Have each institution where you earned an undergraduate or graduate degree send us your official transcript.

If your transcript is not in English, provide a notarized translation of it.

If you’re enrolled in a degree program when you apply, submit your transcript of the courses you’ve taken to date. Submit your final official transcript once you’ve completed the degree program.

If your degree is from outside of the United States, you will be required to submit a Foreign Academic Credentials Evaluation to demonstrate U.S. bachelor's degree equivalency. A bachelor's degree or U.S. equivalency to a bachelor's degree is required for all graduate programs.  

Evaluation Agencies

Contact one of these agencies to get your credentials evaluated:

• World Education Services 
• Center for Educational Documentation 
• Educational Credential Evaluators Inc. 
• Global Credential Evaluators 

You’ll need a document-by-document evaluation. Exception: Expressive Therapies master's degree programs require a course-by-course evaluation instead.

If you’re submitting a foreign academic credential evaluation, unofficial transcripts are acceptable for your transcript requirement if official transcripts were provided to the evaluation agency. Please note that graduate programs will only accept three-year bachelor’s degrees from member institutions within the Bologna Process. However, certain licensure-track graduate programs may still require a four-year bachelor’s degree, even from a member within the Bologna process, so please check with your admissions counselor before applying.

Doctoral program recommendations should address your readiness for doctoral-level study, your commitment to the field, and an assessment of success in your current role.

Submit 3 recent recommendations from those you’ve worked with closely in an academic or professional setting. You can submit your letters with your online application.

• At least one of your recommendations should come from a present or former supervisor.

• One recommendation needs to be from a person who holds a doctoral degree who can attest to your ability to complete doctoral-level study successfully.

• We don’t accept recommendations written by friends or family, or that were written more than 2 years before your application date.

Within your online application form, include the names and emails of the people writing your letters of recommendation. They'll receive an email from you with an electronic recommendation form and they can upload a letter.

The written personal statement is a vital component of your doctoral application. The admissions committee reviews these statements for excellence in thinking and writing, focus and depth, communication style, coherence in thought, and clarity of your doctoral study goals.

Write a 1000–1500 word personal statement, double-spaced.

Address these questions as part of your personal narrative.

1. Tell us about your professional history and how it has influenced your decision to apply to the Lesley University PhD program in Counseling and Psychology: Transformative Leadership, Education, and Applied Research.

2. Discuss the theories and experiences that have informed your philosophy of practice.

3. Share your career goals and elaborate on how your professional history and theoretical lenses influence your career goals.

4. How will this PhD in Counseling and Psychology help you achieve your career goals?

In addition to your written personal statement, the Counseling and Psychology PhD program requires a separate scholarly writing sample. The writing sample should be a previously written, research-based paper, manuscript, thesis, or published work. It should show your ability to think critically, synthesize research literature, and write at an academic level. The length may vary and is less important than what the content reflects. 

Submit a current résumé or curriculum vitae.