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[socalblues]

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[deleted343839]

A fully funded program can result in minimal to no debt after about 5-6 years of training. There aren't any real shortcuts, so I would focus on becoming competitive for high-quality funded programs if you are willing to invest the time and be at least somewhat flexible geographically. Check out these threads:

*DOCTORAL APPLICANTS READ FIRST* Helpful Threads

 

[calimich]

Totally agree with MamaPhd's comment. I also advise my students to begin by checking out this book (your library probably has a copy on reserve):
http://www.apa.org/pubs/books/4270102.aspx

and the "education" section of APA's website:
http://www.apa.org/

after that, you'll want to talk with academic advisors and/or psychology faculty at your school.

 

[WisNeuro]

Best way to stay out of debt? Look for programs outside of CA.

 

[foreverbull]

Those are some tough questions to answer. If you are interested in clinical psychology, I'd start looking at APA-accredited programs in California and outside of CA (via APA's website search tool) and look at tuition and funding of each school by each school's website. Cost of living will be much harder to gauge, but if you pick programs in large cities in California (Bay Area, LA), I'd estimate at least $1800-$2000/month in rent if you live in a 1-bedroom place, somewhat less if you opt for a 2-bedroom and have a roommate (if you live in the city center, rent will be much higher than that). You could check out apartment prices online/Craigslist at each place you research (each city that has a clinical program) for more accurate housing costs based on city.

There is a very wide range of student loan debt (anywhere from $0-$150k) that graduates come out with depending on each program's funding, tuition, cost of living, and personal finances/financial support going into grad school. Your best estimate will be based on living expenses, tuition, and stipend offered by the individual program.

 

[Feelings Doctor]

If you're a competitive applicant, you may be offered multi-year fellowships as recruitment funding that will cover all tuition/fees and provide a living stipend and/or guaranteed employment for the majority or all of your time spent in grad school - these are commensurate with cost of living, so CA schools are likely to offer higher living stipends, etc. Most Ph.D. programs, regardless of location, are 6 years long, but this data is readily available on all schools' program sites, as well as their internship match rates and other important outcomes. When applying to programs, pay attention to what types of funding they appear to offer to students. When interviewing, be sure to ask how many students are typically fully funded and through what type of money (teaching/research assistantship employment? lab grants? block grants? tuition-waivers?) Some schools have more difficulty funding their students than others and will be open about it. However, even in these schools, funding can vary wildly depending on who your advisor is, so it's important to ask his/her students directly about their funding.