Institutional Philosophy and Position For Admissions

With a mission rooted in service and embracing our society’s diverse communities, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (The Chicago School) intentionally aspires to prepare persons of all backgrounds to become engaged professionals and to experience enriching personal and professional achievements. As educators of future practitioners, academicians, researchers,  administrators, and leaders across multiple fields, we provide a foundation of knowledge and applied practice grounded in our core values of education, innovation, service, and community, and supported by our institutional learning goals of scholarship, diversity, professional behavior, and professional practice.

The Chicago School believes deeply that our mission is advanced when graduates are prepared to serve as professionals in an increasingly multicultural and global community. As such, it is our charge to provide students with access to a diverse learning community, one where they are exposed to the values, perspectives, and priorities of individuals different from themselves. Thus, The Chicago School seeks to employ admissions policies and practices that promote the admission of a diverse student body.

Accordingly, The Chicago School uses a holistic admissions process grounded in the philosophy of inclusion versus exclusion. The school is committed to reviewing all applicants in a fair and transparent process, assessing each individual’s preparedness for graduate study in a professional setting on the basis of the totality of evidence submitted. This philosophy means that in addition to considering such traditional factors in admissions as GPA, standardized test scores and essays, we also give serious consideration to factors such as an applicant’s previous life and professional experiences, previous community service activities, and interests in the provision of professional services to neglected and marginalized populations. The Chicago School purposefully seeks students whose potential, talents, and interests enable them to benefit from the distinctive educational offerings here and values students who will contribute to a professional learning and service community. Some degree programs may require prerequisite criteria, which can be found on The Chicago School website. Regardless of individual degree program criteria, all academic programs value diversity of interests, perspectives, and backgrounds among its students.