that you are entitled to DClin funding and to include full and complete information about enrolment on previous HEE funded courses in your application, even if you withdrew or did not complete the course.

Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions about your eligibility. 

Academic

All applicants must have

Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) confirmed at time of application

Plus one of the following

• 1st class or 2:1 psychology degree
• 1st class or 2:1 non-psychology degree plus completion of an accredited psychology conversion course awarded at Merit or Distinction. 
• 2:2 undergraduate psychology degree plus a research Masters (a course that requires completion of a research dissertation) awarded at Merit or Distinction, or a DPhil, or a PhD.  
• 2:2 without a Masters if one of the Contextual Admissions criteria is met (see contextual admissions questionnaire within your Application).

Clinical

Candidates require a minimum of one year of relevant clinical experience, working with people on their psychological needs.

Our selection process considers what applicants have learned from their experience and how this has shaped their thinking and practice.

Relevant experiences are those that help applicants develop the competencies needed for training. These include resilience to working with psychological distress; a commitment to reflective practice; a realistic sense of the clients with whom clinical psychologists work; and an understanding of the profession, the NHS and working practices.

Experience can be gained in any type of environment, whether within the NHS or other health / care settings.  Experience of providing therapy, such as that gained as an Assistant Psychologist, Clinical Associate in Psychology or IAPT therapist/wellbeing practitioner is particularly valuable. We also welcome applicants who have gained clinical experience as a Healthcare Assistant, Support Worker or other health professional.

We welcome applicants from non-traditional routes into clinical psychology who have relevant clinical experience.

Short term or part time positions (including volunteer work and placements during a first degree) can contribute to relevant clinical experience, however these are normally insufficient on their own.

We also expect applicants to have research experience, this can include research undertaken as an undergraduate.

References / Statements of suitability

You need two references/suitability statements: one academic and one relevant experience.

You need to nominate one person to write your Academic Suitability Statement and a different person to write your Experience Suitability Statement. Each suitability statement can only be provided by one person.

We encourage applicants to carefully consider their referees’ suitability to provide the information requested in the Suitability Statements.

Please note that a number of healthcare organisations have a policy of providing standardised references for all employees and will not provide personal references. We do not accept these references and would not be able to consider applications where these are received.

Documents required

All applicants require:

• A document confirming your GBC status.
• English test - please check requirements of the course. See the English Language Requirements section below, and follow the links.

For applicants for a self-funded place:

• Undergraduate degree TRANSCRIPT
• Conversion course TRANSCRIPT (if completed)

Advice for your application

All applicants must be able to demonstrate:

• Their personal, professional and socio-political awareness
• Their resilience
• Their ability to be critical and analytical
• Their commitment to clinical psychology as a profession
• Their ability to carry out research / audit

International applicants

We accept between 2-4 international applicants a year and offer a supportive, respectful and encouraging learning environment. Applicants must be able to:

• Have overseas fees status. 
• Secure financial support throughout the duration of training on the Programme.
• Meet our entry criteria (see above) 
• Degree qualifications awarded outside the UK are assessed by the BPS for eligibility for GBC. Usually, GBC is conferred when an individual has completed an undergraduate degree in Psychology, or a postgraduate degree which includes a substantive period of study in Psychology. If your qualifications are from outside the UK, you must apply for membership of the BPS and they will check your qualifications as part of the application process.
• For applicants with international qualifications, a copy of an appropriate transcript of all relevant qualifications (along with an official translation into English where appropriate) must be included with the application.

The offer of a place on the training programme is subject to specific checks e.g. the applicant gaining a successful police check from all relevant residences and an Occupational Health clearance prior to arrival in the UK. A successful Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is required on arrival in the UK. Failure to do so will lead to Exeter withdrawing their sponsorship and the applicant will be required to return to their native country.

English Language Requirements

If English is not your first language, and your degree was not taught and examined in English, we require you to provide evidence that you meet the HCPC standard. The English language ability requirement for entry to the programme is a score of at least 7.0 with no elements below 6.5 on International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Internet Based Test (IBT) with a minimum score of 100/120 (Health & Care Professions Council Standard of Proficiency).

Applicants who have completed a full degree in the UK or in a majority English-speaking country are not required to submit evidence of English language proficiency if you have:

• Completed it no more than two years before the intended start of the programme

The degree certificate is successfully verified with the issuing body on receipt. Any applicant found to have submitted a fraudulent score will have their application withdrawn.

Canadian nationals are exempt from English language requirements but non-Canadian nationals who have studied in Canada are required to meet standard English language requirements due to Home Office policy.