Nationally, over the last three years, the success rate for applicants has been around 25%. At Surrey, if you have the minimum requirements for entry and perform well on the written test relative to other candidates then you improve your chances of obtaining a place.

At Surrey, if you can show other evidence of academic excellence then your application will be considered.  The other evidence we require is a Masters by Research degree in which you achieved an overall percentage of at least 65% or a PhD. Other courses will also consider applicants with a 2.2 who can show evidence of other academic attainment or potential.

Relevant experience would be working closely with people that a clinical psychologist may see, for example, people with learning difficulties, adults with mental health or behavioural problems, children/adolescents with special needs or emotional/behavioural problems, or older adults with mental health problems. This experience could be obtained in any setting, such as the NHS, social services, education, prison/police/probation service or voluntary sector. Equal weight is given to clinically-relevant experience obtained whilst carrying out research. Relevant experience may be paid or unpaid. We ask that everyone has a minimum of 9 months full time equivalent experience at point of application. We want this experience to be recent (gained in the last 3 years) and sustained (what we mean here is that we don’t want you to have small bits of experience that only just manage to add up to 9 months; instead, we want to see you have had some consistent relevant work experience although this may be gained in more than one post).

The course is committed to equal opportunities for all applicants. Equal weight is given to clinical experience obtained in roles other than the psychology assistant, such as nursing, support work, research or other clinical roles in relevant settings (see other questions).

You can apply for the course as long as you will be eligible for GBC (Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership) by the time the clinical training starts and have enough relevant experience at the point of application. The offer of a training place will usually be conditional upon the achievement of a first or upper second class degree.

If you have Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership and you attained a first or upper second class degree then you can apply.

Unfortunately, if you require a permit to work in the UK you will not be considered for a place on the course. The NHS Strategic Health Authorities that fund clinical psychology training at Surrey are not willing to employ individuals who have no guarantee of obtaining a work permit.

You need to send evidence of your ability in the English language with your Clearing House application. At Surrey, this evidence needs to be IELTS at level 7.0 or higher.

Trainees must have a current, valid UK driving licence and unrestricted access to a car or motorcycle for work purposes. Some of the placements are a long distance from the University and cannot be accessed by bus or train. It is the trainee’s responsibility to arrange travel to their placement. Due to increased numbers of training places, it is no longer feasible for the course to arrange local placements for trainees without a car.  Reasonable adjustments to this requirement will be made for those trainees with a disability.