AuD Program Interview Questions and Answers

AuD Program Interview Questions and Answers

Doctor of Audiology (AuD) programs interview by invitation after their application deadline. JMU invites about 30 applicants to virtual interviews on Fridays in February and early March, UConn interviews virtually from late January to early February, and Kentucky interviews in person or virtually. The interview asks why you want the doctorate before you have done the job.

When we checked the search results for "AuD program interview questions" on October 31, 2026, every page but one forum thread was job-interview advice for working audiologists: caseload, billing, hearing aid fittings. An admissions panel cannot ask you that. It asks what you have observed, why audiology and not a neighbouring field, and what you want to learn. This page gives the published formats, constructed answers that stay inside what an applicant can honestly claim, and the questions worth asking the program. Applications run through CSDCAS; the CSDCAS personal statement prompts by school show the essays your interviewers may have read.

Every program and CSDCAS page quoted below was checked on November 7, 2026. Kentucky's page names its January 15, 2027 deadline; UConn's page states no year.

How AuD programs interview

In the programs' own words:

• Kentucky (AuD admissions FAQs): "The interview may be conducted in-person or virtually and will assess both academic qualifications, non-cognitive abilities and fit for the program. We strongly encourage invited applicants to make every effort to attend in person to be assured that you are a good fit for our program, and we are a good fit for you." Kentucky also requires written responses to a "Letter of Intent".
• JMU (AuD admission): "The admissions interview is mandatory; an applicant's inability to participate in the interview will most likely result in elimination from consideration of admission." The same page gives the dates two ways: "Fridays in February and early March" and "Fridays during the last two weeks of February and first week of March." It promises "at least 1-2 week's advance notice."
• UConn (AuD admissions): "The interview is an opportunity for applicants to share their experiences, discuss future goals, and add a personal touch to their application."

The CSDCAS cycle dates page lists the 2026–27 cycle opening July 15, 2026 and closing July 1, 2027 at 11:59 PM ET, and says "the individual program's deadline may differ from the application's cycle dates." All three programs above close in January.

What an admissions interview can and cannot ask you

Our view: answer every clinical question with what you observed and what you want to learn, never with clinical claims you cannot back. The basis: the programs say what they assess: Kentucky names "academic qualifications, non-cognitive abilities and fit", and UConn names your "experiences" and "future goals". Neither asks for clinical skill. Observation is also what applicants have: JMU lists "25 observation hours" as a prerequisite, and Kentucky says observation hours are not required but "strongly recommended to assure that you are familiar with the profession of audiology, the scope of practice, and typical work settings." The countercase: if you already work in hearing health, as a hearing aid technician or audiology assistant, use that work. Say exactly what your role was and was not, because audiology faculty know the difference.

Why audiology, and why not speech-language pathology or medicine?

Both fields apply through CSDCAS, and at JMU and UConn both sit in the same department, so expect the question. The answer is about the work you want, stated from what you saw.

Constructed example: why audiology, weak and revised

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant answer.

Weak:

I have always been interested in the ear and in helping people. Audiology combines science and patient care, and it has a good job outlook.

Nothing in this answer could not be said about a dozen fields, and the panel cannot ask a follow-up because there is nothing to follow.

Revised (constructed; 104 words):

I came to audiology through observation. I shadowed an audiologist for 25 hours, and the session I keep thinking about was a man in his seventies who had stopped going to family dinners. The test took twenty minutes. The conversation after it took longer: what the results meant, what hearing aids could and could not do, and how he would tell his family. I considered speech-language pathology, and I respect it, but I am drawn to the diagnostic side and to that kind of counselling. I want the doctorate because I want to be the person who runs the test and has that conversation.

Why it works: one observed patient, the applicant's role (observer) kept clear, a respectful contrast with SLP, and a reason for the doctorate itself.

The rest of the question bank

These questions are our constructed set, not a list any program publishes.

Constructed example: a counselling moment

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant answer.

Question: Tell me about a time you explained something difficult to someone.

Revised (constructed; 91 words):

At the phone store where I work, an older customer came back three times with a new phone she could not answer. She said she would go back to her old one. I asked her to show me what she did when it rang, saw that she was pressing the wrong side, and let her practice on a test call twice. I wrote the two steps on a card for her case. What I learned is that people stop listening when they feel rushed, and that showing works better than telling.

Why it works: it is a non-clinical job described accurately, and it shows the patient-counselling skill an audiology panel listens for without claiming any audiology experience.

Questions to ask the program

Ask what the website does not answer:

1. Which clinic sites do students rotate through in each year (hospital, private practice, school, research clinic), and who assigns them?
2. Is there a full-time clinical placement in the final year, and do students relocate for it?
3. What do students who pursue research do differently in the program?
4. How does the program support students through the clinical schedule and coursework at the same time?
5. JMU and UConn: how are graduate assistantships or funding assigned? JMU's page says admitted students "would be automatically considered for funding and awarded based on merit."

After the interview: April 15

UConn sends decision letters in March. Before you accept an offer, know the common date. The Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CAPCSD) attaches its 2013 resolution to a February 18, 2026 letter from its president. The resolution "expects member programs to allow applicants to entry-level graduate clinical programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders at least until April 15th to make final decisions regarding acceptance of offers of admission", for programs that begin in the fall. The letter was written for the 2026-2027 academic year; CAPCSD had posted no fall 2027 version when we checked on November 7, 2026. The sibling page on the SLP and audiology April 15 offer deadline covers holding and declining offers.

Questions about AuD interviews

Do all AuD programs interview?

The three programs above interview invited applicants, and JMU calls its interview "mandatory" for finalists. Programs that do not publish an interview step are not in our table.

Is an AuD interview in person or virtual?

JMU and UConn interview virtually. Kentucky offers in person or virtual and "strongly" encourages in person.

When are AuD interviews?

JMU: Fridays in late February and the first week of March. UConn: late January through early February. Kentucky does not state months on its FAQ page.

Do I need observation hours before an AuD interview?

JMU lists "25 observation hours" as a prerequisite and says documentation is needed "only … upon admission". Kentucky does not require them but strongly recommends them.

Review the writing you send next

After the interview, the writing you send next is a short note to the program or, if you reapply, a new set of CSDCAS responses, including any program letter of intent like Kentucky's. Get a free Quick Review of your CSDCAS statement against GradPilot's SLP application statements rubric, the closest we have for audiology: it reads whether each response answers the program's actual question, explains your interest in the field, and connects your experience to readiness to learn. The full rubric catalog lists every other document GradPilot reviews.

More communication sciences guides:

• SLP grad school interview questions: the speech-language pathology version of this page.
• SLP personal statement examples: constructed openings for CSDCAS statements.
• CSDCAS personal statement prompts by school: what programs ask you to write.
• The medical and health essays hub.

Sources

Retrieved November 7, 2026, except where noted.

• University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences, Audiology Admissions FAQs (January 15, 2027 deadline stated): interview format and purpose, Letter of Intent, observation hours.
• James Madison University, Au.D. Admission (deadline January 15; no year stated): about 30 finalists, virtual Friday interviews, mandatory interview, observation-hour prerequisite, funding.
• University of Connecticut, Au.D. Admissions (deadline January 8; no year stated): virtual interviews, months, March decision letters.
• Liaison International, CSDCAS Application Cycle Dates (2026–27 cycle): open and close dates.
• Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders, National April 15th deadline letter (February 18, 2026, for the 2026-2027 academic year): 2013 resolution on the April 15 deadline.