The 7 Best Neuropsychology PhD Programs in New York You Should Apply to in 2026

The right neuropsychology PhD program in New York can shape your whole career trajectory. New York offers exceptional opportunities with programs that combine rigorous research training and extensive clinical experience. To name just one example, students complete a minimum of six semesters of practicum before a full-year predoctoral internship. Programs throughout the state prepare you to become board certified through the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN). This guide explores seven outstanding PhD programs in neuropsychology and helps you make an informed decision for your 2026 application.

1. CUNY Graduate Center – PhD in Neuropsychology Clinical

The Clinical Psychology PhD program at Queens College, administered through the CUNY Graduate Center, delivers specialized training in neuropsychology with a strong foundation in brain-behavior relationships. The program prepares you for careers in academic research, clinical practice, and licensed professional psychology through evidence-based training and cultural competency development.

Program Overview

The CUNY Graduate Center operates this program through Queens College with full accreditation from the American Psychological Association’s Commission on Accreditation. Reaccreditation is scheduled for 2034. The training model follows both APA Standards of Accreditation and the Houston Conference guidelines endorsed by Division 40 of the American Psychological Association, designed for neuropsychology training progression.

Your education centers on three foundational goals: scientific and theoretical foundations of clinical psychology, professional applications informed by scientific principles, and neuroscience foundations related to psychopathology and neural dysfunction. The program emphasizes evidence-based psychological assessment and treatment, cultural diversity, and attitudes that support lifelong professional development. Training changes toward neuroscience and clinical neuropsychology applications as you advance through the curriculum. You’ll understand psychopathology, behavioral functioning, and clinical population treatment better.

Admission Requirements

The application deadline falls on December 1st for fall enrollment. You submit your application through the Graduate Center Admissions Portal with several required components. The program does not require GRE General Test scores for the 2025-2026 admissions cycle.

Your application package must include official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions, a resume or CV, a personal statement that discusses your education, experience, and reasons for pursuing graduate work, and at least two letters of recommendation. The admissions committee conducts an integrated review and evaluates your overall promise for success in research, teaching, and clinical contributions. The program welcomes applicants from diverse academic backgrounds, though undergraduate psychology majors are common.

Core Curriculum and Training

You complete a minimum of 91 academic credits. These cover coursework necessary for clinical competencies specified by APA, among training in neuroscience and clinical neuropsychology. The curriculum requires you to pass three qualifying examinations, complete a master’s thesis, and defend a doctoral dissertation.

The program structures your academic progression around specific milestones detailed in the Clinical Psychology at Queens College Program Requirements sheet. You must pass the First Doctoral Exam before completing 45 credits and the Second Doctoral Exam before your fifth year ends. Statistical competency requires two doctoral-level statistics courses with grades of B- or better in each. You complete a two-hour course using New York State-mandated curriculum for child abuse identification and reporting before graduation.

The three qualifying examinations assess different competencies:

You join a research lab with program faculty during your first semester and participate in empirical research throughout your doctoral career. These experiences enable you to fulfill both the Master’s Thesis and Dissertation requirements. The dissertation requires approval from a three-member sponsoring committee and successful defense in an oral examination.

Practicum and Internship Opportunities

The clinical externship forms an integral program component and provides developmentally appropriate experiences to apply theoretical training in real-life clinical settings. You complete a minimum of three years of externship, defined as 16 hours per week for three consecutive semesters.

Your first externship placement occurs at the Queens College Psychological Center, the program’s training clinic. You gain supervised experience in assessment and evidence-based intervention techniques there. You apply for subsequent externship positions at approved sites throughout the New York Metropolitan Area after completing required academic prerequisites. Many of these sites specialize in clinical neuropsychology.

You complete a one-year full-time clinical internship during your sixth year. The program encourages you to attend APA-accredited placements. The program maintains an outstanding placement record. All candidates matched through APPIC in the 2023-2024 match cycle. They secured positions at competitive sites including Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Medicine, VA Boston Healthcare System Neuropsychology, Yale University School of Medicine, UCLA Semel Institute Adult Neuropsychology, Brown University Neuropsychology, and Long Island Jewish Medical Center Clinical Neuropsychology. Most students select neuropsychology-oriented internships, but this specialization remains optional.

2. Fordham University – Clinical Neuropsychology PhD Program

Fordham University’s Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program stands out among neuropsychology PhD programs in New York for its integrated approach to specialist training within a generalist framework. The program has trained clinical psychologists for over half a century and maintains APA accreditation while offering a dedicated Clinical Neuropsychology major area of study.

Program Overview

The program employs the Boulder Scientist-Practitioner training model and challenges you to integrate scientific research with clinical practice. Fordham prepares you as a generalist clinical psychologist. You can develop expertise through four major areas of study: Child and Adolescent, Clinical Neuropsychology, Forensic, and Health specialties.

The Clinical Neuropsychology major area of study arranges with APA Division 40/Minnesota Guidelines for doctoral education and training in neuropsychology. Your training emphasizes brain-behavior relationships in both research and clinical work. You gain this through systematic coursework, research experiences, and clinical placements in various neuropsychology settings. Faculty has board-certified neuropsychologists who supervise your development according to APA Division 40/Houston Guidelines.

Fordham prepares you for licensure in most U.S. states. California, Michigan, and New Mexico have additional pre-licensure requirements. The program meets educational requirements, but these three states mandate extra state-specific coursework or board modules beyond the doctoral curriculum.

Admission Requirements

The application deadline falls on December 1 for Fall enrollment. Fordham receives between 600 to 700 applications annually and invites approximately 60 applicants to interview. The program admits 7 to 10 students each year. GRE scores are not required or reviewed as part of the application process.

You submit applications electronically and identify a primary faculty mentor. Available mentors for Fall 2026 are Dr. Monica Rivera Mindt and Dr. Molly Zimmerman, who direct the neuropsychology area, among six other clinical faculty members. Your application materials must have a statement of intent (up to 900 words) that addresses your academic and career goals, ideal balance of clinical work and research, previous preparation, and specific mentor fit. A supplemental essay (up to 500 words) details how your experiences prepare you to contribute to diversity and social justice commitments.

Additional requirements are a resume or CV, a 12-25 page writing sample that demonstrates independent academic writing, unofficial transcripts from all post-secondary institutions, and three letters of recommendation. International applicants whose native language is not English must submit TOEFL iBT (minimum score 100 for tests before January 21, 2026, or 5.0 after), IELTS (7.0 band score), or equivalent English proficiency scores.

Core Curriculum and Training

You complete 85 semester hours for the PhD degree. This has 60 course credits, plus additional credits for MA thesis (3 credits), doctoral dissertation (6 credits), and APA-accredited internship (2 credits). The program requires four 3-credit courses per semester in Years 1-2, three courses in Year 3, and minimum one 1-credit course in Year 4.

Core clinical competencies develop through required courses completed within your first two years: Cognitive Assessment, Personality Assessment, Psychopathology, and Clinical Diagnosis. Each assessment course has lab sections where you demonstrate proficiency through practice administrations, scoring exercises, and mock assessment reports.

You complete three required courses totaling 9 credits for the Clinical Neuropsychology major area of study:

You attend Clinical Topics Seminar for six semesters during your first three years. This helps professional development through didactic presentations, research presentations, and case conferences. Fourth-year students complete a supervision and consultation seminar with three components: didactic instruction, group supervision, and providing clinical supervision to second-year students.

Practicum and Internship Opportunities

You identify and apply for externship sites in consultation with your mentor and directors of clinical training during fall of your first year. Your second and third years involve full academic year placements at one externship site. Most fourth-year students complete additional externship training while working on dissertations to strengthen internship readiness.

Fordham students get placements at prestigious NYC-area sites specializing in neuropsychology. These are Columbia University Medical Center’s Epilepsy Center and Neuropsychology Program, Mount Sinai Medical Center’s Neuropsychology Program, NYU Medical Center’s Epilepsy Center, and Beth Israel Medical Center’s Neuropsychology Program. Students train with diverse clinical populations that have epilepsy, aging, and brain injury cases. Enriching didactics such as WADA testing observation, brain cuttings, neurology rounds, and neuropsychology journal clubs supplement clinical training.

You complete a one-year full-time internship at an APA-approved site after finishing coursework, passing exams, and getting approved dissertation proposals with a GPA of 3.5 or higher.

3. NYU Langone Health – Division of Neuropsychology PhD

NYU Langone Health’s Division of Neuropsychology provides advanced clinical training opportunities for doctoral students already enrolled in neuropsychology PhD programs. This division offers specialized externships, postdoctoral fellowships, and internship rotations that complement your existing PhD coursework at other institutions. These are not standalone degree programs.

Program Overview

The Division of Neuropsychology operates under the Department of Neurology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. It focuses on clinical expertise in neuropsychological evaluations and treatment planning. All neuropsychologists within the division maintain board certification or board eligibility through the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN). Christina Morrison, PhD, serves as the division’s director. Clinicians perform neuropsychological assessments in patient populations from early childhood to older adulthood.

Faculty members bring research leadership in multiple specialized areas. William B. Barr, PhD, ABPP, specializes in epilepsy, concussion, memory disorders, and traumatic brain injury. Leigh E. Charvet, PhD, focuses on neuropsychological assessment, cognitive interventions, and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Alexander B. Chervinsky, PhD, contributes expertise in clinical neuropsychology and computerized neuropsychological test development.

The division conducts intracarotid amobarbital (Wada) tests and brain-mapping procedures with preoperative evaluations for epilepsy and tumor treatment. Forensic neuropsychological consultation services extend to independent medical exams (IMEs) and criminal cases. The division hosts case seminars, lectures, and clinical neuropsychology training activities twice weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:00 PM. All faculty, residents, postdoctoral students, externs, and NYU Langone community members can attend.

Admission Requirements

The one-year externship program requires current enrollment as a doctoral student in clinical neuropsychology or a related field. Graduate coursework in neuropsychology and prior testing experience are preferred. You commit to at least 2 days per week, totaling 16 hours minimum.

Applications for each training year open in January. The offer process begins in March. You may apply to multiple neuropsychology tracks at the same time. All externships comply with Psychology Directors of New York State (PSYDNYS) and New York New Jersey Association of Directors of Training (NYNJADOT) externship guidelines.

The postdoctoral fellowship requires completion of an APA or Canadian Psychological Association accredited doctoral education and training program. Fellows must have completed an APA or CPA accredited internship program that has training in clinical neuropsychology.

Core Curriculum and Training

The externship program has four distinct clinical neuropsychology tracks: an adult externship based in Manhattan, an adult externship based in Brooklyn, a pediatric externship based in Brooklyn, and pediatric externship tracks at both Brooklyn and Manhattan campuses. You learn to administer, score, and interpret neuropsychological test batteries for patients with neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions.

Externs in the adult/Manhattan track observe intracarotid amobarbital (Wada) procedures and bedside brain mapping procedures. Individual and group supervision comes from ABPP-CN board-certified or board-eligible neuropsychologists, with preliminary exposure to the board certification process. Brooklyn-track externs access a free ferry between campuses. Travel takes less than 30 minutes.

The two-year full-time postdoctoral fellowship emphasizes epilepsy through the Neuropsychology Service at NYU Langone’s Comprehensive Epilepsy Center. The program participates in that organization’s fellowship/resident matching program as an APPCN member since 2007. Fellows participate in didactic learning with clinical and research opportunities related to adult epilepsy treatment. They gain experience with pediatric epilepsy, dementia, and traumatic brain injuries.

Practicum and Internship Opportunities

The NYU Langone-Bellevue Clinical Psychology Internship operates through the Departments of Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. The American Psychological Association accredits this program. The program offers 14 positions across four tracks and has one position for the Neuropsychological Assessment Track.

Interns on the Adult, Child & Adolescent, and Neuropsychological Assessment tracks receive a stipend of $53,174. The Forensic track pays $51,816 from a fixed budget contract. Benefits include 12 paid federal holidays and health coverage beginning July 1st. The internship requires 2,160 hours over 48 weeks. Interns receive 15 days vacation time and 5 days sick/personal time.

Training occurs at Bellevue, Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone, and Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center. Interns learn neuropsychology, individual psychotherapy throughout the lifespan, and family and group psychotherapy.

4. Columbia University – Clinical Psychology PhD with Neuropsychology Track

Teachers College, Columbia University has a Clinical Psychology PhD program that provides neuropsychology training through specialized coursework and clinical rotations. The program was founded in 1947-1948 and has been APA-accredited since 1948. It maintains continuous accreditation through June 2031.

Program Overview

The program follows a scientist-practitioner training model where you generate empirically-based knowledge while performing clinical work informed by traditional and emerging scholarship. This mentor-matched program prepares you for multiple professional roles in academia, research institutes, hospitals and community agencies. Graduates often pursue several career paths at once. These include hospital positions, part-time teaching or consulting, research and writing, and private practice.

You complete a 95-point doctoral degree that has a full-year internship. The program takes five to seven years, with a mean completion time of 6.1 years. The Master of Science and Master of Philosophy degrees are earned en passant during your doctoral progression. Faculty research spans risk and resilience studies, adjustment in a variety of sociodemographic contexts, religious and spiritual development, emotion and coping with trauma, suicidality, and psychotherapy process and outcome.

You access neuropsychology-specific training opportunities through elective coursework and clinical rotations. The program has a neuropsychology course (CCPX 5062) covering philosophical and historical roots, contemporary neuropsychology science, brain anatomy and physiology, neurocognitive systems, and neuropsychological assessment methods. Second-year students can elect a full-year clinical rotation in neuropsychological assessment.

Admission Requirements

The application deadline falls on December 2, 2025, for Fall 2026 enrollment. The GRE requirement is waived for Fall 2026 admissions. The Admission Committee will not consider GRE scores in their decision. You submit applications through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences online system.

Applicants whose native language is not English must submit TOEFL scores of 100 or IELTS scores of 7.5. Your application package has official transcripts from each undergraduate and graduate institution, three letters of recommendation submitted through the online system, and a statement of academic purpose of about 1000 words. This statement should address your graduate study plans, professional career goals, research interests, and faculty whose work attracts you. The application fee is $120.

Core Curriculum and Training

The program requires 95 points of academic credit completed during three to four years of residence, followed by a full-time twelve-month clinical internship during your fourth or fifth year. You complete an original empirical research project during your second year, pass a certification examination on Research Methods during your third year, and defend a doctoral dissertation no later than your seventh year after matriculation.

Clinical work begins at the Dean Hope Center for Educational and Psychological Services, the program’s on-site clinic shared with several other College programs. All doctoral students become staff members after their first semester and carry a regular caseload of clients. You carry four clients as part of your psychotherapy practicum and receive two hours of individual supervision weekly with two different supervisors.

Practicum and Internship Opportunities

You access many practica and externship opportunities throughout the New York area beyond the on-site Dean Hope Center. Recent externship placements include Mount Sinai Medical Center Department of Neurology, Manhattan VA Neuropsych Assessment, Weill Cornell Medical Center Department of Neurology and Neuropsychology, and Columbia University Medical Center’s Comprehensive Epilepsy Center.

Columbia University Irving Medical Center has a two-year full-time postdoctoral Fellowship Training Program in Neuropsychology through the Department of Neurology. This program complies with Houston Conference Guidelines and prepares fellows for psychology licensure and board certification through ABPP. The application deadline for the 2026-2028 training cycle is December 15, 2025.

The NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Internship in Health Service Psychology has been APA-accredited since 1958. It has ten funded positions split between Adult Track (six positions) and Child Track (four positions). Interns receive ten to twelve hours of weekly supervision and learn about psychodynamic, behavioral and cognitive behavioral treatments.

5. Yeshiva University – Ferkauf Graduate School Clinical Neuropsychology PsyD

Yeshiva University’s Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology has prepared clinical psychologists since 1979 through its Clinical Psychology PsyD Program. The program has maintained full APA accreditation since 1985. It operates within the Scholar-Practitioner tradition and educates you in conceptual and empirical foundations. You’ll integrate relevant research with practical experiences across psychological services.

Program Overview

The training model emphasizes broad clinical scope through three years of practicum at prestigious New York area sites. You’ll also spend four years at the Parnes Clinic, your on-site university training facility. Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s extensive network of educational and research facilities improves your neuropsychological training opportunities.

Ferkauf has a distinctive feature that sets it apart. You receive training in both cognitive-behavioral and psychodynamic traditions and can hone skills in either or both orientations. Every assessment, therapy and research didactic course across all four academic years has an adjunctive weekly intensive lab. Assessment labs provide hands-on practice with direct supervision of intakes and assessments. Research labs make doctoral project development easier. Psychotherapy labs offer group supervision that builds on individual therapy sessions.

Ferkauf ranks among only 14 doctoral programs nationwide that offer substantive geropsychology training through a specialized Minor and Concentration available to all doctoral students. The Parnes Clinic operates as the fourth largest psychology training clinic in the country and serves between 600 and 700 patients annually.

Students have averaged a 97% match success rate to APPIC internship sites over the last decade. They secure positions at excellent and competitive placements nationwide. Graduates achieve licensure at a 97% rate in their practice states.

Admission Requirements

Application deadlines vary by program. School-Clinical Child Psychology PsyD applications close December 15th, Clinical Psychology PsyD by January 1st, and Clinical Psychology Health Emphasis PhD by January 15th. The General Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required, with institution code 2995.

Your complete application has official undergraduate transcripts, three letters of recommendation, a 2-3 page personal statement addressing your experiences and program fit, a CV or resume, and GRE scores. You need at least 15 undergraduate psychology credits. These should cover general/introductory, statistics, abnormal, research methods, personality or social or developmental psychology, and physiological/experimental psychology.

Core Curriculum and Training

The program requires extensive coursework with strong research emphasis. This allows you to understand, evaluate and conduct research. You must complete degree requirements within 10 years of admission. Transfer credits are limited to 12 maximum toward your doctoral degree.

Practicum and Internship Opportunities

You complete field experiences at early childhood centers, schools, residential treatment centers, rehabilitation centers, medical centers, hospitals and mental health agencies throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. This training comes in addition to your Parnes Clinic work.

6. Stony Brook University – Clinical Psychology PhD Neuropsychology Concentration

Stony Brook’s Clinical Psychological Science doctoral program, founded in 1966, achieved 6th place in the 2025 US News and World Report Rankings. The program trains clinical scientists through an empirical approach spanning behavioral, cognitive, and biological points of view while holding PCSAS accreditation only. Fall 2022 admissions marked a shift: all students now graduate from a PCSAS-only accredited program, not APA accredited.

Program Overview

The program evolved from behavioral roots to include broader evidence-based points of view and prepares you for academic and research-related careers. Faculty and graduates maintain strong publication records that contribute to the program’s top-tier national reputation. You receive integrated training in research, clinical work, and teaching through coursework, research mentoring, and clinical supervision in your first three to four years. The median completion time reaches five years, with an additional internship year required.

Admission Requirements

Applications close December 1st for fall enrollment. The program receives over 300 applications each year and admits an entering class of four to eight students. Your application undergoes integrated review without GRE requirements. General or subject test GRE scores are not accepted to ensure fairness. Successful applicants averaged a 3.72 GPA over the last three years. You submit three letters of recommendation, transcripts, a personal statement, and demonstrate research experience in related fields.

Core Curriculum and Training

You complete required courses with grades of B- or better while maintaining a 3.0 overall GPA. The curriculum has second-year research projects, third-year specialties papers, and dissertation defenses. Two semesters of substantial direct instruction in undergraduate courses are mandatory, with at least one semester teaching PSY 310. You must accumulate a minimum of 160 hours of direct supervised contact with clients before internship.

Practicum and Internship Opportunities

Clinical training begins in your second year at the Krasner Psychological Center following mandatory August orientation. You complete minimum 80 contact hours each year during second and third years. The Stony Brook University Consortium Internship Program offers six positions: four adult track and two child track placements. This APA-accredited consortium has training across three member agencies with cognitive-behavioral orientation and third-wave interventions.

7. University at Albany SUNY – Clinical Psychology PhD with Neuropsychology Emphasis

University at Albany’s Clinical Psychology PhD program provides neuropsychology training through specialized coursework and clinical placements. The curriculum received updates for Fall 2026 and reflects current standards in doctoral education.

Program Overview

The program prepares you as a productive scholar through coursework and research experience that culminates in your dissertation. Training emphasizes foundational psychology knowledge and specialized competencies in your chosen area. The scientist-practitioner model guides your development throughout the doctoral program.

Admission Requirements

Applications close December 1st to enroll in fall. Recent applicants numbered 253, with 54 gaining acceptance and 28 enrolling. You submit a $75 application fee domestically. Required materials are transcripts from all institutions, three letters of recommendation, a statement of goals, and official GRE general test scores. GRE remains preferred rather than mandatory. International students must achieve a 550 TOEFL paper score.

Core Curriculum and Training

First-year students complete statistics courses APSY 510 and 511 with at least 12 credit hours per semester. You demonstrate research competency through an Initial Research Project before your third fall semester. Neuropsychology-specific training has Clinical Neuropsychology (Psy 777) and Practicum in Clinical Neuropsychological Assessment (Psy 778).

Practicum and Internship Opportunities

The Counseling & Psychological Services unit offers three year-long, full-time doctoral internships each year with a $45,372 stipend. This APA-accredited program uses Match Code 166312.

Choose Today

You’ve explored these seven neuropsychology PhD programs in New York. Now you need to select the one that lines up with your career goals and research interests. Each program has unique strengths in areas like specialized training tracks and clinical placements.

Identify faculty whose research matches your interests first. Then verify application deadlines since they range from December 1st through January 15th. Pay attention to accreditation differences between APA and PCSAS programs. This affects licensure pathways in certain states.

Your doctoral path begins with a single application. Take that first step today.