Application and selection

All places on our programme for the 2025 intake will be NHS-funded and applicants seeking a place should apply through the Clearing House for Postgraduate Courses in Clinical Psychology.

NHS-funded places are only available to applicants who intend to work in NHS-funded services upon completion of training. As places are NHS funded, we can only consider applicants who meet Home Fees status and who have the right to work in the UK. 

Who can apply?

We are unfortunately unable to consider:

• Applicants who will still be enrolled at another university and/or still undertaking an undergraduate or postgraduate degree when commencing the programme.

• Undergraduate or conversion applicants who will not have received their overall degree classification which provides eligibility for GBC by Wednesday 20 November 2024.

• Applicants who do not have Home Fee status.

• Applicants who have an undergraduate degree classification which is below the UK equivalent of a 2:2 (lower second).

• Those who have received NHS funding for psychological professions’ training that started since March 2022 and are not two years post qualification, may not be eligible to apply. (Please see HEE website for most up to date guidance).

Graduate basis for chartership from the British Psychological Society

Applicants must obtain Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) from the British Psychological Society (BPS) and hold this at the time of application. 

Driving licence

Due to the large regional area covered by our placement trusts (parts of which are quite rural and inaccessible by public transport) and the requirement of many of placement providers, trainees must have access to a car in order to visit service users and local services. Applicants must hold a valid driving licence which permits the holder to drive in the UK and must have access to a car for use on placement.

Applicants must provide a scanned photograph of a full driving licence which allows them to drive with no restrictions within the UK at the time of submitting their application, which must be uploaded via the Clearing House website by the application deadline.

We very much welcome applications from those with a disability. Applicants who have a disability that means they cannot drive must contact the programme in advance of submitting their application and provide supporting documentation from a registered medical practitioner stating that their disability prevents them from driving. Alternatively, we are able to accept proof that an applicant has been granted Access to Work within the last three years. A decision will then be taken over whether the driving licence requirement can be waived.

Failure to provide the above will unfortunately result in a candidate’s application not being considered.

Applicants with a psychology undergraduate degree

A 1st or 2:1 psychology degree is essential for applicants who have an undergraduate degree only.

Applicants with a 2:2 psychology undergraduate degree will be considered if they hold a completed relevant PhD or complete a relevant Master's degree and meet one of the following:

• obtained 65% or above
• were awarded the overall classification of Merit
• were awarded the overall classification of Distinction.

For example, if a candidate obtained 62% in their Master's degree but were awarded a Merit, they would meet the above criteria.

In this case, applicants will be required to provide a transcript of their Master's degree results as part of their application.

Applicants with a non-psychology undergraduate degree

If applicants have an undergraduate degree that isn’t in psychology, with a degree classification of 2.1 or 1st, they must have also completed an accredited Master's level conversion qualification in psychology. The conversion course must achieve an average of 60% or above.

Applicants who were awarded a 2.2 for their undergraduate degree in a non-psychology subject, must complete an accredited postgraduate conversion course in psychology and meet one of the following:

• obtained 65% or above
• were awarded the overall classification of Merit
• were awarded the overall classification of Distinction.

For example, if a candidate obtained 62% in their Master's degree but were awarded a Merit, they would meet the above criteria.

All applicants are required to provide a transcript of their undergraduate degree and/or conversion course as part of their application.

The absence of transcripts will unfortunately result in an applicant not being considered as there will be no means to verify the minimum requirements stipulated.

Applicants with a pending accredited psychology undergraduate degree or accredited Masters level conversion

We are not able to accept applicants from those with a pending psychology undergraduate degree or accredited Master’s level conversion. All applicants must have received their final degree classification and be able to apply this when making their application by the Clearing House deadline of Wednesday 20 November 2024.

All applicants applying for NHS-funded places, for whom English is not their first language and their university qualifications were not taught or examined in the English language, must send evidence of their English language proficiency to the Clearing House with their application. This test must have been taken in the last two years. 

All overseas applicants applying should please note the requirements above regarding degree transcripts, which should be translated into English where necessary.

Although many applicants may gain relevant clinical experience through familiar routes such as assistant or research psychologist posts, many other pathways are relevant to gaining such experience, and are valued equally highly by the programme.

These may include, for example, work experience gained within social services, IAPT services, healthcare assistant/support worker roles in the NHS, private, or voluntary sector. All such employment needs to be directly related to the practical application of psychological principles acquired in either a paid or unpaid capacity.

It is not necessary for applicants to have gained extensive clinical experience in many different settings or with a wide range of clients prior to applying. Rather, we are looking for individuals who can make the most out of what they have experienced by:

• gaining a realistic sense of the profession, its current context within the NHS, and its range of work practices
• developing an awareness of the range of settings and client groups encountered by clinical psychologists
• demonstrating an understanding of how psychological theory can be applied within a clinical setting
• considering the impact of social, political, and cultural inequalities in the provision of mental health services.

Research experience is also highly regarded, especially within a clinical, medical, or social care setting.

However, applicants whose experience is restricted solely to academic research must ensure that they have also gained relevant exposure to supervised clinical practice within an applied setting before applying.

Please clearly draw out the clinical experience gained whilst undertaking academic study on the section of the application form which itemises relevant occupational and research experience.

One full year (or its equivalent on a part-time basis) of relevant work experience must have been completed by the time of application.

Personal and professional experience relevant to working with vulnerable or marginalised, people is strongly valued.

Trainees are recruited annually and our current selection process includes:

• Initial screening of application form

• Online testing (Multiple Choice Research Test and Situational Judgment Test).

• An interview at the Salomons Institute.

The Programme's selection procedures are constantly being refined and developed, and applicants may be required to participate in additional procedures currently under development in order to be eligible to apply to the programme. Applicants will be advised of any additional procedures at the time of applying. 

The Programme follows the requirements regarding Fitness to Practice as set out by the Clearing House.  These may apply throughout all stages of the selection process.  Please refer to the Clearing House website for further details.  

Initial screening of application form

Application forms are only used at the point of initial screening to establish whether candidates meet our minimum criteria in terms of academic requirements, work experience, references, and GBC. All those who meet the minimum criteria are then invited to sit a Multiple-Choice Test and a Situational Judgement Test as the first stage of our selection process.

As part of our commitment to increasing the representation of socially disadvantaged and marginalised groups within the profession of clinical psychology, and our awareness of the additional challenges that may be experienced in accessing training, we are passionate about doing all that we can to mitigate against this experience. As part of our efforts around this we incorporate the use of a contextualised admissions process alongside our use of positive action provisions in line with the Equality Act.

For entry in 2025, applicants will be eligible for consideration under a contextualised admissions process if they endorse any of the following items in the Clearing House Survey (completed as part of their application):

• Care leaver: Individuals who were in ‘foster care’, formally adopted or spent time under the care of the local authority prior to the age of 18 years

OR

• Refugee: Individuals who have been given ‘refugee’ status by the UK government or have been granted humanitarian protection by the UK government

OR

• Free school meals AND income support: Individuals who were in receipt of free school meals and whose parents/caregivers were in receipt of income support whilst the applicant was of compulsory school age. Applicants would need to endorse both of these items, which are understood to be factors associated with the experience of social deprivation or poverty during childhood.

Our contextual admissions process is activated at two stages of the application process (in the same way that we are currently using positive action provisions in line with the Equality Act for other under-represented groups .i.e. on the basis of ethnicity, disability and gender) and will be applied as follows:

1. In the event that applicants have tied scores on the online selection tests, those who are eligible for our contextual admissions process could be ranked higher than applicants who did not meet the criteria for a contextual admission.
2. In the case of tied scores post-interview, an applicant who meets the criteria for a contextual admissions process could be ranked higher than applicants not eligible for our contextual admissions process.

Such considerations are undertaken on a strictly case-by-case basis.

Recognition under our contextual admissions process is given the same weighting as a protected characteristic under the Equality Act, (i.e., disability, ethnicity, and gender). This means that in the case of the further ties, those who met more of the criteria would be ranked higher than applicants meeting fewer criteria.

If an offer of a place on the training programme is made using a contextual admissions process, applicants may be asked to provide relevant evidence (e.g. of their refugee status and/or care leaver status) as part of their pre-employment checks.

We recognise the challenge, discomfort, and broad range of emotions that can sometimes come from engaging with such processes (leading some of us to avoid sharing or applying at all). We are respectful of those that trust us with their life experiences and hope that applicants can have faith that we receive these experiences purely in service of our drive to widen access to the Clinical Psychology profession, as we continue to welcome diversity and differences on our programme.

Test dates and practicalities

All those who meet our minimum entry criteria are invited to sit two tests as the first stage of our selection process. Successful applicants will receive notification of invitation to sit the tests by Friday 14 February 2025. (Please note there is a very short turnaround time between notification of invitation and test date).

All communication to applicants about the test day and some of the subsequent information about interviews will take place by email. Therefore, applicants are asked to regularly check the email address used for their clearing house application (including their junk folder) throughout this period to avoid missing any important communication from Salomons.

Screening tests are conducted in collaboration with the University of East London. The tests for both programmes will take place online on Saturday 1 March 2025.

Due to Salomons and UEL operating different minimum entry requirements, applicants applying to both programmes may be eligible to take the tests for one course but not another. Both programmes work collaboratively over arrangements for completing the tests. This means that applicants may be invited to sit the tests hosted by either of the programmes. Successful applicants will be contacted directly by the programmes regarding the specific arrangements for sitting the tests.

Applicants with disabilities will be given appropriate support to sit the tests. Extra time will be given to those with dyslexia or other special considerations, in accordance with University guidance. Applicants requiring reasonable adjustments will need to provide clear details of the appropriate support being requested, as well as sufficient supporting documentation from a registered professional (e.g. GP, medical consultant, or educational psychologist). Please contact the Salomons Admissions Team or call 01227 927075 to discuss.

What to expect from the testing

Applicants will be asked to sit two multiple choice tests:

• The Multiple Choice Question Test
• The Clinical Psychology Situational Judgement Test.

The Multiple Choice Question Test (MCQ)

In this test you will be asked a number of research-based multiple-choice questions. Applicants are advised that both the content and format of the multiple-choice question test may change from year to year, and may include a range of questions relating to statistical issues, qualitative and quantitative research methods, ethics, and values.

The Clinical Psychology Situational Judgement Test (CP SJT)

In this test, applicants are presented with a number of scenarios, representing dilemmas often faced by trainee clinical psychologists, whilst at university and/or on placement. Applicants then rank order how they would respond to the situation from the options provided.

Next steps

Following completion of the screening tests, an interview short-list is compiled by the Programme team, based on the MCQ and CP SJT test scores. Where candidates have tied scores, Positive Action Provisions will be taken under the Equality Act on the grounds of ethnicity, disability. and gender (currently under-represented groups in the profession).

Interviews will be held in person at Salomons from Tuesday 29 April – Friday 2 May 2025 inclusive.

Our interview process is multi-faceted and seeks to assess academic, clinical, professional, and personal learning and aptitude alongside demonstrating NHS values. Interview panellists consist of Programme staff, clinical psychologists from our region, service users and carers, and third year trainees.

A presentation about the Programme is also given by a member of academic staff to all applicants. In addition, during interview week, trainees from the Programme are available to answer questions. These trainees do not participate in selection decisions.

Following the interviews, candidates are informed of the outcome by email and are then invited, if they wish, to receive brief telephone feedback on their interview performance, with a member of their interview panel. The Programme is unfortunately not able to offer feedback to applicants who are not short-listed for interview.

All offers of a place on the Programme are made subject to occupational health screening and enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. These procedures are handled by our employing Trust, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which covers any costs incurred.

The purpose of the occupational health assessment is to screen candidates in line with Department of Health guidance for healthcare workers regarding immunity and immunisations for infectious diseases. An additional purpose is to assess current health status with regard to any additional support individual candidates may need to assist them throughout the programme. The purpose of the occupational health assessment is to consider the candidate’s current health status. This includes consideration of any additional support individual trainees may need to assist them throughout the programme as well as facilitating any necessary immunizations and considering fitness to practice on health grounds.

As stated above, we welcome applications from candidates with disabilities and have a strong record of working with trainees with disabilities who have successfully completed the programme.

Enhanced DBS checks are a compulsory requirement and will disclose any convictions -spent or unspent – and police cautions, reprimands, or warnings, whenever they occurred. Those candidates who are offered a place are also required to complete a University criminal records disclosure form, which asks for details of any convictions, cautions, or bind overs, “spent” or otherwise. Disclosure of such information does not automatically act as a bar to enrolment on the Programme. However, should any criminal record be disclosed, this would require further discussion, prior to possible acceptance on to the Programme.