University of Manchester

Candidates must be eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership with the British Psychological Society; candidates must be able to demonstrate this eligibility when applying to the Programme.

It is necessary that all applicants must possess a valid full UK driving licence and have regular access to their own transport to enable them to fulfil the requirements of placements (unless not driving constitutes a necessary and reasonable adjustment for someone with a disability or long term health condition). If offered an interview, candidates will be required to show their photocard licence on the day; failure to show a valid full driving licence at interview will result in the interview being withdrawn.

We are unable to consider:

• Undergraduate students
• Applicants with overseas fees status
• Applicants who have completed another NHS funded programme less than two years ago

Academic

A minimum of a 2.1 degree in single honours psychology or joint honours where psychology constitutes at least 50% of the course is required. The degree must have already been awarded at the time of submitting an application; candidates who are currently undergraduates will not be short-listed for interview. For candidates with degrees that do not constitute at least 50% psychology, a BPS accredited Psychology conversion course must be obtained (original award grade will remain the same therefore the minimum of a 2.1 award remains applicable).

Previous research experience

The Programme has a substantial research component and, prior to short-listing, candidates will be required to demonstrate competence in, and commitment to, research (e.g., through their undergraduate dissertation and research methods unit marks).

It is important to note that having a PhD or Masters degree are not minimum requirements for the Manchester programme.

Previous Clinical Experience

A minimum of twelve months paid clinically relevant experience, accumulated prior to submitting an application, is an essential requirement for entry.  We define clinically relevant as: direct contact with people in a context where the applicant is required to apply psychological knowledge and principles (e.g., in assessment, formulation and/or intervention) as part of a person’s health or social care and/or for research or educational purposes. Points are scored at shortlisting for work supervised by a qualified psychological practitioner that involves assessment, formulation, intervention and/or service development. Experience of working in a variety of clinical settings and supervised clinical work involving psychological research also score additional points.

We find it particularly helpful when applicants organise their application form so it is clear how much experience they have had of assessment, formulation, intervention, service development and research (e.g. how many people they have worked with in this capacity and how many hours they have spent doing this). We also find forms much easier to assess where there is clear spacing between paragraphs and separate sub-headings for different types of experience.

Many of our successful applicants have been Assistant Clinical Psychologists, Clinical Research Assistants, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWP’s), High Intensity Therapists (HIT’s), Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) Therapists or other mental health workers. You need to demonstrate that your experience meets our criterion of paid clinically relevant. Experience as a support worker alone is not considered sufficient, unless formal application of psychological knowledge and principles were central to the role.  If this is the case, then this should be made explicit in the “Main duties” section of the “Description of Post” part of the application form.

References / Suitability Statements

Applicants should also be aware that, due to the nature of our selection procedure, we are unable to accept applications that do not have references submitted in the Clearing House format. Any applications received with references not in this format cannot be processed. Please ensure that you inform your referees of this requirement.

Documents required

• A document confirming your GBC status
• An academic transcript for your undergraduate psychology degree.
• And, if your undergraduate degree was not in psychology, an academic transcript for your conversion course.
• An IELTS certificate showing overall score of 8 (with no less than 7 in the writing element) if English is not your first language or you are not from a majority English speaking country as defined by the UK Home Office; an Undergraduate degree in a majority English speaking country as defined by the UK Home Office is also considered acceptable evidence of English language proficiency.
• Evidence of right to work (if not a UK citizen). We will contact you if we require evidence of “Right to Work” in the UK. So please check your emails, including junk and spam, regularly.

Advice for your application

Trainees spend 50% of the programme gaining supervised clinical experience on placements across the North-West of England. Several local NHS Trusts support the programme by providing these placements, most of which are in Greater Manchester but also include Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside and Cheshire. Trainees need to be aware that in applying for the programme they have accepted that they will have to travel required distances from their homes to the locations specified above.  These distances can be considerable and public transport options are often limited and time-consuming. For example, taking the University of Manchester as the base, placements can be more than 30 miles away within the Greater Manchester area, and even longer if in surrounding counties. Trainees need to be aware that in applying for the programme they have accepted that they will have to travel required distances from their homes to the locations specified above. Travel within placements will also be expected.

It is necessary that all applicants must possess a valid full driving licence and have regular access to their own transport to enable them to fulfil the requirements of placements (unless not driving constitutes a necessary and reasonable adjustment for someone with a disability or long term health condition). If offered an interview, candidates will be required to show their photocard licence on the day; failure to show a valid full driving licence at interview will result in the interview being withdrawn.

Driving licences will also be used as documented photographic proof of identity. Candidates without a photocard licence must bring their paper driving licence (issued before 1998) and current passport.

As a condition of entry to the Programme, applicants are required to provide formal written consent to participate as service users in practical and clinical teaching. The consent protocol is designed and implemented by the Programme and not the Health and Care Professions Council.

International applicants

The majority of our places are currently funded by NHS England, for which we are only able to consider UK nationals or international applicants with Indefinite Leave to Remain (or "settled" status under immigration rules) with three years' residency in the UK. EU nationals who have “settled status” under the EU Settlement Scheme are also eligible to apply for a funded place. Applicants should indicate on the Clearing House form if they have settled status.

To qualify for a funded place, applicants must be eligible for Home Fees status. Following the UK’s formal departure from the European Union, EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals are now classed as overseas applicants and are only able to apply for self-funded places on the course at the international fee rate (unless applicants have been granted settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme).

All students whose first language is not English, i.e. not from a majority English speaking country as defined by the UK Home Office, require a minimum of IELTS 8 (with no less than 7 in the writing element), although this may be waived if the student has completed an undergraduate degree in a majority English speaking country as defined by the UK Home Office. Applicants may be contacted by the Programme to request evidence of English language competency if this is not supplied as part of the Clearing House form.

We now offer places for a limited number of students from international countries with overseas fees status, who are seeking the ClinPsyD qualification. These individuals will be required to meet the same entry standards as other successful applicants. As these places are self-funded, we encourage candidates to investigate whether bursaries or other funding is available from their home government or other local agencies before applying. You will also need the means to support yourself financially through the three-year training programme as the time commitment required for training will not allow for employment. The fees for international students for 2024 entry are currently set at £34,500 per year. Please contact us for details of 2025 fees. International applicants who do not meet the criteria for home fee status must still apply through the Clearing House system.