A day in this work
You help people understand their minds and cope with difficulty, through assessment, therapy and research. It takes patience and years of supervised practice.
Ways in
- BA or BSc in psychology (3 to 4 years)
- MA or MSc in psychology (2 years)
- M.Phil or the newer professional degrees recognised by the RCI to practise as a clinical psychologist
After Class 10
Humanities and arts or Science with Biology (PCB) or Any stream
Entrance exams to know
- CUET-UG
- CUET-PG
- Institute tests (NIMHANS, TISS and others)
Years, cost and pay
- Years of study
- 5 to 7
- Whole-course cost, government or aided
- under ₹2 lakh
- Whole-course cost, private
- ₹2 to 8 lakh
- Typical starting pay
- ₹3 to 6 lakh a year
Indicative bands from the pilot dataset (0.1 (pilot), 19 September 2026). Real fees and pay vary a lot by college, city and year. Check the official sites below.
No college, coaching institute, lender or study-abroad agent pays to appear on these pages. Pathways takes no money from them.
Outlook, and how AI is changing this work
Outlook: Growing. AI changes little of the daily work.
Awareness of mental health is rising fast. Chatbots can offer first support, and trained humans carry the clinical work.
Try this week
For one week, listen to a friend or sibling without giving advice. Note what you learned about them.
Check the facts yourself
These are official sites. Exam names, dates, fees and rules change every year, so confirm them there. Each link opens in a new tab.
Careers close to this one
See how well this fits you
Discovery in the app takes about eight minutes and gives each of these 52 careers a fit score from your own answers. It is free during the pilot, and nobody is asked for an email address or a phone number. Students under 18 need a parent or guardian to agree first, and children under 13 cannot join yet.