Primary Research Mentors
The doctoral program in Psychology and Social Intervention at NYU is a small training program; thus we pay close attention to the match between the candidate and the program’s faculty and resources. We seek to admit students whose perspectives align with the program as a whole and whose research interests are well-matched with those of one or more faculty members. Rather than admitting students to work with a particular faculty member, admitted students engage in a mutual matchmaking process with faculty at the start of their training to determine their initial mentor and are actively encouraged and supported to work with multiple faculty starting their 3rd year.
The following PSI faculty will be available to serve as primary research mentors for the Fall 2026 admission are:
The following PSI faculty will be unavailable to serve as primary research mentors for the Fall 2026 admission. However, these faculty are potentially available to serve as additional mentors in later years of training, so we encourage you to write about your interests and experiences that demonstrate that you are a good match with the program as a whole.
Admissions Requirements
You must have a BA and/or MA in Psychology or a related field.
How to Apply
These instructions and requirements are for all applicants. If you are not a citizen or a permanent resident of the United States, please read the special instructions for international applicants.
Your application will require the following items. The following are acceptable document types for uploads: .pdf, .jpeg, .jpg, .gif, .tiff, .png, .doc, .docx, and bitmap.
1. Prepare Your Application Materials
Résumé/CV
You are required to upload a copy of your most recent résumé or curriculum vitae as part of your application.
Statement of Purpose
Psychology and Social Intervention doctoral program prepares students for a career as a psychological scientist who can understand, transform, and improve the contexts and systems in which humans develop across the lifespan. We are looking for students who appreciate and desire a career that includes research and intervention integrating social justice and diversity.
Please speak to this for your career trajectory in a typed - double spaced 2-3 page statement of purpose. You will upload this statement of purpose with your application. Include your research interests and prior research experience; evidence of interest in contexts of human development, systems-level interventions, and/or policy interventions and analysis; and a description of your career goals. Please feel free to describe how your life circumstances and/or how the contexts or systems that you have experienced have impacted your research and intervention interests. At the end of your statement, be sure to briefly describe how your interests fit with the research areas of 2-3 faculty members who are available to mentor students. Before doing so, please check the primary research mentor section to verify that the faculty that you are mentioning are available to mentor students next year.
Writing Sample
Upload a research-based writing sample of yours into the writing sample section. Preferably, this would be a single or first-authored paper that you wrote for a course, or an honors’, MA, or other thesis, or a research synthesis or report, etc. and be from your time as an undergraduate student, graduate student or afterwards.
Letters of Recommendation
Submit three letters of recommendation. Be sure to request them well in advance of the deadline. Read detailed instructions.
Transcripts
List and upload a copy of an official transcript from every postsecondary institution (college/university) you have attended or are attending. Please note: This includes transcripts from institutions where you received transfer credits or did not complete a degree. Make sure to request an official transcript(s) in advance of the deadline.
- Transfer Credits: We understand accepted transfer credits may be clearly listed on your degree awarding institution’s transcript. The Office of Graduate Admissions still requires a transcript from the initial credit-granting institution where you took the course(s). Delay in listing and uploading these transcripts can significantly delay the application review process.
Institutions Outside the US or Canada
If you completed or are completing a degree at an institution outside of the US or Canada, you are required to provide a WES, ECE or TEC/SpanTran international credentials evaluation. Please review our requirements for translation and a course-by-course evaluation of your transcripts.
GRE
Not required.
The GRE (both the general test and the GRE subject test) is not a requirement for applications to the Psychology and Social Intervention PHD Program. Even if GREs are submitted, they will not be considered.
Proficiency in English
See testing requirements.
Interview Date
The interview date for the 2026 cycle is Friday, February 6, 2026.
2. Apply
Application
After you fill in and upload the required information, you can submit your completed application. Your application must be completed, dated, electronically signed, and submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST of the stated deadline.
Application Fee
You will be prompted to pay a $75 application fee, payable by major credit card only. After submitting your payment, you will see your application status change from “saved” to “submitted.” Please print this screen for your records, as it confirms that your application has been successfully sent to our school. If you have problems submitting your payment, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions. Learn more about our fee waiver policy.
Sending Materials
Most application materials can be successfully submitted via the online application.
If you plan to send application materials, transcript(s) or international credentials evaluation(s) to NYU Steinhardt Office of Graduate Admissions, please review these instructions. Materials sent to other divisions of NYU may not be obtainable by our office and will significantly delay processing.
Application Policies
Policies
Application deadlines are "in-office" deadlines, not postmark deadlines. It is your responsibility to ensure that all materials are in the Office of Graduate Admissions by the appropriate deadline, and we reserve the right to return any application that arrives after the deadline. Only completed applications will be considered. Should a deadline fall on a weekend, the in-office deadline will be the next business day. We advise you to apply early.
Please check the online system to confirm that you have successfully submitted your application. Due to the volume of applications and related materials received, the Office of Graduate Admissions will only contact you if your application was successfully submitted and is deemed incomplete because of missing required materials. Otherwise, you will hear from us when the admissions committee has made its decision.
Deferral policy: NYU Steinhardt does not allow deferrals. Applicants who wish to be considered for a future semester must reapply by submitting a new application with all supporting materials, including letters of recommendation, by the application deadline.
3. Receive Your Admission Decision
Decision
You will be notified about your decision by email. Typically, decisions will start going out in late March or early April for fall enrollment. You may learn of your decision before or after this timeline.
PhD Funding
PhD Funding
- Learn more about PhD funding packages