All applications must be sent to the Clearing House by the beginning of December the year prior to entry. Visit the Clearing House website for precise deadline dates each year.
Our approach to selection:
We are looking for trainees ready to embrace learning, with an existing commitment to inclusion, reflection and developing high levels of competence in research, clinical work, academic assignments and socio-cultural competence. We also want to attract trainees who are able to demonstrate that their values and behaviours align with the values of the NHS Constitution and who meet the requirements of the Clinical Psychology Trainee Job Description and Person Specification (.pdf)
Our selection process:
Minimum requirements for application
All applications that meet the minimum academic and clinical requirements for the course will go through our shortlisting process. In order to apply you must have:
Graduate Basis for Registration (GBC) confirmed at time of application;
Plus one of the following
- 1st class or 2:1 psychology degree
- 1st class or 2:1 non-psychology degree plus completion of an accredited psychology conversion course, awarded at a Merit or Distinction
- 2:2 undergraduate psychology degree plus a research Masters (a course that requires completion of a research dissertation), awarded at Merit or Distinction, a DPhil or a PhD
- 2:2 without a Masters if one of the Contextual Admissions criteria (on the Clearing House Contextual survey) is met Plus a minimum of 1 year (full time equivalent) of clinically relevant experience
Shortlisting
All applications that meet the minimum academic and clinical requirements for the course will go through our shortlisting process. This year we are trailing the use of psychometric testing in selection. After the initial minimum criteria screen, all applicants will be sent some psychometric tests to complete. These tests have been thoroughly checked to ensure that they can be used with diverse and international populations.
We are trailing whether we use the results of these tests as a next screen, so we will be carefully checking whether any diversity in our applications is lost by using them. This diversity includes racialised identities, socio-economic status, disability, ‘non-traditional’ routes to DClinPsy, etc. We will be checking every application to ensure that this does not happen. If we are confident that it does not, then we will use these tests as a screen. Please note, these psychometric tests are not intelligence tests but are based on values.
The next stage is shortlisting and we ensure that there is diversity within our shortlisting pairs. The top 84 candidates will be put through to interview. We apply positive action by checking the shortlisting scores of all those from a UK ethnic minority and those who meet minimum interview criteria will but put through to interview. Please note that the minimum interview criteria is not the same as our minimum entry criteria – we do not disclose what the minimum interview criteria is in order to remove any chance that people might tailor their forms to meet it.
Candidates and panels do not know whether those they are interviewing came from the initial shortlisting phase or from positive action. Because the positive action interviews are ‘additional’ interviews, you can be assure that no one has ‘missed out’ of an interview at Exeter because we do this work. We do not do any positive action at interview, as the evidence base is clear that bias happens at shortlisting and not at interview.
Application data
The data you provide in your application is used in the following areas:
- for processing your application and for the selection processes we use as a programme;
- for audit, research and service enhancement, which may include making anonymised data public;
- for producing and reporting monitoring statistics, which may include making anonymised data public.
Please note that when making anonymised data public, this will always be reporting data as a group and never for individuals.
Interviews
Following shortlisting, applicants will be notified whether they are being invited for interview, on the reserve list for interview, or have been unsuccessful. Applicants who are invited for interview will be able to take advantage of our buddy system, enabling them to meet with a current trainee prior to interview to find out more about the lived experience of the course and trainee life at Exeter. Applicants who require adaptations to interview processes due to disability / additional needs should contact us.
Interviews will be held in the spring of each year. Candidates will be given tasks to undertake prior to the interview in preparation for the day, such as a video/roleplay/research design. We intend the time you spend with us to be respectful, constructive and supportive, and all candidates will be given a clear brief about what to expect when they are invited for interview. All selection tasks are designed to give candidates the opportunity to demonstrate the required competencies and values for entry into the programme. We are working hard to ensure that our panels are diverse in terms of race, gender, disability and class.
Applicants should consult the Clearing House website to find out the dates for interview for the relevant year and whether interviews will be online or in person. In exceptional circumstances, alternative interview dates are available, please contact the course team to find out if your circumstances apply.
Once interview days have concluded, applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application (offer, reserve offer or unsuccessful). Unsuccessful and reserve list applicants will be given the opportunity to meet with the chair of their interview panel to get feedback on their interview.
All offers of a place on a course are dependent on satisfactory criminal record and health checks and compliance with health checks will be acted upon.
International Trainees
We hold our international interviews a month before our ‘home student’ interviews. Shortlisting for international interviews is done by programme staff and the interview panel is made up of a member of the programme senior management team and a Psychology Head of Service from one of our local NHS Trusts. Like the home students, unsuccessful international trainees are offered a chance to talk to the course staff that interviewed them for feedback.
English language requirements
International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2: view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
The programme is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) across all aspects of the course, not only from a social justice standpoint, but because we recognise the immense value that a broad range of experiences and backgrounds bring to the profession of Clinical Psychology. We are committed to diversifying the profession so that clinical psychologists also reflect the diversity within the client groups we serve.
We welcome applicants from diverse cultural and personal contexts, mature applicants with extensive life experience, and applicants with disabilities. Candidates with disabilities are welcome to contact us to discuss the programme's capacity to meet their training needs. Please contact the Programme Administrator or the University AccessAbility department for further details.
Our selection procedures are designed to be fair, and informed by current thinking on broadening access, thereby enabling the Exeter programme to select the strongest candidates. We use positive action for people from racially minoritised groups and contextual admissions processes for those who have faced socio-economic disadvantage. We do not require candidates to have a driving licence; however, because of the remoteness of some of the placements this is advised.
We run two mentoring schemes for those from racially minoritised backgrounds: Breaking Through (PDF), for those considering applying for DClinPsy training, and Amplify, for those currently on training. We also have active ‘Anti-racism’ and ‘Addressing Disability’ working groups on the course so that we can continuously review and refine our processes.
DClinPsy training at Exeter is informed and enriched by input from our Lived Experience Group. Experts by experience are involved in the design and delivery of the course including selection, the curriculum and teaching, and research consultation, and we are committed to continued involvement. We encourage those with experience of using clinical psychology and mental health services to apply.
