How to Apply to Psychology at Case Western Reserve University: Declare the Psychology BA in Your Second Semester, and Requirements and Timeline for Chinese, Canadian High School and Transfer Students

At Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), psychology is offered by the Department of Psychological Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences as a Psychology, BA. You do not apply directly to psychology, but you declare a major early. Here is what you need to know for fall 2027 entry, based on CWRU’s official information, for students at high schools in China, students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver), and transfer students.

1. When you choose psychology

• Declaring: every student must declare a major in their second semester: by 1 March for fall entrants and by 1 October for spring entrants. Undeclared students get a registration hold.
• Declaring psychology: complete a Major Declaration Form, then meet the department contact, who assigns an advisor and reviews the requirements with you. CWRU publishes no grade threshold for declaring psychology.
• Advising: you have a pre-major advisor before declaring and a major advisor afterwards.

2. Psychology major requirements

• Total: 30 credit hours in the department.
• Required: PSCL 101 General Psychology I and PSCL 282 Quantitative Methods in Psychology.
• Two courses from each tradition:
  • nomothetic courses (two of social, physiological, learning and cognitive psychology);
  • idiographic courses (two of child psychology, personality, abnormal psychology, psychotherapy and personality change, and adult development and aging).
• Electives: 12 more hours of PSCL courses. PSCL 375 is not required for the major but is a prerequisite for most senior capstone courses.
• Honors: PSCL 375 in junior year and PSCL 395 in senior year, with a research project presented publicly; majors with at least a 3.25 psychology GPA and a 3.0 overall GPA graduate with honors in psychology. Each PSCL 395 section belongs to one faculty member and needs a permit, so contact a potential advisor early, ideally in junior year.

3. Deadlines and decisions

• Early Action: 1 November, financial aid documents 15 November, anticipated notification 19 December, enrollment deadline 1 May.
• Early Decision I (binding): 1 November, aid documents 15 November, notification 5 December, enrollment deadline 12 December.
• Early Decision II: 15 January, aid documents 22 January, notification 6 February, enroll within one week of admission.
• Regular Decision: 15 January, aid documents 1 February, notification 20 March, enrollment deadline 1 May.
• Spring entry: 15 November; later applications are considered on a space-available basis.
• Materials: apply through the Common App or Coalition with Scoir with a transcript, school report, counselor recommendation, two teacher recommendations and an essay; the fee is $75 (waivers available). International applicants follow the same deadlines and process, with English translations of records where needed.
• Minimum coursework: 4 years of English, 3 of math, 3 of science (2 lab sciences), 3 of social studies and 2 of foreign language. CWRU says there is no minimum GPA or test score and reads your transcript against your school’s curriculum.

4. Testing and English

• Test optional: choose whether to send SAT or ACT scores, and change your choice up to two weeks before your decision release. No program, scholarship or aid requires testing.
• English minimums for non-native speakers:
  • IELTS 7;
  • TOEFL (including Home and Paper Editions): 4.5 for tests on or after 21 January 2026; 90 internet-based or 577 paper-based for earlier tests;
  • Duolingo 115; PTE Academic 61.
  Self-reported scores are accepted, with official reports confirmed on enrollment.
• Automatic waiver if any one applies: two years at an English-medium school by graduation; SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 630+; ACT English 26+.
• Chinese and Canadian curricula: CWRU publishes no Gaokao policy and no Canada- or BC-specific grade requirements.

5. Costs, aid and scholarships

• 2026-27 residential costs: tuition $71,410, housing $11,688, meal plan $8,600, fees $696, matriculation fee $760, books $1,200 and personal expenses $1,350, a total of $95,704, plus a transportation allowance of up to $2,000 based on your home location. 2027-28 costs have not been published.
• Aid for international students: CWRU states that financial aid is available to international students; non-U.S. residents file the CSS Profile only. If you say you will apply for need-based aid, your application is incomplete until the aid documents arrive, and aid offers come with the admission decision. CWRU does not say whether requesting aid affects international admission.
• Merit scholarships: all first-year applicants are automatically considered; additional competition scholarships, including full-tuition awards, require extra materials and an essay, and are open to international students unless noted, with complete scholarship applications due by 15 February.

6. Transfer students

• Who is a transfer: anyone who has enrolled in college courses after high school, whether or not credit was earned. First-year transfers are admitted for spring.
• Deadlines:
  • Fall Early Plan: 15 March, decisions from 1 April as applications are completed, enroll by 1 June;
  • Fall Regular Plan: 1 July, decisions within two weeks of completion (from 1 April);
  • Spring: 15 November, then space-available.
• Materials: all college transcripts, the high school transcript (waived for those two years out of high school with an associate degree or 45 credits), a recommendation from a college instructor, a college report and a $75 fee; transfer is also test optional.
• Credit: evaluated after admission once the final transcript arrives; courses need a C or better. You must earn at least 60 credit hours at CWRU, including 15 after reaching 105 total hours.
• Aid: transfers who apply for need-based aid are fully considered, and the transfer page states that CWRU meets the full demonstrated need of all admitted students.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Apply through the Common App by 1 November (EA or ED I) or 15 January (ED II or RD)
• IELTS 7, TOEFL 4.5 (new scale) or Duolingo 115; decide whether to submit SAT or ACT
• For aid, file the CSS Profile by your round’s aid deadline
• For full-tuition scholarship competitions, complete the scholarship application by 15 February

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• Same deadlines; two years at an English-medium school waives the English test
• Non-U.S. residents applying for aid file the CSS Profile only

Transfer students:

• Fall deadline 15 March (Early Plan) or 1 July (Regular Plan); spring 15 November
• Courses need a C or better to transfer; earn at least 60 credits at CWRU and declare psychology on time in your second semester

Sources: Case Western Reserve University, Deadlines and requirements; Test policy; First-year applicants; International applicants; Transfer applicants; Tuition and costs 2026-27; Apply for financial aid; Scholarships; Psychology, BA (General Bulletin); Undergraduate academic policies; Bachelor’s degree requirements. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 figures). Check CWRU for the latest details.