How to Apply

Application deadline, degree offerings and Physics graduate program requirements.

Degree Offerings

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Physics
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Physics with an Astrophysics Emphasis

Requirements

Complete Online Application

Complete the UCSB Graduate Division online application.

Graduate Division Website

Required Documents

1. Statement of Purpose (usually this document is 1-2 pages)
2. Personal History and Diversity Statement (Your Personal History and Diversity Statement must be written in narrative (essay) form without duplicating content from your Statement of Purpose. A minimum word count of 250 words is required. There is no maximum length requirement. Most statements are typically 1-2 pages.)
3. Resume or CV

 All three documents are required for a complete application. All three documents are submitted online.
For more information, see the Graduate Division website.

Letters of Recommendation

Three letters of recommendation must be submitted online.

Official Transcripts

You are required to upload an official transcript created by your university. This transcript will be used to review and evaluate your application.

Scan and upload all pages of your official transcript from this institution (including the grading scale, which may be on the backside of the transcript). The uploaded transcript must be produced by the university with all appropriate seals/stamps. Remove your Social Security Number by crossing/blacking out numbers before uploading (if applicable). If you have questions about whether or not a transcript is acceptable, contact your department/program directly.

Do not send transcripts directly from the school to the Physics Department via mail or email. Those transcripts will not be accepted. Upload the official transcripts directly to your application, as described in the instructions above and on the Graduate Division website.

For example, do not cut and paste your transcripts from your school's online portal. Those transcripts are not official and will not be accepted. 

If you upload a transcript that states "Unofficial" at the top, that is not acceptable and will not be accepted.

Please note: If you are submitting international transcripts, enter the correct GPA of the GPA scale of your school. Do not change the reported GPA on the 100 point scale to the 4.0 scale, if that is not the GPA scale of your school.

If you are recommended for admission, and you did not follow these above instructions, it will delay the processing of your admission.

Final / Official transcripts will be required for all applicants who are admitted and have indicated their intent to enroll at UC Santa Barbara by submitting a Statement of Intent to Register (SIR). UC Santa Barbara reserves the right to require official transcripts at any time during the admissions process, and rescind any offer of admission made if discrepancies between uploaded and official transcript(s) are found.

TOEFL / IELTS / Duolingo Admissions Requirements

TOEFL 550 Paper-Based Test (PBT), 80 Internet-Based Test (iBT) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) Overall Band score of 7 or higher (if applicable), or the Duolingo English Test (DET) score of 120.