College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools

96 Colleges in the United States
4,502 Doctor's Degrees
$72,873 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a doctor's degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #8 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 96 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 4,502 doctor's degrees in clinical, counseling & applied psychology to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology School for Your Doctor's Degree

Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools The clinical psychology doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality clinical psychology program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a doctor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of doctorate graduates during the early years of their career. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their doctor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for clinical, counseling & applied psychology students working on their doctor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Clinical Psychology Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology in the United States

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

19 Top Schools for a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology

1
24 Annual Graduates

Columbia University in the City of New York is a great choice for individuals interested in a doctor's degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology. Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Columbia University in the City of New York

2

It's hard to beat University of Denver if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology. Located in the large city of Denver, DU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Doctorate recipients from the clinical, counseling & applied psychology program at University of Denver get $2,237 more than the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from University of Denver

3
Pacific Graduate School of Psychology crest
Palo Alto University
Palo Alto, CA

It is hard to beat Palo Alto University if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology. Pacific Graduate School of Psychology is a small private not-for-profit university located in the rural area of Palo Alto.

Doctorate students who receive their degree from the clinical psychology program make an average of $71,023 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Palo Alto University

4

Texas A&M University - College Station is one of the best schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology. Located in the medium-sized city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public university with a very large student population.

Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology doctor's degree recipients from Texas A&M University - College Station earn a boost of approximately $2,067 above the typical income of clinical, counseling & applied psychology majors.

More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Texas A&M University - College Station

5
Hofstra crest
Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY

Located in the large suburb of Hempstead, Hofstra is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Those clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who get their doctor's degree from Hofstra University make $21,688 more than the typical clinical psychology grad.

More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Hofstra University

6

Located in the city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Doctorate students who receive their degree from the clinical psychology program earn around $71,820 for their early career.

More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Loyola University Chicago

7

GWU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington.

Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology doctor's degree recipients from George Washington University get an earnings boost of about $12,147 above the typical earnings of clinical, counseling & applied psychology graduates.

More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from George Washington University

8

Located in the large suburb of Malibu, Pepperdine is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.

Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology doctor's degree recipients from Pepperdine University earn a boost of approximately $12,081 over the average income of clinical, counseling & applied psychology majors.

More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Pepperdine University

9

Located in the city of Athens, UGA is a public university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their doctorate from the clinical psychology program state that they receive average early career income of $70,197.

More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from University of Georgia

10

Located in the city of Bronx, Fordham U is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Students who graduate with their doctorate from the clinical psychology program report average early career earnings of $73,724.

More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Fordham University

11
NUS Florida crest
Nova Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale, FL

NUS Florida is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Fort Lauderdale.

After graduating, clinical psychology doctorate recipients usually earn around $63,861 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Nova Southeastern University

12

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, The Chicago School Los Angeles Campus is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Doctorate recipients from the clinical, counseling & applied psychology degree program at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles make $6,061 more than the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles

13
19 Annual Graduates

Loyola Maryland is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Baltimore.More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Loyola University Maryland

14

Florida Tech is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Melbourne.

Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology doctor's degree recipients from Florida Institute of Technology get an earnings boost of about $15,860 over the average income of clinical, counseling & applied psychology majors.

More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Florida Institute of Technology

15
Pacific crest
Pacific University
Forest Grove, OR

Located in the large suburb of Forest Grove, Pacific is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Doctorate recipients from the clinical, counseling & applied psychology major at Pacific University make $8,701 above the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Pacific University

16
Auburn crest
Auburn University
Auburn, AL
21 Annual Graduates

Auburn is a very large public university located in the small city of Auburn.More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Auburn University

17
LIU Post crest
LIU Post
Brookville, NY
30 Annual Graduates

LIU Post is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Brookville.More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from LIU Post

18

Located in the small city of Kalamazoo, WMU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Doctorate recipients from the clinical, counseling & applied psychology program at Western Michigan University earn $9,379 more than the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Western Michigan University

19
19 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from University of Wisconsin - Madison

Rest of the Top Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
20 Yeshiva University New York, NY
21 St John’s University - New York Queens, NY
22 La Salle University Philadelphia, PA
23 National University San Diego, CA
24 University of Hartford West Hartford, CT
25 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
26 Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus Teaneck, NJ
27 University at Albany Albany, NY
28 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
29 Ball State University Muncie, IN
30 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
31 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
32 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN

Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology by Region

View the Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

One of 24 majors within the Psychology area of study, Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Clinical Psychology Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Clinical Psychology 2,470
Counseling Psychology 667
School Psychology 345
Educational Psychology 330
Industrial & Organizational Psychology 214
Applied Behavior Analysis 174
Other Psychology & Counseling 61
Applied Psychology 47
Forensic Psychology 46
Community Psychology 44

Related Major Annual Graduates
General Psychology 1,634
Child Development & Psychology 937
Other Psychology 147

Notes and References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options