<p>Hi,
I am an undergraduate student that has recently applied to a Clinical Psychology program. I was lucky enough to be chosen for an interview. Like a lot of students I am from out of state and would need to fly in. In the email they sent me it seem like it was up to me to pay for the plane ticket to get out there and to cover some of my meals. Is that normal? A few of my friends have everything covered and do not have to worry about finding a way to get to their location. I do not know how I am going to pay for a plane ticket to go out there. Any help in how to go about this would be very helpful. </p>
<p>Usually programs cover the costs of the interview, although sometimes they do reimburse you - so you have to pay up front and they will give you the money back. But most programs do cover the cost and arrange for the travel.</p>
<p>The first thing you have to do is ask them. Call up the department, or email the departmental secretary/administrator, and ask him or her whether interview travel and lodging are covered by the department or whether you are expected to cover it yourself.</p>
<p>If she says that you have to cover it yourself, then you can ask her 1) whether the department has funds to assist students in visiting and 2) whether it’s possible for the department to help you find some current students to stay with. This is quite common in departments doing interviews (even when they are covering it) and it’s free to you.</p>
<p>You can also ask your home department for help in paying for the visit. That’s what I did - I got invited to come to campus after I was accepted, but there was no money for them to bring me. So I asked if the department would help me find students to stay with - they did, and about 3 people volunteered! (One, the one I stayed with, is still a close friend of mine!). And then I asked my undergrad department if they would cover the airfare and they did.</p>