SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology: 40 Years and How to Apply

The SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology (JDP) is a Ph.D. program run jointly by San Diego State University and the University of California San Diego, a partnership between the California State University and University of California systems. It marked its 40th anniversary in June 2025. This guide covers how the program works and what applicants for fall 2027 need to know, based on the program’s pages as of November 2026.

Forty years of a joint program

The JDP was founded by Igor Grant, M.D., of UC San Diego’s Department of Psychiatry, and Alan Litrownik, Ph.D., now professor emeritus of psychology at SDSU, and took nearly seven years to set up. At the time, many clinical psychology programs focused on training practitioners. The founders wanted Ph.D. clinical psychologists who would also produce new research. “This was not only a marriage of two universities, but it was also a mating of two systems,” Grant said at the anniversary celebration at UC San Diego’s Ida and Cecil Green Faculty Club (UC San Diego Today, June 30, 2025).

The program at its 40th anniversary, according to UC San Diego:

Accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) since 1990.
369 graduates and 69 current students.
More than 150 JDP faculty members, 24 of them program alumni.
Publishing is not required, but most students publish about a dozen scientific articles by graduation.

“Each student is paired with a mentor who has their own program or research,” said Jessica Montoya, Ph.D. ’17, now an assistant professor of psychiatry at UC San Diego. Co-director Vanessa Malcarne, an SDSU psychology professor, said that “the founders of the program saw the importance of specialization.” Co-director Lauren Brookman-Frazee, a UC San Diego psychiatry professor, pointed to the range of research opportunities and partnerships that come with two universities.

How the program is structured

Three areas of study: behavioral medicine, experimental psychopathology and neuropsychology. Applications are reviewed and admission decisions made by area.
Core training: a two-year core curriculum with coursework and supervised work in an in-house clinic, followed by advanced training and a one-year APA-accredited internship.
Clinical placements: practicum sites include the SDSU Psychology Clinic, UC San Diego Health, the Jennifer Moreno Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Rady Children’s Hospital–San Diego.
Length: students usually finish in five or six years.

Funding

The program covers tuition and fees for up to five years in residence plus the internship year. The 12-month minimum stipend was $35,947 from October 1, 2025. Students in their third year or later can earn extra money by teaching. Mentors must provide health insurance. U.S. citizens and permanent residents must establish California residency after their first year, or they will owe the nonresident portion of tuition. Funding for international students is covered on a separate page, so international applicants should confirm their package with the program (JDP financial support).

Applying for fall 2027

Applicants submit three applications, in this order (JDP how to apply):

Cal State Apply (SDSU). Deadline November 1, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Pacific. Cal State Apply fee waivers are no longer offered.
The SDSU Supplemental Program Application, sent by link about 72 hours after the Cal State Apply submission. Deadline November 15, 2026, letters of recommendation included.
The UC San Diego graduate application (program code CY 75). Deadline November 15, 2026. The UC San Diego fee is waived for this program.

The supplemental application asks for a statement of purpose (up to three single-spaced pages), a CV, unofficial transcripts from every institution attended and three letters of recommendation from professors, supervisors or professional colleagues, not friends or relatives. Official transcripts are due to SDSU by December 15. GRE scores are not considered. The program no longer reviews GRE General or Psychology Subject Test scores.

Interviews. Each area’s selection subcommittee rates the files, and faculty who want to take a student choose whom to interview, usually 12 to 15 applicants per area. For fall 2027, interview offers go out in mid-January and interviews are held online on February 16 and 17, 2027. Offers usually come first by phone from the prospective mentor, and applicants must decide by April 15 (JDP selection process).

Notes for international applicants

Applicants who need to prove English proficiency submit TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo scores with the UC San Diego application. The program’s application page does not list minimum scores.
Because faculty interest drives interview invitations, a statement of purpose that names a specific area and potential mentors whose research fits yours matters a great deal.
Clinical psychology training depends on U.S. clinical placements and a U.S. internship, and licensure is handled state by state. Ask the program about practicum and internship options for international students, and about the international funding policy, before you accept an offer.

UC San Diego is No. 29 and San Diego State is No. 137 in the 2027 U.S. News Best National Universities ranking. For admissions and cost data, see Forward Pathway’s UC San Diego and San Diego State school pages.

References

#San Diego State University #University of California-San Diego #mental health #graduate education