Prospective Students: Admissions
Application Checklist
 Have you completed and submitted these five items? All need to be done in order to process your application. Click on each to learn more.
International Students
In addition to the five pieces of information, international students need to complete up to two additional steps.
- TEOFL exam. If English is not your first language, you must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), and present a minimum score of 550 on the paper-based test or 80 on the computer-based test.
- Financial support statement. If you are not a citizen or permanent residents of the United States, you must provide an official confidential statement of financial support covering each year of intended enrollment.
Official Transcript
Applicants must have a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution in any field.
Candidates need a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the last 45 quarter credits (30 semester credits) of coursework completed before applying for admission, or in all undergraduate work*.
*Whichever is higher
Prerequisites
Social and behavioral sciences. A minimum of 24 quarter credits (18 semester credits) in the social and behavioral sciences, including a course in applied statistics and a course in individual life-span development, must be completed (at a regionally accredited institution) prior to full admission to the program.
Suggested courses. Students who have not already taken sufficient courses in the social and behavioral sciences are encouraged to take courses from the areas of theories of personality; theories of counseling; abnormal psychology; developmental psychology
— OR —
Family studies.
GRE psychology subject test. Applicants may elect to take the psychology subject test of the GRE. Those who earn a score of 500 or higher may waive any unfinished prerequisite coursework, with the exception of the statistics and individual life-span development courses.
Testing
- Minimum score. A minimum score of 293 (only verbal and quantitative, 950 for the older version of the test) for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), or 388 scaled score (35 raw score) for the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) is preferred.
- Taken within 5 years. The test must have been administered within five years of the deadline date for application to the program.
- Already have a master’s? If a candidate has earned a master's degree from a regionally accredited institution, he or she can submit an official transcript on which the master's degree is posted and the GRE/MAT will be waived.
Probationary status. Candidates with significant qualifications and exceptional recommendations who fail to meet the GPA or GRE/MAT minimum scores may still be considered for admission to the MFT program, because the program admits all students on a probationary status.
Recommendations
Applicants will submit three letters of recommendation:
- Professional. At least one from a person professionally qualified to recommend for a field of this nature (e.g., mental health counselor, marriage and family therapist, pastoral counselor, psychologist).
- Academic. At least one from a person qualified to evaluate academic ability (e.g., educator).
- Personal. A third recommendation may include a reference from an employer and/or supervisor from a volunteer experience.
Recommendation forms* are included in the application, and must be submitted on the forms provided.
*Forms should be sent in sealed and signed envelopes and forwarded to the Graduate Center, Suite 111.
Personal Statement
Applicants will submit a typed, succinct personal statement that provides an accurate indication of writing and grammatical skills. Statements should be three to four pages, double spaced, in length.
The personal statement should address
- Objectives. Your career goals
- Why SPU. Rationale for seeking the degree and choosing to attend Seattle Pacific
- Why MFT. Personal interest in marriage and family therapy
- Strengths. Professional and personal strengths as they apply to the mental health profession
- Experience. Related volunteer or work experiences
- Why Now. Personal and professional life experiences and how they have converged to motivate your application to the MFT program
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