2027 Paying for an Online MS in Psychology - Forensic Psychology: Application Fees Across Multiple Colleges
Audited and Verified:
Our Editorial and Data Verification Process
Research.com uses government datasets, official education statistics and primary institutional information to support its career and degree guides. Our review process checks factual accuracy, occupational definitions, source dates and the requirements associated with the credentials discussed.
How This Article Was Fact-Checked
Our editorial team verifies salary estimates, employment projections, education requirements and program information against original data providers and official organizations. Salary figures are checked against the relevant occupational definitions and reporting periods. Information about licensure, accreditation and required in-person training is reviewed separately.
Fact-checked and verified on:
Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist
Applying to several online forensic psychology master's programs can cost money before you enroll, but an application fee is only useful to compare if it applies to your degree, applicant category, and entry term.
This guide helps prospective graduate students compare colleges without mistaking a waived fee for an affordable program. You'll learn which fee details to confirm, how to calculate your application budget, and what to check before paying for a degree that may or may not serve your career goal.
Key Things You Should Know
- There is no universal application fee for online forensic psychology master's programs. Request the current graduate-program fee and waiver terms from each college before submitting.
- Compare the full application bill, including any required transcript or credential-evaluation charges, separately from tuition and other enrollment costs.
- A forensic psychology MS is generally academic or nonclinical preparation, not an automatic route to psychologist licensure or forensic assessment work.
What is an online MS in Psychology with a forensic psychology focus?
It is a graduate psychology degree that applies psychological research and theory to legal and justice-related settings. A college may award an MS in Psychology with a forensic psychology concentration or a separately named MS in Forensic Psychology. Those labels are not interchangeable: compare the awarded degree, required courses, research opportunities, and any in-person obligations.
For an applicant who already has a bachelor's degree, the key question is whether graduate study adds skills needed for a specific nonclinical role or future degree. If you have not completed a bachelor's degree, compare the undergraduate route first.
Comparing transfer-friendly psychology degree programs may help you avoid paying for coursework you do not need. Neither an undergraduate forensic focus nor an MS alone authorizes independent psychological evaluation, diagnosis, or expert practice.
How much are application fees for online forensic psychology master's programs?
There is no dependable single price. Colleges set their own graduate application fees, and the charge may vary by applicant category, program, term, or approved waiver.
A fee shown for undergraduate admission or another graduate degree may not apply to the online forensic psychology program. Do not treat a fee as confirmed until the college's current application portal or graduate admissions office identifies the amount you would pay.
The comparison below identifies online programs to investigate. It deliberately leaves unconfirmed fees unpriced rather than assigning potentially outdated amounts. Confirm the degree and application route as well as the charge before paying.
| College and program to check | Application-fee status | What to ask admissions |
| Southern New Hampshire University - online MS in Psychology, forensic psychology concentration | Confirm for your entry term | Does the online graduate application have a fee, and is a waiver automatic or conditional? |
| Arizona State University - online MS in Forensic Psychology | Confirm for your applicant category | Which graduate application charge applies, and is a waiver available? |
| Walden University - online MS in Forensic Psychology | Confirm for your entry term | Is there an application charge or a promotion with an expiration date? |
| Purdue University Global - online MS in Psychology, forensic psychology concentration | Confirm for your entry term | Does any stated fee waiver cover this specific program? |
For a usable budget, record each school's quoted fee, waiver eligibility, waiver deadline, and required third-party charges. Add the amounts you would actually pay across all applications; keep that sum separate from deposits and tuition.
An application that costs less to submit is not necessarily the less expensive education. Use psychology degree tuition and affordability as a separate comparison after checking program-specific graduate prices.
Which colleges offer online forensic psychology master's programs?
Southern New Hampshire University and Purdue University Global are examples to check for an online psychology MS with a forensic concentration. Arizona State University and Walden University are examples to check for an online degree named MS in Forensic Psychology.
Confirm that the program is accepting applications for your intended term and that its delivery format meets your needs; a program listing alone does not establish current availability or identical requirements across schools.
Compare these colleges first by the credential you want, then by research depth, scheduling, total cost, and career fit, not by application fee alone. If you are comparing schools before completing a bachelor's degree, intensive online forensic psychology bachelor's study addresses a different admissions decision; a bachelor's program is not a substitute for a graduate credential.
Check the institution's current accreditation in the U.S. Department of Education's recognized-accreditor records or the accreditor's directory, and confirm that it covers the institution awarding the online degree.
Then ask whether any program-specific recognition applies to the precise program. Do not assume that institutional accreditation means a nonclinical forensic psychology MS is APA-accredited or meets a state's psychologist-licensure rules.
Accreditation also matters to financing, but it does not establish that every program or applicant qualifies for federal aid. If your goal is licensed counseling rather than forensic research or justice-system support, investigate a qualifying counseling degree and its recognition requirements. Affordability checks for online counseling study belong to that distinct credential comparison.
Expect to document a completed bachelor's degree and provide the materials requested by each graduate admissions office, which may include transcripts, a statement, references, or evidence of relevant preparation.
Requirements are school-specific. Do not assume that a psychology major, GRE score, statistics course, or justice-system experience is universally required or universally waived.
Read the requirements for the exact online degree before paying its fee. Ask whether your prior courses satisfy formal prerequisites, whether outstanding coursework can be completed before enrollment, which documents must be official, and when a fee waiver must be approved.
Applicants still choosing an undergraduate pathway can review undergraduate psychology degree program choices; applicants with a non-psychology bachelor's should instead ask the graduate program to assess their preparation directly.
Relevant coursework may examine psychology in legal settings, research methods, ethics, psychopathology as an academic subject, and behavior within justice systems.
The required mix varies: one program may emphasize applied projects, while another may offer more research-focused work. A course about assessment or treatment does not qualify a student to administer restricted tests or provide therapy.
Request the current degree plan and note which courses are required, which are electives, and whether a capstone, thesis, live meeting, or approved placement is involved. A compressed calendar can reduce elapsed time while increasing weekly demands. Compare psychology graduate programs with compressed schedules only after checking the actual course sequence and workload.
Completion time depends on the required credits, course availability, enrollment pace, and any capstone or placement.
A school's fastest advertised timeline may assume consecutive terms and a course load that does not fit full-time employment. Ask for a term-by-term plan based on the pace you can sustain, including when required courses are offered and whether a break changes your tuition or graduation plan.
If speed is a deciding factor, compare short-format forensic psychology graduate program choices against standard schedules. Check whether an accelerated option preserves the research experience or applied work you need; finishing sooner has limited value if the credential does not fit your target role.
The application fee is only the first possible charge. To estimate enrollment cost, obtain the program's required credit count and your applicable tuition rate, then add mandatory program and technology fees, books, and any required travel or placement costs.
Ask whether tuition can change during your studies and whether enrolling at a slower pace adds terms or other charges. Do not use a college-wide undergraduate price as the graduate program's price.
Request a written, program-specific cost estimate and confirm aid eligibility with the financial aid office before using loans in your comparison. Aid rules can differ across credentials: guidance on aid eligibility for online substance use counseling study concerns an undergraduate path and should not be assumed to apply to a forensic psychology MS.
The degree may strengthen preparation for nonclinical work involving justice-system programs, victim services, corrections support, research assistance, or program evaluation. Actual eligibility depends on the employer's job description, your prior experience, and any agency-specific hiring rules.
A public-sector applicant should ask whether the degree meets a stated classification or promotion requirement; a career changer should look for supervised projects or relevant work experience, not rely on the diploma alone.
Keep these roles separate from licensed counseling and forensic psychological assessment. If your intended work is psychotherapy, compare the required education and supervision for that occupation rather than selecting a forensic MS for its subject matter.
Clinical counseling master's duration and earning potential addresses a different career pathway; its occupational salary figures should not be read as outcomes for forensic psychology graduates.
Can a forensic psychology master's degree lead to licensure and higher salaries?
Do not assume it does. An online forensic psychology MS does not, by its name or concentration, qualify a graduate for psychologist licensure, independent forensic evaluations, or expert testimony.
Psychologist licensure generally requires further qualifying education and jurisdiction-specific supervised experience and examinations. Other licensed mental-health occupations have their own educational and supervision rules.
A higher salary is not guaranteed by the degree. For a realistic return-on-investment decision, compare your target employer's posted qualifications and pay structure with the program's full cost and the credentials you would still need.
If licensed counseling is the goal, assess clinical mental health master's programs by study pace against your state board's requirements instead of assuming forensic coursework will count toward that license.
Other Things You Should Know About Psychology Programs
Possibly. Ask your employer whether education assistance covers application charges, what approval is needed before payment, and whether reimbursement depends on admission or enrollment.
Policies vary. Ask admissions whether a new application and fee are required for the next entry term or whether your existing application can be moved.
Do not assume so. Read the college's refund policy before submitting payment, particularly if you are waiting for a waiver decision.
A waiver request is a payment-policy question, not a substitute for an admissions decision. Ask the college how it handles waiver requests and whether approval must arrive before you submit the application.
- Costs & Waivers - Plan For College - HESC - NY. Gov https://hesc.ny.gov/plan-college/applying-college/costs-waivers
- Evaluation of Foreign Degrees - United States Department of State https://www.state.gov/global-community-liaison-office/family-member-employment/family-member-employment-in-the-d-c-area/evaluation-of-foreign-degrees
- Application Fees | Graduate College https://grad.arizona.edu/admissions/procedures/application-fees
- Refund and Waiver Policies | Admissions https://admissions.colostate.edu/apply/refund-waiver-policies/
- Online Forensic Psychology Master's Degree | ASU Online https://asuonline.asu.edu/online-degree-programs/graduate/master-science-forensic-psychology/
- Online Forensic Psychology Concentration | SNHU https://www.snhu.edu/online-degrees/masters/ms-in-psychology/forensic-psychology
- Application Requirements - Graduate Admissions | University of Colorado Denver https://www.cudenver.edu/graduate-admissions/before-you-apply/requirements
- Graduate Application Fees | IU Bloomington https://bloomington.iu.edu/admissions/apply/graduate/application-fees.html
- Online MS in Forensic Psychology | Walden University https://www.waldenu.edu/online-masters-programs/ms-in-forensic-psychology
