2015 APPIC Match: Survey of Internship Applicants
Part 3: Comparison of Applicants Based on Degree Type
This report is the third of three parts of the results from the survey of
applicants who were registered for the 2015 APPIC Match, and provides a
comparison of applicants based on type of doctoral degree sought (Ph.D. and
Psy.D.).
Please note that all applicants completed the survey prior to the completion
of Phase II of the Match, and thus these results reflect matching that
occurred only in Phase I.
This report is best viewed using a fixed-width font.
Important interpretation notes:
1. No significance testing has been performed on this data.
Thus, one should not assume that differences are significant.
2. Some results with small n's have not been calculated.
This survey of applicants who were registered for the 2015 APPIC Match was
conducted via the internet between February 20 and March 23, 2015. All 4,247
applicants who registered for the Match were sent an e-mail message (along
with two reminder e-mails) about the availability of the survey at a specific
internet address. A total of 2,729 applicants (64%) completed some or all of
the survey.
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1. Type of doctoral program:
Ph.D. Psy.D.
Clinical 71% 92%
Counseling 18% 3%
School 8% 1%
Combined 3% 3%
2. Doctoral program APA- or CPA-Accredited:
Ph.D. Psy.D.
Yes 96% 90%
No 4% 10%
3. Location of doctoral program:
Ph.D. Psy.D.
United States 91% 98%
Canada 8% 1%
Other 1% 1%
4. Doctoral program housed within a religiously-affiliated institution:
Ph.D. Psy.D.
Yes 9% 22%
No 91% 78%
5. Training model of doctoral program:
Ph.D. Psy.D.
Scientist-Practitioner 74% 5%
Practitioner-Scholar or 9% 82%
Scholar-Practitioner
Practitioner 0% 2%
Clinical Scientist 12% 0%
Local Clinical Scientist 0% 3%
Practitioner-Scientist 3% 4%
Practitioner Informed by Science 0% 3%
Other 1% 0%
6. Years enrolled in current doctoral program (includes the
current academic year; excludes other graduate programs;
does not include year of internship):
Ph.D. Psy.D.
2nd year 0% 0%
3rd year 6% 14%
4th year 33% 59%
5th year 41% 21%
6th year 15% 4%
7th or later 5% 2%
7. Status prior to entering current doctoral program:
Ph.D. Psy.D.
No prior graduate training 56% 52%
Master's degree in psychology 27% 29%
Master's degree in mental health 8% 8%
field other than psychology
Master's degree in unrelated field 4% 4%
Enrolled in Master's program in 1% 3%
psychology but did not receive
a degree
Enrolled in Master's program in MH 0% 1%
field other than psychology but
did not receive a degree
Enrolled in Master's program in an 0% 1%
unrelated field but did not
receive a degree
Other 2% 3%
8. Size of doctoral class (i.e., number of students who
began doctoral program in the same year as respondent)
Ph.D. Psy.D.
1 - 10 students 75% 9%
11 - 20 students 17% 22%
21 - 30 students 2% 33%
31 - 40 students 1% 8%
41 - 50 students 1% 6%
51 or more 4% 23%
9. Debt accrued to date as a consequence of attending
GRADUATE SCHOOL IN PSYCHOLOGY, including tuition, fees,
living expenses, books, etc. Includes all forms of
debt; does not include undergraduate debt or debt that
is unrelated to graduate training. (Comparison data
from the 2012 applicant survey is also provided).
Ph.D. Median = $ 30,000 (2012: $30,000)
Mean = $ 57,028 (2012: $53,644)
S.D. = $ 73,971 (2012: $61,856)
Psy.D. Median = $ 140,000 (2012: $120,000)
Mean = $ 143,274 (2012: $126,922)
S.D. = $ 94,511 (2012: $75,042)
Percent of applicants with:
No debt Ph.D. = 27% Psy.D. = 9%
Debt <= $50,000 Ph.D. = 61% Psy.D. = 18%
Debt >= $100,000 Ph.D. = 22% Psy.D. = 72%
Debt >= $150,000 Ph.D. = 12% Psy.D. = 49%
Debt >= $200,000 Ph.D. = 6% Psy.D. = 30%
Debt >= $250,000 Ph.D. = 3% Psy.D. = 14%
Virtually all applicants will remain in training for
at least 18 months (including the internship year) after the
completion of this survey and may incur additional debt
during that period.
10. Types of internship programs that would be considered
acceptable by applicant’s doctoral program:
Accredited internship Ph.D. = 99% Psy.D. = 97%
APPIC-member, not accredited Ph.D. = 31% Psy.D. = 80%
Not accredited, non-APPIC Ph.D. = 16% Psy.D. = 27%
Unpaid internship Ph.D. = 11% Psy.D. = 20%
11. Times participating in the APPIC Match:
Ph.D. Psy.D.
First time 93% 92%
Second time 7% 7%
Third time 0% 1%
Fourth time 0% 0%
12. Match Rate:
Ph.D. Psy.D.
Matched 88% 80%
Not Matched 10% 15%
Withdrew or did not 3% 5%
submit rankings
13. Number of applications submitted:
Ph.D. Psy.D.
Median 15 17
Mean 15.3 17.0
SD 5.5 6.1
14. Number of interviews offered:
Ph.D. Psy.D.
Median 7 6
Mean 7.4 6.0
SD 4.2 3.8
15. Amount spent on various aspects of the application
and selection process:
Ph.D. Psy.D.
TOTAL COSTS Median $2200 $1593
Mean $2507 $2142
St. Dev. 1777 1849
APPLICATION COSTS Median $480 $505
Mean $510 $577
St. Dev. 337 328
TRAVEL COSTS Median $1500 $1000
Mean $1817 $1434
St. Dev 1557 1541
OTHER COSTS Median $250 $200
Mean $344 $324
St. Dev. 347 387
16. Percentage of matched applicants that were placed at an
APA- or CPA-accredited program:
Ph.D. = 93%
Psy.D. = 69%
17. Percentage of matched applicants that were placed at an
APPIC-member program:
Ph.D. = 99%
Psy.D. = 98%
18. Annual stipend/salary of matched internship:
Ph.D. Psy.D.
Median $25,000 $24,000
Mean $26,258 $25,470
SD 7,140 9,653
19. For matched applicants - setting to which they were
matched (respondents were instructed to check all
that applied):
Ph.D. Psy.D.
Armed Forces Medical Center 1% 2%
Child/Adol. Psychiatric/Pediatrics 11% 7%
Community Mental Health 6% 20%
Consortium 11% 8%
Medical School 14% 4%
Prison / Other Correctional 2% 7%
Private General Hospital 4% 5%
Private Outpatient Clinic 2% 5%
Private Psychiatric Hospital 2% 4%
Psychology Department 1% 1%
School District 3% 1%
State / County / Other Public Hosp. 6% 9%
University Counseling Center 14% 13%
VA Medical Center 22% 10%
Other 3% 4%
20. Rank of program to which applicant was matched:
Ph.D. Psy.D.
#1 choice 51% 51%
#2 choice 21% 23%
#3 choice 12% 12%
#4 choice 7% 7%
#5 choice 5% 3%
21. Age of applicant:
Ph.D. Psy.D.
Mean 29.9 30.0
SD 4.5 5.6
Median 29 28
Percent of applicants who were:
Age 25 or less Ph.D. = 3% Psy.D. = 12%
Age 40 or older Ph.D. = 4% Psy.D. = 7%
Age 50 or older Ph.D. = 1% Psy.D. = 1%
22. Current marital or relationship status:
Ph.D. Psy.D.
Married / Partnered 59% 43%
Not Married or Partnered 41% 57%
23. Country(ies) of citizenship:
Ph.D. Psy.D.
U.S. 87% 96%
Canada 10% 2%
Other 7% 5%
NOTE: Responses total greater than 100% due to dual
citizenship.
24. Gender
Female Ph.D. = 80% Psy.D. = 79%
Male Ph.D. = 20% Psy.D. = 20%
25. Racial / Ethnic identification:
African-American/Black Ph.D. = 8% Psy.D. = 7%
American Indian/Alaskan Ph.D. = 1% Psy.D. = 1%
Native
Asian/Pacific Islander Ph.D. = 9% Psy.D. = 7%
Hispanic/Latino Ph.D. = 8% Psy.D. = 10%
White (non-hispanic) Ph.D. = 75% Psy.D. = 74%
Bi-racial/Multi-racial Ph.D. = 4% Psy.D. = 4%
Other Ph.D. = 3% Psy.D. = 2%
26. Sexual Orientation:
Heterosexual Ph.D. = 89% Psy.D. = 90%
Gay Male Ph.D. = 3% Psy.D. = 3%
Lesbian Ph.D. = 2% Psy.D. = 2%
Bisexual Ph.D. = 5% Psy.D. = 5%
Other Ph.D. = 1% Psy.D. = 1%
27. Disability:
None Ph.D. = 91% Psy.D. = 90%
28. Served on active duty in U.S. Armed Forces, Reserves, or National
Guard:
Never served in the Military Ph.D. = 97% Psy.D. = 97%
29. Geographic restriction on internship search:
Yes Ph.D. = 37% Psy.D. = 41%
No Ph.D. = 63% Psy.D. = 59%
30. Of those who reported a geographic restriction, the reason
for the restriction:
Due to significant family, Ph.D. = 46% Psy.D. = 50%
financial, and/or health
considerations
Due to personal preference Ph.D. = 49% Psy.D. = 45%
31. Scope of geographic restriction
Single city or town, or Ph.D. = 23% Psy.D. = 31%
within 100-mile radius
of a city/town
State/Province Ph.D. = 13% Psy.D. = 21%
Region of the country Ph.D. = 49% Psy.D. = 38%
Other Ph.D. = 14% Psy.D. = 10%
32. Doctoral practicum hours reported on the AAPI:
Ph.D. Psy.D.
Doctoral Intervention Hours
Median 612 597
Mean 667 665
St. Dev. 291 339
Doctoral Assessment Hours
Median 175 150
Mean 231 195
St. Dev. 195 178
33. Integrated testing reports reported on the AAPI:
Ph.D. Psy.D.
Adult Testing Reports
Median 8 7
Child/Adolescent Testing Reports
Median 5 4
INTERPRETATION NOTE: Many applicants left one or
both items blank, which for some likely meant "zero"
while others were skipping the item(s). The numbers
above exclude blank responses, and thus may not
accurately summarize the experience of the typical
applicant.
34. Settings in which you completed PROGRAM-SANCTIONED
clinical experiences/practica prior to November 1, 2015
(respondents were instructed to exclude experiences that
were not program-sanctioned, such as work experience,
and to check all that applied):
Ph.D. Psy.D.
Child Guidance Clinic 6% 8%
Community Mental Health Center 55% 64%
Department Clinic (psychology clinic 65% 33%
run by a department or school)
Forensic/Justice Setting 16% 26%
Medical Clinic / Hospital 50% 35%
Inpatient Psychiatric Hospital 28% 30%
Outpatient Psychiatric Hospital 24% 20%
University Counseling Center / Student 35% 31%
Mental Health Center
Schools 26% 29%
VA Medical Center 22% 13%
Other 23% 28%
35. Completion of comprehensive / qualifying / preliminary
exams:
Prior to submitting Ph.D. = 95% Psy.D. = 92%
internship applications
Later Ph.D. = 2% Psy.D. = 5%
Not Applicable Ph.D. = 3% Psy.D. = 4%
36. Completion of proposal for dissertation or research
project:
Prior to submitting Ph.D. = 91% Psy.D. = 85%
internship applications
Later Ph.D. = 8% Psy.D. = 15%
Not Applicable Ph.D. = 0% Psy.D. = 0%
37. Number of articles published in refereed journals:
None Ph.D. = 28% Psy.D. = 80%
1 Ph.D. = 18% Psy.D. = 12%
2 Ph.D. = 15% Psy.D. = 5%
3 or more Ph.D. = 39% Psy.D. = 4%
38. Number of professional presentations at regional, state,
national, or international meetings/conferences:
None Ph.D. = 4% Psy.D. = 38%
1 Ph.D. = 4% Psy.D. = 16%
2 Ph.D. = 6% Psy.D. = 11%
3 or more Ph.D. = 86% Psy.D. = 34%
39. GRE Scores
Ph.D. Psy.D.
GRE Verbal (Pre-2011 Scoring only)
Median 630 610
Mean 623 614
St. Dev. 90 90
GRE Quantitative (Pre-2011 Scoring only)
Median 670 640
Mean 661 624
St. Dev. 88 95
GRE Analytical Writing
Median 5 4.5
Mean 4.7 4.6
St. Dev. 0.7 0.7
Report Prepared by Greg Keilin, Ph.D.
July 28, 2015