Graduate Psychology Education Program

Young woman speaking with healthcare professional

APA Services advocates for robust funding of the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration's Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) Program. GPE provides three-year grants to accredited psychology training programs to expand interprofessional training opportunities and access to care for underserved populations.

Our focus

A critical mechanism
GPE provides three-year grants to accredited doctoral, internship and postdoctoral psychology education and training programs to support the interprofessional training of graduate students, interns, and postdoctoral fellows in underserved rural and urban communities.
Congressional support
Thanks to the continued efforts of APA Grassroots Advocacy Leaders, especially the Federal Education Advocacy Coordinators (FEDACs), the GPE Program has received over $176.3 million since 2002.

Our efforts on this issue advance the following advocacy priorities:

Psychology education and training financing
Psychology workforce development

In Academic Year (AY) 2021–2022 alone, GPE trained 373 graduate-level doctoral psychology students in practica, internships, and doctoral residency programs
—Department of Health and Human Services, Justification of Estimates for Appropriations Committees

What you can do

Stay informed

Subscribe to the Washington Update newsletter to get the latest news and action alerts from APA Services and on the Hill.

Get involved

Learn more about the process behind federal legislation and policy and how to effectively voice your concerns with members of Congress.

Join an APA division

APA’s 54 divisions provide many ways for you to network with professionals in your field and become an influencer in your area of interest.

Workforce Development

APA is committed to expanding support for federal programs that support the interprofessional education and training of psychologists.

Contact us

Kenneth Polishchuk
Deputy Chief, Education and Science Policy

Raegina Likewise
Director of Congressional and Federal Relations

Email APA Advocacy Office

More on the GPE Program

Increase Funding for the Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) Program (1.5MB) opens in new window

The GPE Program is the nation's primary federal program dedicated to the interdisciplinary education and training of doctoral-level psychologists.

GPE Grants-at-a-Glance

APA-accredited doctoral, internship, and postdoctoral programs that have received GPE funding to train psychologists to work with the underserved.

Last updated: June 2023Date created: October 2021