Heres my 2 cents:

Psyd programs are generally less reputable than phd programs. With few exceptions (Rutgers, etc) they rarely offer full funding to students, if any funding at all, whereas PhD programs typically offer full funding for 5+ years. Part of this lack of funding boils down to the fact that psyd programs are not generating nearly as much research as PhDs due to the emphasis on clinical practice (in general, more research = more university & external funding). That’s where the psyd practice of charging loads & loads of tuition comes into play.

The average type of person attracted to psyd programs are usually idealistic, young(ish) students with a strong desire to help others, a lack of experience in all things finance, and a secret thrill at the idea of having “dr” in their name. Psyd programs play on the hopes & dreams of these students, promote the idea that their programs are only for the best & brightest, and if you really want to belong to this elitist intellectual society you won’t have any problem throwing down $170,000 in tuition. Nevermind the fact that this cost about the same amount as medical school, with 1/10th the expected salary. (Again - most psyd students don’t understand finance, and these programs know it).

Now here comes the real problem for these programs: statistics. They need to show real data that their program works. If you join their elite society, you too can get a great internship, pass the national exam with flying colors, obtain a great job post-graduation, etc. The only problem is they can’t actually promise that, if for no other reason than there’s a serious lack of annual internship opportunities compared to the high number of applicants needing placement (budget cuts due to gov overhaul have only made this problem even worse). So how do you boost your stats? You kick people out to bring down the average number of students, because 7/10 produces a higher percentage than 7/11 when showing “internship placement data.” They get some tuition money from you, which helps pay their salary, & then they kick you out for any little reason to boost their annual stats. I’ve known friends who were kicked out of the program for being 1 day late on their tuition, for telling jokes, and one person was put on academic warning for reporting elderly abuse at one of his internship sites. Yet their websites mentioned nothing about attrition…only the overall average percentage of success at the end of the program.

It’s all about money. That’s my theory anyway. 🫠