How to Get Your Delaware Psychology License in 2026

How to Get Your Delaware Psychology License

A Delaware psychology license can lead to a rewarding career with great earning potential. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that counseling, clinical, and school psychologists in Delaware make an average of $101,835 as of May 2021. The job market looks promising too, with a 6% growth rate expected between 2024 and 2034.

The path to becoming a licensed psychologist in Delaware requires several key steps. You’ll need to get your doctoral degree and complete 3,000 hours of supervised practice. You must also pass required exams and meet the Delaware Board of Psychologists’ standards. Delaware’s doctoral programs have shown excellent results, with a 100% pass rate in the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP). This piece guides you through each step to get your Delaware psychology license in 2026. You’ll learn the quickest way to meet all requirements and start your career in a field where clinical psychologists earn $85,847 on average each year.

Educational pathways

Your Delaware psychology license starts with the right educational credentials. The Delaware Board of Psychologists requires a doctoral degree as the minimum educational qualification for state licensure. You can start with a bachelor’s degree in any subject, but your educational trip must conclude with either a PhD in Psychology or a PsyD (Doctor of Psychology).

Doctoral programs with American Psychological Association (APA) or Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) accreditation automatically meet Delaware’s educational requirements. These accredited programs give you the quickest way to licensure in Delaware and many other states.

The Delaware Board will review your coursework if you choose a non-accredited doctoral program. These programs must be part of a regionally accredited university and must be specifically designed to train psychologists. The program must also follow a sequential, well-laid-out structure with appropriate field experiences.

Students from non-accredited programs must have their official transcript sent directly from their institution to the Board office. They also need to submit detailed course descriptions from the course catalog and a completed Evaluation of Coursework form. The Board uses these documents to check if your program meets the criteria in the Board’s Rules and Regulations.

Non-accredited programs must cover these content areas:

  • Historical and theoretical foundations: Biological aspects of behavior, social aspects of behavior, cognitive-affective aspects of behavior, and psychology history and systems
  • Research and measurement: Research methodology, data analysis, and psychological measurement
  • Professional practice foundations: Human development, individual behavioral differences, psychopathology, professional standards, and ethics
  • Clinical applications: Theories and methods for diagnosis and intervention, consultation and supervision, effective intervention techniques, evaluating efficacy, and diversity issues

The University of Delaware’s Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences offers psychology programs that cover cognition, brain structure and function, social and cultural psychology, and psychopathology. Students get strong theoretical frameworks and data analysis skills from these programs.

After completing your doctoral program, you’ll need to register as a psychological assistant and complete your postdoctoral supervised experience to qualify for full licensure. Your doctoral transcript must show completion of both predoctoral internship and academic requirements before moving to this next step.

Your education is the foundation of your entire career. The APA states, “Your education in psychology is perhaps the largest investment you will make in your future”. A solid educational foundation will give you everything you need to pass licensing exams and provide quality psychological services throughout your career.

Supervised Experience Requirements

Getting a Delaware psychology license requires extensive supervised experience after your doctoral education. The Delaware Board of Psychologists requires 3,000 hours of supervised practice split into two phases.

Your predoctoral internship makes up the first phase with 1,500 hours completed over 48 to 104 weeks (1-2 years). Clinical services must account for at least 50% of your supervised hours, which includes treatment, consultation, assessment, and report writing. Direct patient or client contact should take up 25% of your total time. Research activities should stay under 25% of your internship hours.

After earning your doctoral degree, you need 1,500 hours of postdoctoral supervised experience. This experience takes between one and three calendar years to complete. Your direct service hours in your academic training area must be at least 25% during this postdoctoral period.

The supervision rules are clear – you need one hour of face-to-face supervision for every 10 hours of clinical work in your postdoctoral experience. Group supervision works too, but with specific rules. No more than five postdoctoral applicants can meet with the supervising psychologist at once, and two hours of group supervision must replace every hour of individual supervision.

The state requires you to register as a psychological assistant through the Delaware Professional Regulation Online Services (DELPROS) system before starting your postdoctoral hours. This registration step matters because Delaware prohibits unlicensed psychology practice. Your application should detail your supervised experience plan, including your role, duties, supervision format, and emergency handling procedures.

Your path to full licensure requires each supervisor to submit a Supervisory Reference Form that documents your experience. The supervising psychologist’s credentials must include at least two years of licensed practice with a clean disciplinary record.

DELPROS makes the application process easier by letting you save and return to incomplete applications. You can check your application status anytime using the “View Application Status” feature on your e-License dashboard.

Note that work as a psychological assistant cannot begin until the Board approves your complete application, including your credentials, job description, and supervision arrangements.

Licensing Examinations

Your Delaware psychology license journey continues with the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) after you complete your education and supervised experience. The Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) administers this significant national exam to assess your psychology knowledge in multiple areas.

You must get approval from the Delaware Board of Psychology to take the EPPP if you haven’t passed it before. The first step requires you to create an account in the Delaware Professional Regulation Online Services (DELPROS) portal and submit your license application. The board will send you registration instructions after approval.

The EPPP features 225 multiple-choice questions that cover a variety of psychological domains. You need a score of 500 or higher to pass. The test is detailed, so proper preparation matters even though you can take it during your postdoctoral supervised professional experience.

The Delaware Board’s approval starts this process:

  1. Register online through the EPPP Exam Registration portal
  2. Schedule your computer-based test administration with a test delivery site
  3. Complete the examination at your scheduled time

Test results go straight to the Board from the examination service. The Board then lets you know if you passed or failed. You won’t get results at the testing center or by phone.

Delaware doctoral programs have achieved a remarkable 100% pass rate on the EPPP, which shows the state’s high-quality education and training standards.

The Delaware Board has clear rules about retaking the exam. Failed candidates must wait 60 days before trying again. You can only attempt the exam four times in any 12-month period. To name just one example, see the process to retake: log into your DELPROS e-License Dashboard, click “Service Request,” and select “Request for Re-Examination”.

Some candidates don’t need to take or retake the EPPP. The board exempts those who passed the exam less than five years ago. On top of that, it waives the requirement for American Board of Examiners in Professional Psychology Diploma holders.

The board will email you once you pass the EPPP. This notification includes your license details and information about renewal and continuing education requirements.

Application & Licensure Process

Your final step to become a psychologist in Delaware is submitting your application through the Delaware Professional Regulation Online Services (DELPROS) system. This optimized online platform lets you save and return to incomplete applications, which makes the process more flexible.

You can submit your application for full licensure after completing your education, supervised experience, and passing the EPPP examination. You’ll need to provide these complete documents:

  • Official transcripts sent directly from your educational institution
  • Verification of supervised experience from your supervisor
  • EPPP examination scores
  • Background check results

DELPROS gives you six months to complete your application after you start it. Make sure you gather all your documents before starting to make submission easier.

The Delaware Board of Examiners of Psychologists reviews applications during their scheduled meetings. Reviews usually take four to six weeks once they receive all documents. You can check your application status anytime through the “View Application Status” feature on your e-License dashboard.

Delaware residents must get their fingerprints taken at state-designated facilities for background checks. You need appointments at New Castle and Sussex County locations, but the main facility in Kent County accepts walk-ins. You must also submit an information release form and pay $69.00.

Out-of-state applicants can use their local police agency. They need to send their fingerprint card, information release, and the $69.00 fee to Delaware state police.

New psychologist applications cost $185.00, while upgrading from psychological assistant status costs $55.00. Registered psychological assistants can apply for their full psychology license with a $55.00 upgrade fee.

Licensed psychologists from other states can apply through reciprocity. This option is available if you have a Certificate of Professional Qualification in Psychology, credentials from the National Registry of Health Service Providers in Psychology, or proof of two years of active practice.

Your Delaware psychology license stays valid until it expires. The two-year licensing period starts August 1st of odd-numbered years and ends July 31st of the next odd-numbered year.

Continuing Education

Your Delaware psychology license renewal needs ongoing professional development through continuing education (CE). The biennial licensing period starts August 1st of each odd-numbered year and continues through July 31st of the next odd-numbered year. Licensed psychologists must complete 40 hours of continuing education during this time to stay current with evolving psychological practices.

The Delaware Board has specific requirements for CE formats. You need at least 10 hours through face-to-face instruction or live webinars. Your CE hours must also include 3 hours focused on ethics and 3 hours in equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). Psychological assistants need 20 hours of continuing education per biennial period, with the same requirements of 3 hours in ethics and 3 hours in EDI.

New psychologists have prorated CE requirements based on their license issue date:

  • License issued between July 31 (odd year) and January 31 (next year): 30 hours needed
  • License issued between February 1 and July 31 (even year): 20 hours needed
  • License issued between August 1 (even year) and January 31 (next year): 10 hours needed
  • License issued between February 1 and July 31 (odd year): 0 hours needed

American Psychological Association (APA)-approved continuing education sponsors provide automatically accepted activities. Other acceptable CE activities include relevant programs from non-APA-approved sponsors, graduate courses from regionally accredited institutions (each credit hour equals 5 CE hours), teaching psychology courses at accredited institutions, conducting workshops, publishing in the field, and presenting papers.

Some activities don’t qualify for CE credit. These include service to organizations, attending business meetings, business management courses, group supervision, or case conferences.

You must keep records of completed continuing education for one year after the licensing period expires. The board randomly selects a percentage of licensees for CE audit after renewal. You’ll need to confirm completion of required CE units during this process.

The Board may grant extensions if hardships prevent CE completion on time. Submit hardship requests before the renewal deadline with appropriate renewal fees. Valid hardships may include disability, illness, extended absence from jurisdiction, or exceptional family responsibilities.

Special State Variations

Delaware stands out from other states with its unique psychology licensure approach. The Delaware Board of Examiners of Psychologists makes practicing in the state more available through a reciprocity pathway for licensed psychologists from other jurisdictions.

Licensed psychologists from other states can pursue several routes to get licensed through reciprocity:

  • Holding an active psychology license in another state with at least two years of active practice
  • Possessing a Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ) from the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards
  • Maintaining credentials from the National Registry of Health Service Providers in Psychology (NRHSPP)

Psychologists need to submit the Board’s Application for Licensure as a Psychologist by Reciprocity with notarization and a processing fee of $291.00. Applicants who don’t have CPQ or NRHSPP credentials must complete a background check for $65.00. They also need to submit official transcripts, EPPP scores, and license verification.

Delaware requires all applicants to undergo fingerprint-based criminal background checks. State residents must visit designated facilities with an information release form and pay $69.00. Out-of-state applicants can employ local police agencies and forward materials to Delaware state police.

The Delaware Board follows a set meeting schedule that works for everyone. They meet the first Monday of each month at 9:00 a.m. This schedule applies to all months except July, August, and December. July meetings happen on the fourth Monday, while August and December have no meetings.

Applicants should note two important time limits. They must complete their applications within 12 months of their original submission. Psychological assistants can work under this title for up to six years.

The Board’s main goal focuses on protecting the public from unsafe practices while upholding professional competence standards. Delaware’s distinctive requirements help thoroughly screen all psychology license applicants. The state also provides alternative pathways that qualified professionals can take advantage of.