How to Become a Licensed Psychologist in Indiana: 2026 Requirements

A mental health condition affects about 1 million Indiana residents today. This growing statistic highlights why learning to become a psychologist in Indiana matters more than ever for people seeking this rewarding career.

The psychology field in Indiana looks promising. Jobs in clinical, counseling, and school psychology should grow by 6% through 2034, creating about 200 new positions. Licensed psychologists earn competitive salaries in the state. Clinical and counseling psychologists made an average of $79,250 as of May 2021. More recent data shows mean yearly wages reached $199,793 by September 2025.

The path to practice requires meeting specific requirements set by the Indiana State Psychology Board. Most people spend 8-12 years to complete their doctoral degree, score at least 500 out of 800 on the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology, and finish supervised experience requirements. Mental health diagnosis and treatment needs a health service provider endorsement, which requires two years of supervised professional experience.

This guide covers all essential steps to become a licensed psychologist in Indiana, from education paths to ongoing training requirements.

Educational Pathways

The path to becoming a licensed psychologist in Indiana starts with a solid education. You need to understand the academic requirements to plan your career well.

Your education begins with a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. You don’t need to major in psychology, but many students choose this path to learn about human behavior and mental processes. A bachelor’s degree typically requires four years (120 credit hours) of full-time study. Classes in statistics, research methods, and experimental design will help you develop skills needed for advanced psychology education.

A master’s degree could be your next step. This isn’t required since many doctoral programs include master’s-level work. Notwithstanding that, getting a master’s degree can help if your bachelor’s was in another field or you want more experience before starting a doctoral program. Most master’s programs take about two years (30-40 credit hours) to complete.

The foundation of your psychology education in Indiana is a doctoral degree, which can be either a PhD in Psychology or a PsyD. This is your biggest educational investment and builds the base for your professional career. Most students complete their doctoral programs in four to seven years of full-time study.

Health service providers in Indiana must complete their doctoral program in clinical, counseling, or school psychology, or a Board-approved program that focuses on applied health services. On top of that, most programs in these areas need a one-year internship with at least 1,500 supervised hours—you’ll need this to get licensed in Indiana.

Your program’s accreditation is vital to your educational success. The Indiana State Psychology Board accepts doctoral programs accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) or Canadian Psychological Association (CPA). Programs without these credentials must meet specific state standards for curriculum, structure, and faculty.

APA-accredited programs in Indiana include:

• Indiana University’s Graduate Program in Clinical Psychological Science (APA and PCSAS accredited)
• University of Indianapolis (UIndy) Clinical Psychology Doctorate (PsyD) program (111-credit hours, completed in five years)
• Indiana State University’s PsyD program (100 credits, with four years of academic study and one year of internship)

The curriculum is demanding—at least 75% of your graduate course credits must be psychology courses. Your program must cover scientific and professional ethics, research design, methodology, statistics, and psychometrics. You’ll need to show competence in four main areas: biological bases of behavior, cognitive-affective bases of behavior, social bases of behavior, and individual differences.

Your doctoral program requires one year of residency, which means 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours over 9-18 months. This time helps you interact with faculty and other psychology students to develop professional skills.

After your doctoral degree, you must complete post-internship experience—at least 1,600 hours over 12 months or more, including 900 hours of direct client contact. You can get this supervised experience through doctoral-level practicum or post-internship work.

The total time to become a licensed psychologist in Indiana ranges from 8-12 years, based on your background and chosen doctoral program.

Supervised Experience Requirements

Supervised experience marks a significant milestone toward becoming a licensed psychologist in Indiana. The state has specific requirements that help you get adequate professional training under qualified supervision.

Indiana’s clinical psychologist license follows a two-tier structure for supervised experience. You must complete at least 1,500 hours of supervised internship during your doctoral program. This foundation typically takes place in a sequential, health service setting where at least two full-time psychologists provide appropriate supervision.

After completing your doctoral degree, you need 1,600 more hours of supervised experience over at least 12 months. At least 900 of these hours must involve direct patient contact. This requirement will give a solid foundation in hands-on clinical skills before you start independent practice.

The Indiana board of psychologist lets you meet this post-doctoral requirement through several paths:

• Post-internship experience (Form C)
• Doctoral-level practicum experiences (Form B)
• A combination of both doctoral practicum and post-internship experiences

Your post-internship experience must take place in your supervisor’s office or another suitable professional setting where they maintain professional responsibility. You need at least one hour of individual face-to-face supervision on-site each week.

Your doctoral practicum hours count only after completing at least 48 semester hours (or 72 quarter hours) in an applied clinical, counseling, or school psychology program, plus 400 hours of simple practicum experience. These practicum experiences must happen outside the classroom and involve direct delivery of supervised psychological services in approved settings.

Getting the Health Service Provider in Psychology (HSPP) endorsement is vital if you plan to diagnose and treat clients independently in Indiana. This endorsement confirms you’ve completed all the required supervised experience mentioned above.

Your supervisor must complete and sign the appropriate verification forms to document your supervised experience. Supervisors overseeing multiple locations should summarize your total hours and may add a supplemental letter listing all locations.

Your supervised experience goes beyond just meeting hours—it builds the professional competence you need to provide effective psychological services throughout your career.

Licensing Examinations

Getting your psychology license in Indiana requires passing two key exams. These tests will assess your knowledge of national psychology principles and state-specific rules.

The Indiana jurisprudence examination comes first. This test checks your understanding of Indiana’s legal and ethical standards for psychology practice. You’ll face 50 true-false and multiple-choice questions about Indiana’s psychology practice rules and statutes. A score of 75% or higher means you pass.

The exam follows strict timing rules. The Indiana State Psychology Board will let you know when you can take the jurisprudence exam after reviewing your application and background check. You’ll need to complete this test within seven days after getting their notification. This short window means you should be ready to take the test as soon as you submit your application.

After passing the jurisprudence exam, the Board will clear you to take the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP). The EPPP is a national test with 225 multiple-choice questions that tests your general psychology knowledge[133]. You’ll need a scaled score of 500 or higher out of 800 to pass.

Practice exams from the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) are a great way to get ready for the EPPP. These resources help you understand the exam format and content areas better.

Time limits matter here too. You must take the EPPP within one year of your original Board approval. The Board won’t extend this deadline. Missing this window means starting over with a new application and all required paperwork.

Passing both exams leads to your original psychologist license. This license lets you work on your own in non-clinical roles like research and teaching. Clinical work requires extra steps to become a Health Service Provider in Psychology (HSPP).

Indiana keeps things simple with just these two exams. All but one of these states need additional state-specific tests beyond the jurisprudence exam and EPPP.

Application & Licensure Process

The path to becoming a licensed psychologist in Indiana starts after you complete your education and examinations. You need to pay close attention to detail during the application process. The Indiana Professional Licensing Agency plays a vital role in overseeing your journey toward licensure.

Your first step is to submit your application through the MyLicenseOne online portal. This requires an Access Indiana account. New applicants must pay a non-refundable and non-transferable fee of $100.00. Those who want a temporary permit while waiting for exam results should pay an extra $50.00.

Your application package needs these significant components:

• Completed application form
• Official transcripts showing conferment of your doctoral degree
• Passport-style photographs (two)
• Criminal background check results
• Positive response documentation (if applicable)
• Name change documentation (if needed)
• EPPP examination scores

The board typically responds within three weeks after receiving your application. Your criminal background check process starts only after your application enters the system.

Psychologists licensed in other states must also provide:

• License verification from each state where you currently hold licensure
• EPPP score transfer from the EPPP Score Transfer Service

Your application remains valid for one year. The board will treat it as abandoned if you don’t meet all requirements within this timeframe. Any subsequent application will be processed as completely new.

Indiana provides two types of temporary permits. One permit serves examination candidates awaiting results. The other allows out-of-state psychologists to practice up to 30 days, with a limit of one permit every two years.

Indiana’s participation in the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT) might create more practice mobility options soon. The PSYPACT Commission currently reviews proposed rules, and the public comment period ends on October 3, 2025.

Note that your original psychology license only allows independent practice in non-clinical roles like research and teaching. You must get a Health Service Provider in Psychology (HSPP) endorsement to diagnose and treat patients independently.

Continuing Education

Psychology license renewal in Indiana requires ongoing professional development through continuing education (CE) after getting your license. Licensed professionals with Health Service Provider in Psychology (HSPP) endorsement need to complete 40 hours of continuing education during each two-year renewal period.

The CE requirements fall into two categories:

• Category I activities need a minimum of 20 credit hours. These activities include formal courses, workshops, seminars, symposia, and post-doctoral institutes. You can use home study programs (including computer, audio, and video instructional programs) for Category I, but they are limited to 10 credit hours per license period.
• Category II activities can make up to 20 credit hours. These activities cover journal clubs, colloquia, invited speaker sessions, in-house seminars, case conferences, programs at professional meetings, individualized learning, and time spent preparing to teach classes or workshops.

The Indiana State Psychology Board requires at least six hours of ethics education every two years. You need to complete at least three hours from Category I courses. This ethics requirement will give a solid foundation in professional standards and ethical practices.

You must keep proof of attendance or completion for both Category I and II activities for five years. Category I course sponsors should provide attendance verification, while you need to maintain your own records for Category II activities.

The Indiana State Psychology Board automatically accepts programs hosted by the American Psychological Association and many more organizations. Therefore, providers like the Indiana Psychological Association offer many continuing education opportunities throughout the year.

License renewal ends on August 31st of even-numbered years. If your license expires and you have an HSPP endorsement, you must show proof of 20 hours of continuing education for each year the license was invalid.

Note that business management courses for psychology practices don’t qualify for continuing education credit. The board focuses on clinical and professional development instead of business operations.

Special State Variations

Indiana welcomes out-of-state psychologists with a streamlined path to licensure through reciprocity. This process helps licensed professionals from other states transition smoothly to practice in Indiana.

Licensed psychologists from other states can apply for Indiana licensure if their state’s requirements match or exceed Indiana’s standards. You’ll need to meet the educational, work experience, and clinical supervision requirements that were in place when you got your first license.

The reciprocity application costs $100.00. Here’s what you need to submit:

• Valid psychology license proof
• Doctoral degree documentation in psychology
• EPPP examination results
• Criminal background check
• Indiana jurisprudence exam results

The Health Service Provider in Psychology (HSPP) credential needs a separate application. This makes a big difference for psychologists who plan to diagnose and treat clients on their own.

Your current license must be in good standing without any disciplinary actions. The board won’t accept applications from practitioners facing complaints or investigations about unprofessional conduct.

Indiana joined the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT) in July 2023. This move allows psychologists to practice telepsychology and provide temporary face-to-face services across state lines. Yes, it is now easier for qualified practitioners to work across states while more clients can access psychological services.

Out-of-state licensed psychologists who haven’t taken the EPPP exam can get a non-renewable Temporary Psychology Permit. This permit lasts ten months and costs $50.00 to apply.