Applicants must apply online. UCB does not have paper graduate application forms.

Applicants must submit all supplementary materials online:

• transcripts
• Undergraduate Course and Textbook List
• resume/CV (optional)
• publication list (optional)

NOTE: If you are recommended for admission to the Physics PhD program, you must submit official copies of your transcript for final approval of your admission by Graduate Division's Graduate Admissions Office.

Berkeley Physics Ph.D. Program has only fall admissions. Fall 2018 graduate application deadline is December 15, 2017. 

To meet the December 15 deadline, all applicants must take General GRE, GRE-Subject Test in Physics (and TOEFL, if applicable) no later than October 2017.

We will begin reviewing complete graduate applications after December 15, 2017. All submitted applications will be reviewed. Unless we contact you about missing documents, your application is in review. We will make initial offers of admission late February and continue until final offers of admission are made March 15th.

All applicants:

• General Record Examinations (GRE) - General Test
• General Record Examinations (GRE) - Physics Subject Test
• Test of English as a Second Language (TOEFL): Applicants from non-English speaking countries must also take the TOEFL, unless they have completed at least one year of full-time academic course work with grades of B or better in residence at a U.S. university. We will accept International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores in lieu of TOEFL scores.

Educational Testing Services (ETS) codes for GREs:

• Institution Code: (R)4833
• Department Code: 0808
• Physics GRE Code: (P)77 Characters enclosed in "( )" are optional.
• TOEFL: Department Code - 76

For more details on the GRE and TOEFL, please visit ETS website: http://www.ets.org/

The non-refundable application fee for US citizens and current permanent residents is $105; for all others, the fee is $125. Updated: 9/6/2016.
You must pay the fee by credit card.

In the cases of financial hardship, domestic applicants (US citizens and permanent residents) may request a fee waiver from the Graduate Admissions Office by completing the Request for an Application Waiver.

All applicants are considered for fellowships and teaching or research assistantships. Admitted applicants who were not awarded fellowships are offered Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) appointments. Generally speaking, physics graduate students start research once they pass the preliminary examinations.

Open House for admitted applicants is usually scheduled late March/early April. Learn more about this event.

Students wishing to transfer from another graduate school program must submit the same complete application as undergraduate applicants. Please review the FAQ, “How do I apply for graduate studies at UCB Physics Department?” Although we will not require you to repeat any graduate level course work you have already completed, you are still required to finished 38 units of approved course work towards the Ph.D (35 units for M.A.).

The department does not consider applications from those intending to work toward the M.A. degree only.