The following policies will guide the 2012 APPIC Match and Post-Match Vacancy Service.
Adherence to these policies is a condition of membership in APPIC and of participation in the APPIC Match and/or Post-Match Vacancy Service.

1. These policies apply to all participants in the APPIC Match, including APPIC member internship programs, non-APPIC member internship programs, and student applicants.
   
   
   1. All participants shall abide by their agreements with APPIC for participation in the APPIC Match.
      
      
   2. Internship training directors must ensure that all people involved in recruiting or selecting interns understand and adhere to these policies.
      
      
   3. Directors of APPIC Doctoral Program Associates and other doctoral programs with students participating in the APPIC Match are requested to ensure that their students understand and adhere to these policies.
      
      
   4. Violations of APPIC Match Policies or Match Agreements by applicants or programs may result in sanctions by APPIC (e.g., being barred from future Matches) or legal action by other Match participants. In addition, violations by applicants may result in disciplinary action by the applicants' graduate and/or internship programs.
      
      
2. Internship programs must offer all of their internship positions in Phase I of the APPIC Match.
   
   
   1. Positions for which funding is not assured should not be offered in the Match.
      
      
   2. Positions that are left unfilled in Phase I of the Match must be offered in Phase II of the Match, in accordance with paragraph 8 and its subparagraphs below.
      
      
   3. Positions that are not offered in Phase I of the Match, such as positions for which funding becomes assured after the Phase I Rank Order List deadline or newly created positions, may be offered in Phase II of the Match, in accordance with paragraph 8 and its subparagraphs below.
      
      
   4. Positions that are not offered in Phase I or Phase II of the Match can be communicated and/or offered to applicants only after the results of Phase II of the Match are released, in accordance with paragraph 9 and its subparagraphs below.
      
      
3. For both Phase I and Phase II of the APPIC Match, the AAPI Online application service must be used by applicants to apply to all internship programs that are participating in the Match. For both Phases of the Match, all applications must be submitted using the AAPI Online, and no site may request a printed copy of an applicant's application materials.
   
   
   1. All programs participating in Phase II of the Match must accept applications until the application deadline for Phase II established by APPIC. Programs may elect to continue accepting applications for Phase II beyond the application deadline, but are not required to do so.
      
      
4. For Phase I of the Match, internship programs that conduct on-site or telephone interviews must make a reasonable effort to notify every applicant who submits a complete set of application materials as to his/her interview status.
   
   
   1. Sites that conduct open houses to which all applicants are invited and conduct no other interviews are exempt from this interview notification requirement (this process should be clearly stated in the APPIC Directory Online and/or sites' publicity materials).
      
      
   2. Notification of interview status for Phase I of the Match must occur no later than the interview notification date that appears in the program's APPIC Directory Online listing and/or other publicity materials, and may be communicated via e-mail, telephone, regular mail (to be received no later than the interview notification date), or other means.
      
      
   3. For Phase II of the Match, notification of interview status is not required.
      
      
5. Participants in the APPIC Match, including applicants and internship programs, may not communicate, solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information pertaining to either Phase of the Match prior to the release of the results for Phase II of the Match.
   
   
   1. Internship programs must include the following statement on their web sites and in their brochures: "This internship site agrees to abide by the APPIC policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any intern applicant."
      
      
   2. Internship programs may choose to inform applicants as to whether or not the applicants remain under consideration for admission (e.g., whether or not the applicants will be ranked) but may not communicate any other ranking information. The spirit of this item precludes any communication of rankings for either Phase of the Match prior to the release of the results for Phase II of the Match, however "veiled" or indirect such communication might be. However, sites and applicants are allowed to communicate about matters that do not involve the sharing of ranking information.
      
      
   3. Internship programs and applicants may never solicit information regarding applicants' and programs' rankings at any time, either during the Match or after the Match results are released.
      
      
   4. Internship sites that offer more than one program in the APPIC Match (i.e., sites with more than one program code number) are expected to ask applicants to identify the site's programs to which they are applying. In addition, these sites may, for the sole purpose of arranging interviews, ask applicants to designate their preferences regarding the programs at the site for which they wish to be interviewed. These sites may request interview preference information only when it is essential for making interview arrangements, and such information may not be used for any other purpose in the selection process. Furthermore, these sites may not solicit any information about applicants' final rankings of programs. Sites requesting interview preferences must state clearly in their written materials that these preferences will be used for arranging interviews only and for no other purpose.
      
      
   5. Any ranking information that is communicated between applicants and internship programs, even though such communication is a violation of these policies, is non-binding and may be changed at any time prior to the Rank Order List submission deadline. The only binding rankings are the confidential Rank Order Lists that are submitted to the APPIC Match.
      
      
   6. Internship programs may choose to provide applicants with information about the size of the applicant pool.
      
      
6. Results of the APPIC Match constitute binding agreements between applicants, internship programs, and APPIC that may not be reversed without APPIC's consent.
   
   
   1. Failure to receive timely notification of the APPIC Match results, for any reason, does not constitute a release from the obligations of the APPIC Match.
      
      
   2. Appointments of applicants to internship positions may be contingent upon the applicants satisfying certain eligibility requirements. Such eligibility requirements must be clearly specified in the internship programs' written materials and provided to applicants in advance of the deadline for submitting rankings for the APPIC Match.
      
      
   3. Internship training directors are encouraged to contact matched applicants by telephone as soon as possible after (but not before) 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on the APPIC Match Day for each Phase of the Match. On each APPIC Match Day, no contact between internship sites and matched applicants should occur prior to 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
      
      
   4. It is not necessary for internship training directors to contact applicants with whom they have not been matched.
      
      
7. Internship training directors must put in writing their appointment agreements with matched applicants in letters postmarked or e-mailed no later than 7 days following receipt of the APPIC Match results for each Phase of the Match.
   
   
   1. Letters must be addressed to the applicants and must include confirmation of conditions of the appointment, such as stipend, fringe benefits, and the dates on which the internship begins and ends.
      
      
   2. Copies of these appointment letters must be sent simultaneously to applicants' academic training directors.
      
      
8. Positions that remain unfilled in Phase I of the Match must be offered in Phase II of the Match to applicants who do not obtain a position in Phase I. Positions not offered in Phase I of the Match, such as positions for which funding becomes assured after the Phase I Rank Order List deadline or newly created positions, may also be offered to eligible applicants in Phase II of the Match.
   
   
   1. All applicants who register for Phase I of the Match and who do not obtain a position in Phase I (e.g., those who withdraw or remain unmatched) are eligible to participate in Phase II of the Match. Applicants who match to a position in Phase I are not eligible to participate in Phase II. Applicants who do not register for Phase I cannot register for or participate in Phase II.
      
      
   2. Only internship sites that register for Phase I of the Match are eligible to participate in Phase II of the Match.
      
      
   3. All positions at an internship site that remain unfilled in Phase I of the Match must be offered to applicants in Phase II of the Match. A site can decide not to offer an unfilled position in Phase II only if it decides not to fill the position in the program for the coming year (e.g., anticipated loss of funding, shifting of funding to other purposes). Removing an unfilled position from Phase II of the Match for any other reason requires APPIC approval.
      
      
   4. Internship programs with positions that are offered in Phase II of the Match may not take any actions to fill these positions prior to 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on APPIC Phase I Match Day. Applicants who do not obtain a position in Phase I of the Match, along with other individuals acting on their behalf (e.g., doctoral program faculty), may not contact internship programs about available positions prior to 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on APPIC Phase I Match Day. All applications to programs for Phase II of the Match must be submitted using the AAPI Online, as specified in paragraph 3 above.
      
      
9. Upon completion of both Phases of the APPIC Match, internship programs that have one or more open positions may then make other direct offers of admission (verbal or written) to applicants who are not already matched or to applicants who did not participate in the APPIC Match. Applicants who are not matched to a position may then receive other direct offers of admission.
   
   
1. Internship programs with open positions after completion of Phase II of the Match may not take any actions to fill these positions prior to 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on APPIC Phase II Match Day. Applicants who are not matched to a position after completion of both Phases of the Match, along with other individuals acting on their behalf (e.g., doctoral program faculty), may not contact internship programs about open positions prior to 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on APPIC Phase II Match Day.
   
   
2. Prior to making offers to fill open positions, internship training directors must verify with applicants, to the best of their abilities, that the applicants have not previously been matched to other internship programs nor accepted other offers.
   
   
3. Prior to making offers to fill open positions, internship training directors must ensure that doctoral programs have verified their applicants' eligibility and readiness for internship. Such verification can occur via a review of the appropriate application materials and/or via direct communication with the doctoral programs.
   
   
4. Applicants may not accept an offer if they have been matched or have already accepted an offer from another internship program.
   
   
5. An offer (verbal or written) that has been tendered by an internship program and accepted by an applicant constitutes a binding agreement between the program, the applicant, and APPIC that may not be reversed without APPIC's consent.
   
   
6. The internship training director must put in writing the appointment agreement with the applicant in a letter postmarked or e-mailed no later than 7 days following acceptance of the offer by the applicant, as described in paragraphs 7a and 7b above.
   
   
10. Individuals who perceive violations of these policies are urged to request compliance with APPIC policies from the appropriate party (parties).
    
    
    1. Unresolved compliance problems should be resolved informally, whenever possible, through consultation among applicants, internship training directors, academic training directors, and/or APPIC, or by other informal means. APPIC sponsors an "Informal Problem Consultation" process (described on the APPIC web site) that is recommended for use in addressing these issues.
       
       
    2. Internship training directors who become aware of violations of these policies by other internship training directors should (a) urge the affected applicants and academic training directors to follow the informal resolution procedures described above, (b) directly contact the other internship training directors, and/or (c) use the APPIC "Informal Problem Consultation" process.
       
       
    3. Perceived violations of APPIC Policies and/or the Match Agreement that are not resolved through the APPIC "Informal Problem Consultation" process may be reported as a formal complaint to the APPIC Standards and Review Committee (ASARC).
       
       
11. If a formal complaint is filed with APPIC regarding an alleged violation of these policies, the APPIC Standards and Review Committee (ASARC) will evaluate the allegations and recommend an appropriate course of action to the APPIC Board of Directors. The APPIC Board of Directors is the body that ultimately determines the course of action. ASARC policies are described on the APPIC web site. Formal complaints regarding violations of APPIC policies should be filed by submitting an ASARC Complaint Form (available from the APPIC web site) to:
    
    Chair, APPIC Standards and Review Committee
    17225 El Camino Real, Suite #170
    Houston, TX 77058-2748
    Phone: (832) 284-4080
    Fax: (832) 284-4079
    
    

Copyright © 2011 Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC).

NOTE: APPIC members, and non-APPIC members who participate in the APPIC Match, may reprint the APPIC Match Policies in their program materials and brochures by stating "Reprinted with permission."