Academic Progress

Psychology Good Standing Policy

The policy defines "good standing" for the department, college, and university and informs students of the timeline for degree milestones. This policy is maintained in the Graduate Student Handbook along with links to administrative forms; guidance on addressing extenuating circumstances; and academic warning, probation, dismissal, and appeal procedures.

Psychology Student Learning Outcomes

Outcomes are documented in the UMN Graduate Catalog entries for the Psychology PhD and Psychology MA, and in the Graduate Student Handbook.

University Policies on Academic Progress

• Doctoral: Performance Standards and Academic Progress: Policy (Doctoral) and FAQ (Doctoral)
• Master’s: Performance Standards and Academic Progress: Policy (Master's) and FAQ (Master's)

Graduate Student Services and Progress (GSSP) and the Department of Psychology both maintain electronic forms that you must complete to obtain your degree. Access to these forms, and guidance on the timing for when they should be completed, is provided in the  Graduate Student Handbook and your area handbook. You are responsible for consulting these resources regularly to ensure you complete all degree steps at the appropriate time, including departmental scheduling requirements for preliminary and final exams. Students completing a predoctoral internship typically have a different timeline for their final steps and when to apply to graduate.

The Graduate School requires all master’s and doctoral students to be reviewed annually and notified of whether or not they are meeting their program’s progress standards. This is accomplished through an Annual Progress Review (APR) that students submit each spring for comment by their advisor(s), the ADGS, and the DGS.

The “Satisfactory Progress and Annual Review” section of the Graduate Student Handbook provides an overview of the timing and scope of the review. Resources for Spring 2026 reporting are as follows:

• Annual Progress Report - Draft Answers Template (view access): we recommend that you make a copy of this document to draft your annual review.  
• Spring 2026 APR Instructions and Deadlines (sent by email to all Psychology PhD students on 4/7/26).

If you are experiencing extenuating circumstances, or if other factors are impacting your timeline for degree progress steps, reach out proactively. More options for support are typically available with advance notice, and before a determination of unsatisfactory progress is made.

Your advisor(s), the DGS, and the ADGS are all available for consultation and to help you plan for adjustments to your timeline, as appropriate to your situation. More information on addressing extenuating circumstances is also provided in the Graduate Student Handbook.