St.
Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Mumbai
M.A. Psychology: Lifespan Counselling
Admissions Notice for 2024-2026
Introduction
In India, the ratio of mental health practitioners to citizens has always been poor, but it is
in times of a crisis like the recent pandemic, that the importance of filling this gap comes into
focus. To contribute to bridging this gap, the Department of Psychology, St. Xavier’s College
(Autonomous) started a Master’s degree course - M.A. Psychology: Lifespan Counselling in June
2019. This year, we are accepting applications for our fifth batch of students. Applications are
invited for admission to the two-year, full-time in-person course for the academic year 2024
-2026.
Highlights of the course
- Each semester focuses on a different stage of the lifespan and diverse populations within
that stage
- Supervised fieldwork is relevant to the lifespan stage being covered in the semester
- Mandatory group and individual therapy in Semester I focusing on the personal
development of the student
- A syllabus that is weighted heavily on courses related to counseling and therapeutic skills.
These courses are highly applied, being taught by practicing therapists who are experts in
their field
- Guided exposure to the research process culminating in the submission of a dissertation
at the end of the 2nd year
- As the college is affiliated to the University of Mumbai, the degree received at the end of
the two years is recognized by the University of Mumbai
As such, receiving a recognized M.A. Psychology degree allows any student to work in the field
and study further.
Number of seats
The intake is a maximum of 30 students per year.
Allocation of seats
St. Xavier’s College is a Catholic Minority College, administered under the Provisions of the
Indian Constitution, to promote the welfare of the minority community and to extend its services to all
other communities in India, so as to contribute to the harmony and integration of Indian society. 50% of
seats are reserved for Catholic minority students.
As per the Judgement dated 12th October 2017 of the Honourable Bombay High Court vide
Writ Petition No.1726 of 2001, Minority Colleges do not need to set aside seats for Backward Classes.
This was reiterated by the University of Mumbai Circular ([Link]. / Recog.I / Admission (2018-19) / 10
/ of 2018) dated 30th May, 2018.
Accordingly, the allocation of seats is as follows:
Category Percentage of seats reserved Number of seats out of 30
Management Quota 15% 5
Number of seats out of 25
Christian Minority 50% 12
General 42% 11
Persons with disability 5% 1
Special** 3% 1
** The Special category is for the wards of transferred State / Central Government and Private Sector
employees, Defence Personnel, Ex-Servicemen, Freedom Fighters; for students who have met with an
accident and also for award winners at the District / State / National Level in Sports or Cultural activities.
# Seats for international students are supernumerary. Applications for those seats must be done through
the University of Mumbai website. Please email us at [Link]@[Link] and inform us if you
are applying in the international student category.
Students that fall under this category include - Students who have done their high school education or
have an undergraduate degrees from outside India, Foreign students (FR/FS), Persons of Indian origin
(PIO), Overseas Citizens of India (OCI), SAARC students, Non-Resident Indians (NRI). The definitions
of these categories are available on the Mumbai University website. If you are unsure about whether you
qualify as an NRI category candidate or not, please contact us at [Link]@[Link].
Eligibility
● Students with a Bachelor’s degree in any faculty or discipline having studied a minimum of three
papers in Psychology at the undergraduate level (across first, second and third year) are
eligible to fill out the application form and sit for the entrance examination. This is because
familiarity with undergraduate Psychology is essential to cope with our challenging programme.
Please note that:
● The eligibility criterion has been updated since the 2022 intake. This is due to our experience over
the last three years, which has shown us that familiarity with undergraduate Psychology is
essential to cope with our challenging programme.
● Diplomas/certificate courses/online courses in Psychology DO NOT fulfill the eligibility
criterion.
Selection Process
Stage One: Online Registration
The link for online applications will open on the official college website [Link] in
April/May. Students must log on to the official registration portal when notified and fill out the online
application form by following the instructions given in the form. The details you will be required to fill in
include:
- Demographic information
- Information about your Bachelor’s degree (the year and university)
- The quota in which you are applying for a seat. In case of minority/special quota, you will need
to upload a clear and legible scanned copy of your proof e.g. Baptism certificate for Christian
minority or document for special category as required.
- Information about your Semester V marks (Please note you have to enter marks not grades.)
You will need to upload a clear and legible scanned copy of your Semester V marksheet as
proof.
Please note that if selected, provisional admission will be given based on Sem V marks subject to
the student passing Sem VI and handing in proof when released by the University.
Once you have completed the form and the payment, kindly take a print of the same as proof and
you will be required to carry the print of the form on the day of the Entrance test. NO
SEPARATE HALL TICKET WILL BE ISSUED.
Stage Two: Entrance Examination
An in-person entrance examination for all the students who have applied (irrespective of
category) will be held on Saturday 8th June 2024 on the campus of St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai. Specific
details will be updated when the application opens.
The language of the examination will be English. The duration of the examination is two hours.
The examination will include a multiple-choice test (Section I) and an essay question (Section II). The
multiple choice test is designed to elicit the student’s knowledge of content in the field of psychology and
will include 100 questions from the following thematic areas - Introductory Psychology, Social
Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Industrial
Organizational Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Experimental Psychology, and Psychological Testing
and Statistics. There is no negative marking for the multiple-choice section. The essay question is
designed to elicit information about the student’s thought process, reasoning and analytical ability, and
depth of comprehension regarding topics within and beyond the field of psychology.
Please note that:
● There is a passing grade for Section I (MCQs).
● Section II (Essay) will only be corrected if candidate has passed Section I
● A merit score is then calculated as follows: Entrance test score (70% weightage) +
Semester V marks (30% weightage). Merit scores are then ranked and used to create the
merit list.
● Individual candidates' entrance exam scores are not released. Only the first and second
merit lists are uploaded to the college website.
Stage Three: Payment of Course fees
The First Merit Lists (Category-wise) will be released approximately ten days after the entrance
examination (Kindly check the college website for the same). Students who are offered admission in the
First merit list are required to pay their fees by the time and date that will be mentioned on the merit list
notice. On failing to do so, the offer lapses, and students in the Second merit list will subsequently be
offered admission.
Fees
For the Academic Year 2024 - 2025 *
For MA Part 1 (Semesters I and II) - Rs. 1,50,000/-
For MA Part 2 (Semesters III and IV) - Rs. 1,31,250/-
*Fees are subject to revision
Stage Four: Personal interview
The 30 students accepted to the course as the new batch for the academic year 2024-2026 will
each have a personal interview with the faculty of the course in the week after the First Merit list is
released. This is not part of the screening process, rather its purpose is to serve as an orientation to the
course, counselling the student about the nature of the course, its requirements, etc. to help them make
the decision of whether they wish to commit to the programme and pay the fees.
IMPORTANT DATES
● LAST DATE TO APPLY:: Wednesday, 5th June 2024, 5:00 p.m.
● ENTRANCE EXAM:: Saturday, 8th June 2024, 10 a.m. (offline, at the St. Xavier’s College,
Fort, Mumbai campus)
o NOTE: NO ALTERNATIVE DATES OR VENUES
For any queries or clarifications, please send an email to [Link]@[Link].
