Funding, residency & language requirements

Why do we have funding, residency & language requirements?

As all trainees on the programme are both students registered at the university and become employees of the local NHS trust, applicants need to meet the residency and language requirements of both organisations along with appropriate immigration and right to work status. All trainees need to be funded by the NHS and must therefore meet HEE funding requirements in order to be eligible to apply.

NHS funding eligibility

Applicants to the DClinPsy programme at Lancaster must be eligible for NHS funding. Individuals who have previously been funded to participate in the programmes listed below, and commenced on or following the 31st March 2022, will be unable to access another NHS funded training in the psychological professions until two years after they qualify from that programme. In addition, any individual who fails or is removed from any NHS funded psychological professions training will not be eligible for funding for the DClinPsy programme at any point in the future. Any potential applicant who has voluntarily withdrawn from a funded programme in the past due to extenuating circumstances should contact the programme to discuss their eligibility. Applicants will be required to certify their eligibility and details of trainees will be passed to HEE for confirmation.

The list of NHS funded training programmes will be updated periodically and additional NHS funded training programmes may be added to this list. HEE will give prior notice of changes - please see the relevant HEE information page for details.

  • Adult Psychotherapy
  • Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy
  • Children's Wellbeing Practitioner 
  • Clinical Associate in Psychology (apprenticeship)
  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
  • Core counselling training (including the three-year IAPT Psychotherapeutic Counselling Training)
  • Counselling Psychology
  • Education Mental Health Practitioner
  • Family and Systemic Psychotherapy (qualifying level)
  • Forensic Psychology
  • Health Psychology
  • Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioner
  • Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (including apprenticeship)
  • Youth Intensive Psychological Practitioner
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Dialectical Behaviour Therapy

Residence requirements

Places on the programme are only available for individuals who meet the following criteria: -

  • EU / EEA / Swiss national who has been ordinarily resident in the EU / EEA / Switzerland for the 3 years preceding the date of programme commencement, having commenced residence and remained ordinarily resident in the UK prior to 31st December 2020. Such applicants must hold pre-settled or settled status.

OR

  • Be a UK citizen or hold Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in the UK. In either case applicants must have been ordinarily resident in the UK for the 3 years preceding the date of programme commencement.

OR

  • Hold refugee status and have recourse to public funds

All candidates should check that they meet the criteria before making a clinical psychology application. You will need to be eligible AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION and not be awaiting a change in immigration status. Candidates who attempt to complete the selection process but who do not meet the above criteria cannot be offered employment as a Trainee Clinical Psychologist by the Lancaster DClinPsy Programme.

Applicants from the Channel Islands, Isle of Man, and those unsure of their status should contact the programme to confirm their eligibility.

English language requirements

To join the programme you must have sufficient proficiency in English to complete doctorate level study. If your first language is English, you do not need to provide us with any evidence. However, if your first language is not English, your proficiency needs to be evidenced by any one of the following ways: -

  • A completed qualification taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country at degree level or above (not including PG Certs) completed in the last 3 years
  • IELTS minimum score of 7.0 in each element
  • TOEFL minimum score of 20 in each element

If your first language is not English and you do not provide evidence of meeting one of the above requirements then your application to the programme will not be taken forward. In the event that you have completed a suitable qualification in English in an English speaking country but this was over 3 years ago, you may not require and IELTS or TOEFL - please contact the programme to discuss your particular circumstances.

The following are considered majority English speaking countries: -

  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Australia
  • The Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Belize
  • Dominica
  • Grenada
  • Guyana
  • Ireland
  • Jamaica
  • New Zealand
  • St Kitts and Nevis
  • St Lucia
  • St Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • United Kingdom
  • USA
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