APPIC Match Policies: 2024-2025

1. These policies apply to all participants in the APPIC Match or Post-Match Vacancy Service, including internship programs, applicants and doctoral program faculty.
   
   
   1. All participants shall abide by their agreements with APPIC for participation in the APPIC Match.
      
      
   2. Internship training directors must ensure that all people involved in recruiting or selecting interns understand and adhere to these policies.
      
      
   3. Directors of Clinical Training of academic programs with students participating in the APPIC Match or Post-Match Vacancy Service must ensure that their students understand and adhere to these policies.
      
      
   4. Violations of Match Agreements and/or APPIC Policies, including the APPIC Match Policies, by applicants or programs may result in sanctions by APPIC (e.g., being barred from future Matches) or legal action by other Match participants. In addition, violations by applicants may result in disciplinary action by the applicants' doctoral and/or internship programs.
      
      
2. All participants in the APPIC Match or Post-Match Vacancy Service must meet eligibility requirements and abide by the published Schedule of Dates as shown at natmatch.com/psychint.
   
   
   1. Applicants who wish to participate in the APPIC Match must meet the eligibility requirements described in the APPIC Policy on Doctoral Program Associates, including being enrolled in a doctoral program in Health Service Psychology or Professional Psychology that meets the criteria outlined in that Policy.
      
      
   2. Applicants who meet the criteria outlined in paragraph 2a above may also participate in the APPIC Post-Match Vacancy Service. Applicants whose doctoral program does not meet the criteria to be an APPIC Doctoral Program Associate may participate in the APPIC Post-Match Vacancy Service if their program is approved by APPIC in accordance with the APPIC Policy on Doctoral Program Associates.
      
      
   3. Each applicant's academic program has the authority to determine the applicant's eligibility for participation in the Match or Post-Match Vacancy Service and the training sites that the applicant is permitted to apply to, rank, and attend.
      
      
   4. All APPIC-member internship programs that have positions available are required to participate in the Match. Non-member programs may not participate in the APPIC Match or Post-Match Vacancy Service.
      
      
3. Internship programs must offer all of their internship positions in Phase I of the APPIC Match.
   
   
   1. Positions for which funding and resources are not assured should not be offered in the Match.
      
      
   2. Positions that are not filled in Phase I of the Match must be offered in Phase II of the Match, in accordance with paragraph 10 and its subparagraphs below.
      
      
   3. Positions that are not offered in Phase I of the Match, such as positions for which funding and resources become assured after the Phase I Rank Order List deadline or newly created positions, must be offered in Phase II of the Match, in accordance with paragraph 10 and its subparagraphs below.
      
      
   4. Positions that are not offered in Phase I or Phase II of the Match can be communicated and/or offered to applicants only after the results of Phase II of the Match are released, in accordance with paragraph 11 and its subparagraphs below.
      
      
4. Match participants (including applicants, internship programs, and doctoral programs) must provide complete and accurate information to other Match participants, APPIC, and National Matching Services Inc.
   
   
   1. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information to all internship sites to which they apply.
      
      
   2. Applicants and their doctoral programs must immediately notify all internship sites to which the applicant has applied in the event of any substantive change to: (i) the applicant's standing with their doctoral program (e.g., disciplinary action, being put on probation, failing a practicum); (ii) the information provided in the application materials (e.g., professional conduct items), or (iii) the applicant's eligibility to apply to or attend an internship. Similarly, such changes must be communicated to the internship site to which an applicant has matched, both before and during the internship training year.
      
      
   3. Internship programs must provide complete and accurate information to applicants concerning the internship position(s) available through the Match or Post-Match Vacancy Service, including all institutional and program policies related to eligibility requirements for appointment (e.g., successfully passing a drug test or background check). Substantive changes to internship programs and/or training experiences must be communicated to applicants in a timely manner.
      
      
   4. APPIC strongly discourages doctoral programs from requesting or requiring separate contracts or agreements with internship programs to which their students match. In the event that such a contract or agreement is requested or required, this expectation (along with the content of the contract or agreement) must be fully disclosed by academic Directors of Clinical Training at the time of application to all internship programs to which each student applies. Such disclosures may result in some internship programs choosing not to interview or rank students from doctoral programs that request or require contracts or agreements.
      
      
   5. APPIC strongly discourages internship programs from requesting or requiring separate contracts or agreements with the doctoral programs of their matched interns. In the event that such a contract or agreement is requested or required, this expectation (along with the content of the contract or agreement) must be fully disclosed no later than January 15th to all students who may be ranked by the internship program along with their academic Directors of Clinical Training. Such disclosures may result in some doctoral programs choosing not to allow their students to rank internship programs that request or require contracts or agreements.
      
      
5. For both Phase I and Phase II of the APPIC Match, the AAPI application service must be used by applicants to apply to all internship programs that are participating in the Match. For both Phases of the Match, all applications must be submitted using the AAPI, and no site may request a printed copy of an applicant's application materials.
   
   
   1. Internship programs and applicants must abide by the APPIC AAPI Supplemental Materials Policy, which states that the only supplemental materials that may be requested by internship programs or submitted by internship applicants are (a) a treatment or case summary, and (b) a psychological evaluation report.
      
      
   2. All programs participating in Phase II of the Match must accept applications until the application deadline for Phase II established by APPIC. Programs may elect to continue accepting applications for Phase II beyond the application deadline, but are not required to do so.
      
      
6. For Phase I of the Match, internship programs that conduct interviews must make a reasonable effort to notify every applicant who submits a complete set of application materials as to their interview status.
   
   
   1. Sites that conduct open houses to which all applicants are invited and conduct no other interviews are exempt from this interview notification requirement (this exemption should be clearly stated in sites' APPIC Directory listings and/or public materials).
      
      
   2. Notification of interview status for Phase I of the Match must occur no later than the interview notification date that appears in the program's APPIC Directory listing and/or other publicity materials, and may be communicated via e-mail, telephone, regular mail (to be received no later than the interview notification date), or other means.
      
      
   3. For Phase II of the Match, notification of interview status is not required.
      
      
7. The communication of ranking information, which includes intention to rank or the position of any applicant or program on a Rank Order List, must adhere to the subparagraphs below.
   
   
   1. The following are not permitted:
      
      1. Internship sites must never request any ranking information from any applicant, even after the Match results are released.
         
      2. Applicants (or other individuals acting on their behalf, such as doctoral program faculty) must never request any ranking information from any internship site, even after the Match results are released.
         
      3. Internship sites must not communicate to any applicant the positioning of any applicant on their Rank Order Lists for either Phase of the Match, even through veiled or indirect communication, prior to the release of the results for Phase II of the Match.
         
      4. Applicants must not communicate to any internship site the positioning of any program on their Rank Order Lists for either Phase of the Match, even through veiled or indirect communication, prior to the release of the results for Phase II of the Match.
         
   2. The following are permitted, but not required:
      
      1. Sites and applicants are allowed to communicate about matters that do not involve the sharing of ranking information.
         
      2. Internship programs may choose to inform applicants as to whether or not the applicants remain under consideration for admission (e.g., whether or not the applicants will be ranked).
         
      3. Following the release of the results for Phase II of the Match, internship programs and applicants may voluntarily disclose their rankings, but are not obliged to do so.
         
   3. Internship programs must include the following statement on their websites and in their brochures: "This internship site agrees to abide by the APPIC policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any intern applicant."
      
      
   4. Internship sites that offer more than one program in the APPIC Match (i.e., sites with more than one program code number) are expected to ask applicants to identify the site's programs to which they are applying. In addition, these sites may, for the sole purpose of arranging interviews, ask applicants to designate their preferences regarding the programs at the site for which they wish to be interviewed. These sites may request interview preference information only when it is essential for making interview arrangements, and such information may not be used for any other purpose in the selection process. Furthermore, these sites may not solicit any information about applicants' rankings of programs. Sites requesting interview preferences must state clearly in their written materials that these preferences will be used for arranging interviews only and for no other purpose.
      
      
   5. Any ranking information communicated between applicants and internship programs, even if such communication is a violation of these policies, is non-binding and subject to change at any time prior to the Rank Order List submission deadline. The only binding rankings are the confidential Rank Order Lists that are submitted to the APPIC Match.
      
      
8. Results of the APPIC Match constitute binding agreements between applicants, internship programs, and APPIC that may not be reversed without APPIC's consent.
   
   
   1. Failure to receive timely notification of the APPIC Match results, for any reason, does not constitute a release from the obligations of the APPIC Match.
      
      
   2. Appointments of applicants to internship positions may be contingent upon the applicants satisfying certain eligibility requirements. Such eligibility requirements must be clearly specified in the internship programs' written materials and provided to applicants in advance of the deadline for submitting rankings for the APPIC Match.
      
      
   3. Internship training directors are encouraged to contact matched applicants by telephone as soon as possible after (but not before) 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on the APPIC Match Day for each Phase of the Match.
      
      
   4. It is not necessary for internship training directors to contact applicants with whom they have not been matched.
      
      
9. Internship training directors must put in writing their appointment agreements with matched applicants in letters postmarked or e-mailed no later than 7 days following receipt of the APPIC Match results for each Phase of the Match.
   
   
   1. Letters must be addressed to the applicants and must include confirmation of conditions of the appointment, such as stipend, fringe benefits, and the dates on which the internship begins and ends.
      
      
   2. Copies of these appointment letters must be sent simultaneously to applicants' academic Directors of Clinical Training.
      
      
10. Positions that remain unfilled in Phase I of the Match must be offered in Phase II of the Match. Positions not offered in Phase I of the Match, such as positions for which funding and resources become assured after the Phase I Rank Order List deadline or newly created positions, must also be offered in Phase II.
    
    
    1. Applicants who register for Phase I of the Match and who do not obtain a position in Phase I (e.g., those who withdraw or remain unmatched) are eligible to participate in Phase II of the Match. Applicants who match to a position in Phase I are not eligible to participate in Phase II. Eligible applicants who do not register for Phase I can register for and participate in Phase II.
       
       
    2. All positions at an internship site that remain unfilled in Phase I of the Match must be offered to applicants in Phase II of the Match. A site can decide not to offer an unfilled position in Phase II only if it decides not to fill the position in the program for the coming year (e.g., anticipated loss of funding or resources, shifting of funding or resources to other purposes). Removing an unfilled position from Phase II of the Match for any other reason requires APPIC approval.
       
       
    3. Internship programs with positions that are offered in Phase II of the Match may not take any actions to publicize or fill these positions prior to 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on APPIC Phase I Match Day. Applicants who do not obtain a position in Phase I of the Match, along with other individuals acting on their behalf (e.g., doctoral program faculty), may not contact internship programs about available positions in Phase II prior to 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on APPIC Phase I Match Day. All applications to programs for Phase II of the Match must be submitted using the AAPI, as specified in paragraph 5 above.
       
       
11. The APPIC Post-Match Vacancy Service begins operation after the conclusion of Phase II of the Match as specified in the Schedule of Dates. Internship programs that have one or more open positions may publicize these positions in the Post-Match Vacancy Service or by other means. Programs may make offers of admission (verbal or written) to eligible applicants who are not already matched, even if those applicants did not participate in the APPIC Match.
    
    
    1. Programs are not required to fill positions that remain unfilled after Phase II.
       
       
    2. Beginning on APPIC Phase II Match Day, internship programs that have open positions after completion of Phase II of the Match may notify APPIC that they want their positions listed in the Post-Match Vacancy Service. Internship programs may not take any other actions to publicize or fill available positions prior to the opening of the Post-Match Vacancy Service.
       
       
    3. Applicants who anticipate using the Post-Match Vacancy Service, along with other individuals acting on their behalf (e.g., doctoral program faculty), may not contact internship programs about open positions in the Post-Match Vacancy Service prior to the opening of the Post-Match Vacancy Service.
       
       
    4. Prior to making offers to fill open positions, internship training directors must verify with applicants, to the best of their abilities, that the applicants have not previously been matched to other internship programs nor accepted other offers.
       
       
    5. Prior to making offers to fill open positions, internship training directors must ensure that doctoral programs have verified their applicants' eligibility and readiness for internship. Such verification can occur via a review of the appropriate application materials and/or via direct communication with the doctoral programs.
       
       
    6. Applicants may not accept an offer if they have been matched or have already accepted an offer from another internship program.
       
       
    7. An offer (verbal or written) that has been tendered by an internship program and accepted by an applicant constitutes a binding agreement between the program, the applicant, and APPIC that may not be reversed without APPIC's consent.
       
       
    8. The internship training director must put in writing the appointment agreement with the applicant in a letter postmarked or e-mailed no later than 7 days following acceptance of the offer by the applicant, as described in paragraphs 9a and 9b above.
       
       
12. Individuals who perceive violations of these policies are urged to request compliance with APPIC policies from the appropriate party (parties).
    
    
    1. Unresolved compliance problems should be resolved informally, whenever possible, through consultation among applicants, internship training directors, academic Directors of Clinical Training, and/or APPIC, or by other informal means. APPIC sponsors an "Informal Problem Consultation" process (described on the APPIC website) that is recommended for use in addressing these issues.
       
       
    2. Internship training directors who become aware of violations of these policies by other internship training directors should (a) urge the affected applicants and academic Directors of Clinical Training to follow the informal resolution procedures described above, (b) directly contact the other internship training directors, and/or (c) use the APPIC "Informal Problem Consultation" process.
       
       
    3. Perceived violations of APPIC Policies and/or the Match Agreements that are not resolved informally may be submitted as a formal complaint to APPIC. Formal complaints are investigated by APPIC, and the APPIC Board of Directors will ultimately determine the course of action. Instructions for filing a formal complaint are available on the APPIC website.
       
       

Copyright © 2024 Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC).

NOTE: APPIC members may reprint the APPIC Match Policies in their program materials and brochures by stating "Reprinted with permission."