Every Program Calls Itself Clinical. Only Some Actually Lead There.
That is the one council whose approval decides whether you can legally register and practice as a Clinical Psychologist in India. Without RCI recognition on your exact degree, from your exact institution, you can still finish the Masters. You will still not be licensed.
And the rules just changed. The old MPhil in Clinical Psychology is being phased out, replaced by a new RCI-regulated MA. For most colleges, this is the last year MPhil admits anyone. Many programs with the word Clinical in the name are not RCI recognized at all. The name sells the seat. The recognition is what licenses you.
This is not a small technicality. Clinical Psychology is a legally protected title in India, you cannot call yourself a Clinical Psychologist, or register with RCI to practice, without a degree that carries RCI recognition on that exact program. A college can be genuinely reputable, a program can genuinely use the word Clinical in its name, and neither of those facts tells you anything about whether RCI recognizes it. That gap is exactly where families lose a year, or more, without realizing it until the degree is already in hand.
Which Pathway Actually Applies to You
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RCI-Recognized Colleges for the New MA in Clinical Psychology
Every institution below is read directly from RCI's own 125-page approved-institutions document, not copied from an education portal's list. Three sections follow: the full confirmed table, a callout on names commonly assumed to be recognized that RCI's own document doesn't back up, and what still genuinely needs a direct check.
44 Institutions, Read Directly Off RCI's Own List
RCI publishes its own approved-institutions list as a PDF, titled "List of Approved Institutions upto 28-08-2026". Anshul supplied the full 125-page document directly, and it was processed page by page rather than through a lossy conversion, so every state's section, including Karnataka, Punjab and Haryana, is readable this time. It settles RCI's own name for the new Masters cleanly: M.Clin.Psy. (Master of Clinical Psychology), not "MA Cl.Psy." as education portals informally call it. RCI also approves a parallel B.Clin.Psy. (Bachelor's) at many of the same institutes, listed separately where it exists.
The 44 institutions below are every institute in RCI's document holding a live, non-rejected M.Clin.Psy. approval as of this list's date. A number of them only start intake from the 2026-27 academic year, marked below, they are approved but not yet admitting for 2025-26. Seat counts and the exact approval window are RCI's own figures and can be renewed, extended or revised in a later RCI list, so treat this table as a verified starting shortlist, not a guarantee that today's number is unchanged.
| Institution & Location | Confirmed Seats | RCI Approval Window |
|---|---|---|
| Punjab | ||
| Lovely Professional University (LPU), Phagwara, Kapurthala | 10 (+20, B.Clin.Psy.) | 2025-26 to 2031-32 |
| Desh Bhagat University, Mandi Gobindgarh | 10 (+20, B.Clin.Psy.) | 2025-26 to 2027-28 |
| Amity University, Mohali | 10 | 2025-26 to 2029-30 |
| Dayanand Medical College & Hospital, Ludhiana | 20 | 2026-27 to 2030-31 (not yet running) |
| Haryana | ||
| Gurugram University, Gurugram | 10 | 2025-26 to 2027-28 |
| G.D. Goenka University, Gurugram | 10 | 2025-26 to 2029-30 |
| Amity University Haryana, Manesar | 10 | 2025-26 to 2027-28 |
| Shree Guru Gobind Singh Tricentenary University, Gurgaon | 20 | 2025-26 to 2027-28 |
| Delhi / NCR | ||
| IHBAS, Dilshad Garden, Delhi | 28 | 2026-27 to 2032-33 (not yet running) |
| National Forensic Science University, Delhi | 18 | 2026-27 to 2032-33 (not yet running) |
| Tecnia Institute of Advanced Studies, Rohini | 10 | 2025-26 to 2029-30 |
| Ashtavakra Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences & Research, Rohini | 10 | 2025-26 to 2027-28 |
| Uttar Pradesh | ||
| Amity University, Noida | 10 | 2025-26 to 2027-28 |
| Amity University, Greater Noida | 10 | 2025-26 only, on record |
| Amity University, Lucknow | 10 | 2025-26 to 2027-28 |
| Society for Institute of Psychological Research & Health, Amroha | 10 | 2025-26 to 2029-30 |
| Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, Kanpur | 10 | 2025-26 to 2027-28 |
| Rama University, Kanpur | Conditional approval | 2025-26 |
| Rajasthan | ||
| Amity University Rajasthan, Jaipur | 10 | 2025-26 to 2027-28 |
| Shekhawati Teachers Training Institute, Sikar | 10 | 2025-26 to 2027-28 |
| Apex University, Jaipur | 10 | 2025-26 to 2027-28 |
| IIS (Deemed University), Jaipur | 10 | 2026-27 to 2030-31 (not yet running) |
| Shyam University, Dausa | 10, conditional approval | 2025-26 |
| Tantia University, Sri Ganganagar | 10 | 2025-26 to 2029-30 |
| Madhya Pradesh | ||
| Amity University Madhya Pradesh, Gwalior | Not specified in RCI's listing | 2026-27 to 2030-31 (not yet running) |
| National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation, Sehore | 12 | 2026-27 to 2032-33 (not yet running) |
| Man College of Special Education & Psychological Studies, Guna | 18 | 2026-27 to 2030-31 (not yet running) |
| Chhattisgarh | ||
| Central India Institute, Rajnandgaon | 16 | 2026-27 to 2030-31 (not yet running) |
| Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences, Raipur | 14 | 2026-27 to 2030-31 (not yet running) |
| Karnataka | ||
| Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal | 20 (+20, B.Clin.Psy.) | 2026-27 to 2030-31 (not yet running) |
| Christ (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru | 10 (+20, B.Clin.Psy.) | 2025-26 to 2031-32 |
| JSS Medical College, Mysuru | 10 | 2025-26 to 2027-28 |
| Kateel Ashok Pai Memorial Institute, Shivamogga | 10 | 2025-26 to 2027-28 |
| Maharashtra | ||
| Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj University, Navi Mumbai | 10 | 2025-26 to 2027-28 |
| Bihar | ||
| Amity Institute of Clinical Psychology, Patna | 10 | 2025-26 to 2027-28 |
| Jharkhand | ||
| RINPAS, Ranchi | 10 | 2026-27 to 2032-33 (not yet running) |
| Amity Institute of Clinical Psychology, Ranchi | 20 | 2025-26 to 2029-30 |
| Tamil Nadu | ||
| NIEPMD, Chennai | 10 | 2026-27 to 2032-33 (not yet running) |
| Sree Balaji Medical College & Hospital, Chennai | 10 | 2025-26 to 2027-28 |
| Uttarakhand | ||
| NIEPVD, Dehradun | 10 | 2025-26 to 2027-28 |
| West Bengal | ||
| University of Calcutta, Kolkata | 24 | 2026-27 to 2032-33 (not yet running) |
| Institute of Psychiatry, IPGME&R, Kolkata | 18 | 2026-27 to 2032-33 (not yet running) |
| Amity Institute of Behavioural & Allied Sciences, Kolkata | 10 | 2025-26 to 2027-28 |
| Sikkim | ||
| Pannadhay University, Gangtok | Conditional approval | 2025-26 |
"Not yet running" means RCI's approval window starts 2026-27 or later, the institute holds the recognition but isn't taking students into this specific program yet. "Conditional approval" is RCI's own term in the document, confirm exactly what the condition is before applying. Institute codes and full addresses are on file and available on request.
NIMHANS Does Not Appear on RCI's M.Clin.Psy. List
This is the single most surprising result of going through RCI's own document directly, and it's exactly the kind of thing most "RCI-approved colleges" lists online won't tell you, because most of them are copying each other, not RCI's actual list.
- !NIMHANS, Bengaluru (institute code KK033) is listed in RCI's document with an M.Phil.(Cl.Psy.) approval running 2023-24 to 2025-26, 21 seats. No M.Clin.Psy. line appears for NIMHANS anywhere in the document. That does not necessarily mean NIMHANS will never offer the new Masters, RCI updates this list regularly and an application could be pending, but as of this specific list, India's most recognized name in clinical psychology training does not carry M.Clin.Psy. recognition. Confirm directly with NIMHANS admissions before assuming otherwise.
- !Central Institute of Psychiatry (CIP), Ranchi and JIPMER, Puducherry show the same pattern, an M.Phil.(Cl.Psy.) approval on record (CIP's and JIPMER's both run through 2025-26), no M.Clin.Psy. line found for either.
- !Mizoram University, Aizawl and LGBRIMH, Tezpur are also M.Phil.(Cl.Psy.)-only in RCI's document, no M.Clin.Psy. entry for either.
- !TISS, Mumbai does appear in RCI's document, but under an entirely different program: M.A.(SW DS), a Master of Social Work in Disability Studies. TISS's own "MA in Applied Psychology (Clinical and Counselling Practice)" does not appear under any Clinical Psychology program code in RCI's list, consistent with that program's own admissions page making no mention of RCI.
Two things sit outside the confirmed table above even after reading RCI's full document.
- A longer tail of smaller state and private universities may hold M.Clin.Psy. approval that education portals mention but that fell outside this specific list's date range, or that changed since. If a college you're considering isn't in the 44-institution table above, that isn't proof it lacks recognition, it may be newer or less consistently reported. Verify it directly using the steps below, and Anshul is happy to cross-check it against RCI's current list on request.
- Seat counts and approval windows shift. Every figure above is quoted directly from RCI's own document dated 28 August 2026, but RCI revises this list periodically. A seat count or window can be extended, reduced or renewed in a later version. Always confirm the current figure with the institute before paying any fee.
How to Verify Any College's RCI Status Yourself
This takes one phone call and ten minutes. It is the single highest-leverage check available to you in this entire process, and it costs nothing.
The Full Route to RCI Registration
The Financial Picture, By Setting and Stage
| Setting | Experience | Salary Range |
|---|---|---|
| Government hospital / NGO | Fresher (0-2 yrs) | Rs. 3-6 LPA |
| Private hospital / clinic | 0-3 years | Rs. 5-10 LPA |
| Corporate employee wellness | 2-5 years | Rs. 8-15 LPA |
| School / educational psychology | 2-5 years | Rs. 6-12 LPA |
| Private practice (established) | 5+ years | Rs. 20-50 LPA |
| Neuropsychology specialist | 5-8 years | Rs. 25-60 LPA |
These ranges assume the degree is RCI-registered and the license is active. An unrecognized program does not just delay this income picture, it can block the licensed roles on this table entirely, since hospitals, corporates and RCI-regulated settings check for registration before hiring.
Why This Page, and Why Trust It
AptiGuide is based in Jalandhar and works in person with students and families from Jalandhar and 12 surrounding towns, and works with students everywhere else in India, and internationally for study-abroad guidance, entirely online.
Common Questions on RCI Recognition
Is the MPhil in Clinical Psychology still valid in India?
What is replacing the MPhil in Clinical Psychology?
Is a Masters with the word Clinical in its name automatically RCI recognized?
Which colleges are RCI-approved for the new MA in Clinical Psychology?
Is TISS's Clinical Psychology program RCI recognized?
Is NIMHANS RCI-approved for the new MA in Clinical Psychology?
How can I check if a specific college is RCI recognized before applying?
Is Lovely Professional University's Clinical Psychology program RCI recognized?
Do I need a Science background to become a licensed Clinical Psychologist?
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