What are my chances of getting into grad school for SLP?
When you decide to pursue an undergraduate degree in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) or Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD), you must consider that you cannot work independently with just a Bachelor’s. You must pursue a masters or doctorate in order to be considered a fully independent Speech-Language Pathologist (CCC-SLP).
Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders
So, what are the chances you will get into a graduate school for speech-language pathology? Here are some statistics:
- In 2010-2011 45, 790 *applications for Master’s SLP programs were received for the 249 possible programs in the United States (found here)
- Of the 45,790 *applications, only 11, 866 were accepted (info found here)
- Of the 11,866 *applications that were accepted, only 6,847 actually enrolled in a first year graduate program. (Info found here)
That means there is a *25.9% chance of getting admitted to a Master’s SLP program, based on the data.
Ouch. That pained me to write. But now you know. This is where the cut-throat applications come from. When programs only admit 20 or so people, the statistics makes you wish you had worked a little harder making those extra A’s for your GPA. Or it makes you rethink paying a little extra for the GRE prep classes. Or it gives you more reason to find a current SLP willing to take you under their wing.
If you are 100% serious about becoming an SLP, do whatever you can to boost your resume and GPA as an undergrad. Don’t worry if you look nerdy or lose time with friends here-or-there; it will be worth it if you can make it. And you CAN make it!
Find more statistics via The Higher Education Data System (HES) Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) Education Survey
*Update: After viewing a comment and fixing the terminology of my post, a valid point is to be made: Many people apply to more than 1 University which skews these statistics. This could mean the odds could be upwards of 50% to 60%, depending on how many people applied to more than 1 program.
Reference: Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2011). HES CSD Education Survey. Rockville, MD: available at http://www.asha.org and http://www.capcsd.org
And a totally unrelated comic that makes me giggle 
Posted on August 29, 2012, in #slp2b, SLPeep and tagged #slp2b, CSD, developing opinion, graduate school, NSSLHA, profession, Speech-Language Pathology. Bookmark the permalink. 25 Comments.
Great post, but there is one pretty big error in the numbers. 45,790 total APPLICATIONS, not applicants (The number of applications reported does not reflect a 1:1
correspondence with the number of students applying to graduate programs. – from ASHA document). Most students apply to more than one grad school. I applied to 4 AuD programs personally, accepted at 3, waitlisted at 1. That 25.9% represents the chance that any single application has of being accepted into graduate school, not one individual’s chance. It’s hard to say the exact average number of applications a student submits but I would imagine it to be in the neighborhood of 3-5. Some may only apply to one school, I have heard of other students applying in the 8-10 range. I do totally agree that grad school admissions are very competitive and you should do whatever you can to strengthen your application. Be active and involved! Show your passion!
Thank you for the comment and pointing out my terminology and math. Always good to get feedback.
I love your blog! I tried twice to get into graduate school for speech pathology and didn’t get into any. I’m taking my GRE again and starting to volunteer with an SLP soon. I was working as a behavior therapist for some time now and quit my job to focus on getting into grad school. I also have my undergrad in communicative disorders and worked overseas as a speech therapist. Do you think working in another field is a disadvantage when applying to grad school for speech pathology?
I think working in another field, especially behavior therapy, will only INCREASE your chances. There are so many overlaps between speech therapy and behavioral therapist. When writing your letter of intent, I would highlight how you implemented behavior changes (even if not related to speech) because it will show the similarities. Feel free to email me at ladyecho88@gmail.com if you have any more questions.
Best of luck with the GRE and applications!
I have a daughter who worked hard throughout her undergrad and also had a well-rounded extracurricular life. She came out with a 3.7 GPA but didn’t even make the waiting list in the same University’s Graduate Program. I am kind of ticked that of the 50+ students in the undergraduate program, less than 1/3 of them were accepted to the school’s own graduate program–evidently anyone with less than a 3.9…and this is a school whose program is fairly new. In my opinion it is irresponsible/unethical for my daughter’s school and any other similar school to take in so many undergrad students when they know good and well only the top of the top are going to be accepted (a fact that is to a large extent hidden from the students), while the majority of the students–who are not selected–end up with fairly worthless undergrad degrees. My daughter just got her second rejection from a school in a neighboring state. She applied at 5 total, and two of the other three have more established programs, so I’m not optimistic. It’s really strange to me that there is supposedly a shortage of speech pathologists yet schools go about axing everyone with less than a 3.9 GPA. One of my siblings is a well known academic/publisher/professor in the field, a fact which helped me and my daughter form positive impressions regarding the pursuit of a career in the field. I hate to say it, but at this point I kind of regret ever encouraging her to pursue the undergrad. Sorry, I’m trying not to be too negative. Any thoughts, insights or advice?
DJ, your daughter’s situation is a similar one a few of my friends face and one of the main reasons I started this blog. I don’t know where you live, but some programs are more competitive than others. Depending on the applicant pool, defining “best” seems to vary year-to-year.Have her consider other options like working as an SLP in a state that does not require a Master’s degree (http://www.asha.org/uploadedFiles/State-Teacher-Requirements-Licensing-Trends-SLP.pdf), try to find one of the few-and-far between SLP-assistant positions, or substitute teacher (a friend became an SLP assistant that way). Also, check out some of my previous posts for ideas. Thank you for sharing the true colors of getting into graduate programs for SLP.
Thanks for your helpful ideas, including the State Teacher Requirements Licensing Trends ASHA chart. I’ve conveyed all this to her. That gives her some new ideas to consider.
So someone with a 3.08 GPA, no work history, an undergrad in Creative Writing who took the certificate pre-req program has virtually no chance in hell?
There is always a chance depending on the applicant pool and university. Building a relationship with faculty, showing an interest in the program and field can help tremendously, whether university faculty admit it or not. I NEVER discourage anyone from pursing this field, but I also don’t want people to be unaware of how competitive and tough admittance is.
Just to give some hope, I had a 3.2 in undergrad with a degree in political science, and next to no prerequisites, and i’m finishing my first year (finals tomorrow) in a well established grad program. Many applicants look very similar on paper – try to find something unique that makes you stand out enough to get an interview, then your personality, confidence, and passion can shine
good luck!
I recently graduated with my degree in speech pathology and this is my second year applying for grad school. While applying I have been taking grad classes (and gotten good grades) and have been helping out with a Traumatic brain injury group to get some experience. I have also been a nanny for over 4 years and have babysat a number of kids with language difficulties. My grade point average is a 3.4 but I am so dedicated to this field. All growing up you hear that you can be whoever and whatever you want to be. Well I want to be a speech pathologist and yet that looks like it is never going to happen. With every rejection letter my dreams begin to shatter. I now am waiting for three more schools to respond and if I do not get accepted I will have a degree that is totally worthless to the rest of societly and will have to go back to school for degree that I have no desire to get. It is so hard for those who are like me and my heart goes out to all of them. Students should be warned about this in undergrad their freshman year. I can honestly say I do not remember talking about this before my second semester junior year and mostly my senior year. I remember a lot of students changing their major senior year and If I did not love this field so much I would have too. Sorry to vent I am just very discouraged
hi kaleigh – i am going to be a senior in undergrad studying csd, do you mind if i email you asking a couple questions? because i have the same gpa as you and also want to get into grad school next year.
Hi,
I am currently obtaining an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Spanish linguistics with a minor in child development. I am super invested in pursuing a degree in speech pathology but everything seems to point to that not happening. I have a current gpa of 3.3 and im working on getting it higher but with everything else i do and school it seems impossible. I have called my local graduate programs in speech pathology and they all seem to say that I need a bachelors in speech pathology so thus I cant apply and need to first apply to their pre-req programs. I feel like I am doing so much to try to boost my chances like I am currently one of the coordinators for a non profit organization who works with children who are disabled, I volunteer at a center that works with children who have autism , I have a job and intern at two child care centers and i hold a position at a sign language club because I am really trying to learn it since I feel it would be very beneficial. My monday-fridays are literally endless I feel like i have no time for myself and yet i feel like its not enough. I am so worried about applying to grad school and not being accepted just because of a #.
Crystal, you seem to have everything you need to show your dedications and interest in the field. However, having a bachelor’s degree is a basic requirement for most graduate programs. Many do have the “pre-requisites” you mentioned, but some do not. For instance, my program admits a few “3-year track” grad students who pay grad school prices for undergrad pre-req. It’s different at every university, so if you can branch out of state, try and do so. Best of luck
What was your GPA, GRE Scores, and experience when you got accepted into the program? How many years did it take you to get accepted into a program?
Wow, seeing these statistics makes my heart sink.
I am in a 3rd year undergrad and just switched my major to Speech-Language Pathology. Unfortunately, I got a ticket for a Minor In Possession charge last month. I am freaking out about it and afraid that I’ve just ruined my chances for grad school because it is already so competitive. The attorney said in 6 months I can have the conviction “set aside” on my record. I’m applying to the undergrad program in 2 months so I will have to mention the charge there. However, when I apply for grad schools, should I still disclose it if it is set aside by then? The attorney said I don’t necessarily have to, but it would still be a good idea to let them know. Do you think this MIP will affect me getting into grad school? I wish I would have known all these facts about how competitive grad school is before I got into trouble. I feel so incredibly discouraged now.
Also, do they put more emphasis on your GPA once you’ve been admitted in the program or do they determine acceptance based on the overall GPA? The reason I ask is because my GPA right now is a 3.6 and this is before I switched the speech pathology.
Hi everyone, I was just accepted into a speech pathology graduate program on Monday and I am soo thankful! I graduated last may with my bachelors degree in speech pathology with a 3.96 GPA. My senior year, I applied to 7 schools and got denied from 6 and waitlisted to 1. I ended up taking the year off and became a certified substitute teacher in my district in New Jersey. This past December, I applied to 6 schools. I got my first acceptance and can’t wait to start in September! I’ll admit it was tough to swallow at first that I had no choice but to take a year off. Although, being accepted this year makes me feel sooo accomplished. I cried tears of joy. It is so worth it to keep trying! I wish everyone good luck!
Congratulations Nicole, I plan to taking the GRE and crying tears of joy when I get accepted too. Way to go!!
I think there should be a warning on the top of the blog warning onlookers that they are about to ingest very discomforting information! I applied to three schools and have just heard back from my top school. Sadly, it was a rejection. I am just curious, Nicole, where did you get in?
I was accepted to The Richard Stockton College of NJ. I graduated from there so I think that helped, along with applying a second time. I have been waitlisted to Towson University and rejected from East Stroudsburg University and Montclair University. Still waiting to hear back from Seton Hall University and William Patterson University but I’m 99% positive I got denied because last year when I had heard this late, they were all rejections. I don’t care though because Stockton was my first choice! Love the campus and the speech professors! Good luck Stephanie! Where did you apply too?
From a fellow SLP, don’t get too discouraged! I had a 3.6 gpa and applied to 4 schools. I was wait listed to my two top schools (Iowa, univ. of n. Iowa), accepted to one (w.illinois) and rejected from one (northwestern) and I ended up getting acceptance to both I had been wait listed to (my top choices). Best of luck to all!
Thanks for the comment! And yes. The statistics are scary, but it’s more something to keep you thinking realistically. Be persistent and keep at it!
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