»Information Sessions & FAQs

Chapman University is located in the City of Orange, California, near historic Old Towne Orange. Our beautiful campus is centrally located in Orange County, a short distance from the 5, 55, 22, and 91 freeways.

In order to accommodate fieldwork in the schools, all classes are held in the late afternoon and evenings, between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Starting with the application for admission for the Fall 2022 cohort, the GRE test is not required.  However, students may opt to include GRE scores in their application. The inclusion of GRE scores may help candidates make a stronger case for their academic preparation for our program, but the lack of GRE scores will not negatively impact a candidate’s application.  

The School Psychology faculty take a holistic approach when reviewing applications, and they look at every required piece of documentation. There are several prompts in the supplemental application that allow you to help clarify your qualifications for the program.

The School Psychology program interviews will be held on March 7, 2026.

Applicants will be notified 2 weeks in advance if they have received an interview invitation.

Chapman’s School Psychology program admits one cohort each academic year. On-campus interviews are held within weeks of the application deadline, with admissions decisions made shortly after.

All newly admitted students will begin coursework in the Summer.

We admit one cohort per year, consisting of approximately 20 students. The admission rate varies annually with the number of applications received.

Per university policy, a maximum of 12 semester credits (4 courses) can be transferred into the school psychology graduate program. All transfer credits must be approved by the Director. For more information on the policy, please see Chapman University’s Graduate Catalog. 

No, upon approval of the Director, only a maximum of 12 units of graduate units can be transferred into the program.

No. Our students come from a variety of educational backgrounds. The vast majority have degrees in psychology, human or child development, sociology, or education. However, we have had successful students complete the program with a wide variety of undergraduate areas of study. If your academic background is in a completely different field (e.g., Chemistry), we strongly recommend that you complete some additional college-level coursework in general psychology, child development, and/or education.

To receive national certification under the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) standards (i.e., to become a Nationally Certified School Psychologist or NCSP), a student must pass praxis exam. This is also a graduation requirement of our program and is typically taken during the final year of study. Please see the Praxis Study Companion file for more detailed information about the Praxis School Psychology test.

Chapman University offers degree programs that lead to professional licensure within the state of California, and which may also allow graduates to be eligible for licensure or certification in other states. However, other than for the state of California, Chapman has not made an independent determination as to whether its programs’ curriculum meets a particular state's educational requirements for licensure or certification. Therefore, students and prospective students are strongly encouraged to contact the state’s licensure entity where they intend to practice to review all licensure and certification requirements imposed by the state(s) of their choice. Chapman is not responsible if a student is unable to qualify for state licensure or certification.

Most students finish the Ed.S. program in 3 years. There is also an option to extend the program to 4 years of study. 

During their time in our program, students complete at least 600 hours of school psychology practicum (during the 2nd year of the program) and 1,200 hours of school psychology internship (during the 3rd year of the program). As these fieldwork assignments are completed within local school districts, there is variation regarding pay. Some internships are paid (via salary, hourly wage, or stipend), and some are not. The number of available paid internships varies annually.

Please follow the steps below:

1. Any applicant who wishes to inquire about or to appeal an admission decision made by the Counseling or School Psychology program at the Attallah College of Educational Studies may contact the CSP Program Specialist in writing at schoolpsychology@chapman.edu. If the student wishes to submit a formal written grievance, this must be received by schoolpsychology@chapman.eduwithin 10 days of the admissions decision. Once the written grievance has been received, it will be forwarded to the Director, who will review documentation with the admissions committee and respond in writing to the candidate.
2. If the student wishes to further grieve the response, they may do so in writing to schoolpsychology@chapman.eduwithin 10 days of the grievance response. At this point, the applicant's file (including the candidate’s application package and review scores) will be forwarded to the Director, and a meeting will be arranged with the applicant to review the applicant's documents and the program decision.
3. Should the applicant desire to file a formal grievance, a written appeal should be sent within five working days to the Attallah College Associate Dean of Graduate Education or the Dean. The Associate Dean or Dean will confer with the applicant and meet with the Director and faculty if appropriate. Within 10 business days of meeting with the Associate Dean or Dean, the applicant will receive a formal written statement indicating the college’s decision. 

Students who add on the Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) coursework complete the academic requirements to become a LPCC, but they still must complete the mandatory post-graduation fieldwork hours and licensure exam.

For more information about Attallah College's LPCC program, including required coursework and hours, visit the Attallah LPCC FAQs and info page.

The Attallah College of Educational Studies offers monthly graduate information sessions. These sessions are great opportunities to obtain further information about the program and meet with the program coordinator.
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To request further information about Chapman University's graduate programs, please complete the form at the link below so that the Office of Graduate Admission can send you more information about life as a Panther.
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