University of Southampton

Who can apply

Applicants are selected based on their potential to train successfully as Clinical Psychologists.

There are several criteria you must meet to be considered. These are:

• Academic requirements (see section below)
• Clinical requirements (see section below)
• You must have already been awarded the qualification which grants you Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society.
• You must have home fees status.
• You must have the right to work and study in the UK.
• If English is not your first language, you must be able to evidence a good standard of written and spoken English (100 for internet-based TOEFL, 250 for computer-based TOEFL, 600 for paper-based TOEFL or 7.0 for IELTS with no element below 6.5).
• Your application must be well written and presented to a professional standard, as it is a key document in the application process.
• Being "Fit to Practise" is a requirement of all professions registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC), and is considered as part of the selection process.
• You must not be currently studying on another programme funded by NHS England*.
• You must not have been studying on a programme funded by NHS England in the last 2 years*.

*This applies to programmes that started after 31 March 2022. Two years is from the date of the Exam Board for the first programme to the start date of the Clinical Psychology training programme. This is subject to change following NHSE guidance. Please see the NHSE website for further details.

Academic Requirements

• You must have attained, and been awarded, a 1st, 2:1 or 2:2 Undergraduate Psychology degree (with evidence of GBC).
• If your Undergraduate degree is not in Psychology, you will need to undertake to completion a Conversion Course (with evidence of GBC). We similarly require a minimum of a 2:2 grade.
• Please note, applications will not be short-listed if they do not evidence that they have completed and been awarded their Undergraduate, or Conversion Course studies (with evidence of GBC).

Clinical Requirements

• At least one year's (full-time equivalent), experience of paid or voluntary work in clinical, community, or clinical/academic settings in the UK relevant to Clinical Psychology at the time of application.
• We do not specify a particular way in which this experience may be gained. Rather, we suggest that a key point to consider is whether your experience has been sufficient to develop both a good understanding of the role of the Clinical Psychologist within the NHS, and sufficient experience working with people.
• We value a diverse range of experiences and look for transferable skills that indicate someone is ready to begin training.

References / Suitability Statements

• Applicants are required to include two satisfactory Suitability Statements.
• If your Academic Reference is from a long time ago, you can seek a more recent Suitability Statement from an employer who knows your abilities well and can comment on your suitability to engage in a higher level of academic study. Please include justification for this in the Background Info section of your application.

Documents required

Submitted applications must include:

• A document confirming your GBC status.
• Undergraduate Academic transcript for Psychology degree.
• And, if your Undergraduate degree was not in Psychology, an academic transcript for suitable conversion course.

Advice for your application

We welcome and value applications from people with a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences.

We look for the following characteristics when assessing applications:

• Applicants demonstrating reflexivity and resilience.
• An ability to reflect on experiences and acquired learning.
• To have personal values that encourage, respect and celebrate diversity in all its forms.
• A commitment to the NHS and a career as a Clinical Psychologist.
• An interest in producing publishable research and a commitment to the scientist-practitioner model.

International applicants

• Home fees status only.
  Please complete the relevant information regarding your residence status in your application.