For example, many people believe that rejection from a program means the program found that they were not qualified for graduate school. This inference is usually false. Any program that receives 200 applications for 6 positions will reject at least 100 people with excellent qualifications, all of whom would likely do well in the program. Here is a brief summary of the selection process followed by most graduate programs. Since APA accredits programs according to a common model, the admission processes followed by training programs are largely the same.
Most programs have a committee of faculty that mediate the selection of new students.
Some committees are composed of faculty and graduate students. Application deadlines are usually in January. Most applications are not sent directly to Psychology departments. They are usually processed by the University graduate school or enrollment office. This office assembles a folder of applicant materials that includes the applicant form, transcripts of the undergraduate school, letters of recommendation, GRE scores and any other supporting documents.