30 May 2024
By email
: [FYI request #26614 email]
Tēnā koe S
I refer to your information request dated 3 May 2024 made under the Official Information Act 1982
(the Act). You requested:
“I would like to know if it would be possible to receive the 300-level GPA distribution of
students accepted into the Clinical Psychology Honours programme (also reffered to as the
"Clinical Psychology Training Programme") for 2022 and 2023.
If this is not possible for privacy reasons (or any other concerns), an alternative request would
be the combined mean 300-level GPA of all of these students for both 2022 and 2023 (i.e
averaging their 300-level GPAs to produce 1 number for the whole group).”
Please see below our response to your request.
We note that the Department of Psychology calculates average percentage marks, rather than a
formal GPA when considering applications to the Clinical Psychology Honours programme. This is
because different universities have different grading scales. The Department looks at all 300-level
Psychology papers from any university attended, including overseas institutions.
We decline providing you with the 300-level average percentage mark distribution of students
accepted into the Clinical Psychology Honours programme for 2022 and 2023, in order to protect the
privacy of these individuals. This is pursuant to section 9(2)(a) of the Act. Where numbers are low, we
consider that withholding this information is necessary to protect against the identity of these
students being determined or inferred, and their personal information (i.e., their academic scores)
could be disclosed.
Despite this refusal, we note that in 2022, the average was 82.69%, and in 2023 it was 83.96%.
It is also important to note that academic grades are only one factor when considering applications to
the Clinical Psychology Honours programme. As well as academic excellence, an applicant’s personal
statement, relevant experience, and confidential referee letters are also considered. There are many
applicants with strong academic grades that are not offered an interview, and vice versa.
In case it is helpful, further information on the University’s Clinical Psychology Programme is available
on the University’s website
: https://www.otago.ac.nz/psychology/study/postgraduate/clinicalpsyc/.
I trust that this information will be helpful.
In the above cases, we consider that good reasons exist for withholding information, and this is not
outweighed by other considerations which would make it desirable, in the public interest, to make the
information available. If you are not satisfied with our response to your information request, section
28(3) of the Act provides you with the right to ask an Ombudsman to investigate and review this
response. However, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss any concerns with you first.
Ngā mihi
Kelsey Kennard
Official Information and Compliance Coordinator
Office of the Registrar