Admission Policies

Our policies for admission to our internship, residency and Certified Educator CPE programs

Our program is accredited by the ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care & Education and has established accreditation standards for all Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) programs. Every accredited CPE program is required to have an admissions policy. Below are the admission policies for our internship, residency and Certified Educator CPE programs.

Summer and Extended internship CPE admissions policy

Requirements

At a minimum, you must have graduated from high school or attained a GED or equivalent degree to be considered for Summer or Extended CPE programs.
You must be an active member of a religious/spiritual tradition.
You must be active or have previous experience in providing spiritual care.
You need to be able to fulfill the physical duties of working in a trauma center.
You'll need to have emotional and relationship capabilities for experiential learning for the duration of the program.

Application

Completion of our online application, or an ACPE application, is required and can be submitted at any time.
You should submit record of any previous CPE units you have earned, if any.
An admission interview by an ACPE Certified Educator at our CPE program or by a qualified interviewer is required.

Acceptance

Applications can be submitted anytime, but you should apply as early as possible.
We’ll notify you of the status of your application within 10 working days of submitting your application.
Our selection of applicants is continuous and based on our rolling application process.
We follow a nondiscriminatory admissions policy in accepting applicants to our program.
If offered a position, you’ll be asked to submit a letter of acceptance within two weeks of being notified.
A nonrefundable fee of $50 must be included with your letter of acceptance. This will secure your placement in our program and will be applied to the tuition fee. The balance of your tuition fee is due on or before the first day of the unit.
The tuition fee for the Summer internship or Extended internship is $450 for one unit of CPE. If you pursue additional consecutive summer or extended internships, the tuition fee is $200 per unit of CPE.
If you withdraw from the program during the first week of the internship, half of the tuition fee may be refundable. There is no refund if you withdraw after the first week.

Residency CPE Program admission policy

Requirements

To apply for our Residency CPE Program, you must have a theological master’s degree (or equivalent post-graduate studies approved by ACPE Certified Educators and interviewers from the Professional Advisory Group.)
You must have completed at least one Level I A unit of CPE from an accredited ACPE center.
Our program is one year, and you’ll need to have the emotional and relationship capabilities for experiential learning.
You need to be able to fulfill the physical duties of working in a trauma center.
You must be an active member of a recognized religious/spiritual tradition, including being ordained, licensed, commissioned, religious or laity.
You must be active or have previous experience in providing spiritual care.

Application

Completion of our application, or an ACPE application, and record of any previous CPE units can be submitted at any time.
An admission interview with our CPE program's ACPE Certified Educators and Professional Advisory Group members is required.
Our ACPE Certified Educators make the final decision on acceptance in our program.

International applicants

If you are not a U.S. citizen and are outside the U.S., please review the ACPE site for complete requirements, application deadlines and forms.

Summary of requirements for international applicants:

The application deadline to our program is September 1.
The required materials are due to ACPE March 1.
An in-person virtual interview or a video recording of responses to questions provided by our ACPE CPE program is required.
Our residency program is currently accepting only trainee applicants.
You’ll need to provide proof of paid insurance.

Additional requirements for our program

We accept applications for residency if you have a graduate degree in theology or equivalent post-graduate studies approved by ACPE certified educators and interviewers from the Professional Advisory Group and at least one previous unit of CPE or experience in chaplaincy.
You must meet the U.S. Department of State’s Exchange Visitor Program requirements. Refer to the ACPE site for information.
After assessing your application and determining to proceed, we’ll send interview questions to you to answer. You must submit a video recording of yourself answering the questions. We’ll follow up with you by phone after viewing the submitted video.
You’re required to provide proof of paid insurance. Refer to the ACPE site for information.
You must complete the entire application process to be considered for our CPE residency.
After being accepted into the program, confirming acceptance in writing and providing the nonrefundable fee to your place in the CPE Program, your application for a J-1 visa must be completed and submitted to the ACPE by March 1.
Your visa application to the ACPE must include a copy of Form DS-7002 (TIPP) and be signed by both you and your supervisor before submitting it to the ACPE.
This CPE Center will provide you with an interview summary that will be submitted to the ACPE along with other visa application materials. The summary will note your language proficiency, any special needs you have and other criteria defined by the ACPE standards.
International applicants must be present in York, Pennsylvania, no later than Aug. 10.

Acceptance

Our selection of applicants is continuous and based on our rolling application process.
We’ll notify you of the status of your application within 10 working days of submitting your application.
If selected for our program, you’ll receive an admission offer in writing.
If offered a position, you’ll be asked to submit a letter of acceptance within two weeks of being notified.
A non-refundable fee of $200 will need to be included with your letter of acceptance. This will secure your placement in our program.
You must also submit a signed and dated Use of Clinical Consent form and Agreement for Education form prior to the start of your residency.
You’ll also be asked to complete an employment application for WellSpan Health upon acceptance. You’ll receive a formal offer of employment at WellSpan from a representative of our human resources department prior to the start of the residency.
Your employment is contingent on the successful completion of background checks and a health screening.
If you are an international applicant accepted into our program and are required to pay a $100 SEVIS fee for a J-1 visa, you’ll only need to pay $100 as an acceptance fee.

Certified Educator CPE Program admission policy

Requirements

To apply for our Certified Educator CPE Program, you must have met Level I A/B and Level II A/B CPE outcomes and be a member of ACPE.
You must have a theological master’s degree (or equivalent post-graduate studies approved by ACPE Certified Educators and interviewers from the Professional Advisory Group.)
You must be ordained, licensed or commissioned by an appropriate religious authority to apply to our Certified Educator CPE Program.
You must be active or have previous experience in providing spiritual care.
You need to be able to fulfill the physical duties of working in a trauma center.

Application

Complete an ACPE application with evaluations of both your and your Certified Educator's CPE units.
You must submit record of completion of Level I A/B and Level II A/B CPE outcomes, including demonstrating familiarity with the Spiritual Care Collaborative Common Standards for Professional Chaplaincy.
An admission interview with our CPE program's ACPE Certified Educators is required.
An interview with a subcommittee of the Professional Advisory Group is also required.
You'll need to follow ACPE certification requirements located in the ACPE Certification Manual.

Acceptance

Our selection of applicants is continuous and based on our rolling application process.
We’ll notify you of the status of your application within 10 working days of submitting your application.
If selected for our program, you’ll receive an admission offer in writing.
If offered a position, you’ll be asked to submit a letter of acceptance within two weeks of being notified.
A non-refundable fee of $200 will need to be included with your letter of acceptance. This will secure your placement in our Certified Educator CPE Program.
You must also submit a signed and dated Use of Clinical Consent form prior to the start of your Certified Educator CPE Program.
You’ll also be asked to complete an employment application for WellSpan Health upon acceptance. You’ll receive a formal offer of employment at WellSpan from a representative of our human resources department prior to the start of the residency.
Your employment is contingent on the successful completion of background checks and a health screening.

Our nondiscrimination admission policy

No one will be denied admission into our CPE Program on the basis of race, gender, gender identity, age, faith group, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, religious group or physical disability.

How to apply

Complete our online application form to apply for our Clinical Pastoral Education residency, internship or Certified Educator CPE Program.

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Admission Policies

Our policies for admission to our internship, residency and Certified Educator CPE programs