Application deadline, degree offerings and Physics graduate program requirements.
Complete the UCSB Graduate Division online application.
All three documents are required for a complete application. All three documents are submitted online.
For more information, see the Graduate Division website.
Three letters of recommendation must be submitted online.
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.
All admitted applicants who have earned a degree(s) from an institution(s) outside of the United States are required to complete and submit a WES Course-by-Course ICAP evaluation that includes all post-secondary study.
Please do not submit transcripts or degree certificates directly to the Graduate Admissions Office as they will neither be accepted nor reviewed. For instructions on how to complete the WES evaluation, please visit our webpage for Admitted International Students.
An excellent command of written and spoken English is required prior to enrollment at UC Santa Barbara. Applicants whose native language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the Duolingo English Test (DET).
Accepted Exams and Minimum Score Requirements
The university minimum score requirements for accepted exams are listed below:
|
Exam |
Minimum Total Score |
|
TOEFL internet-based test (iBT) and TOEFL iBT Home Edition |
80 (exams taken before 1/21/2026) or 4.0 (exams taken on or after 1/21/2026) |
|
IELTS Academic and IELTS Indicator |
Overall Band Score of 7 |
|
Duolingo English Test (DET) |
120 |
Official test score dates must be within two years of the day the applicant submits the online graduate application (scores must display with a status of Official).
The following exams are not accepted: TOEFL ITP Plus, TOEFL Essentials, IELTS One Skill Retake, and other exams not specifically noted above.
Exemptions from the English language admissions requirements are permitted for applicants who have completed an undergraduate (bachelor's or equivalent) or graduate (master's, doctoral, or equivalent) degree at an institution where the verified sole official language of instruction is English. Refer to the How to Apply page for complete details on how to qualify for an exemption.
However, if you attend a school with two languages of instruction, even if it includes English, you are required to take one of the exams above.
For the 2027 admissions cycle, the deadline is December 16, 2026 by 11:59 PM Pacific Standard Time (PST).
Applicants are encouraged to review the research interests in the department. It is very important to indicate in your Statement of Purpose which faculty member(s) you are interested in working with and to be specific about which research areas you are interested in.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact individual faculty members whose research interests align with their own early in the application process and to list potential advisors on their applications. It is very important to indicate in your Statement of Purpose which faculty member(s) you are interested in working with and to be specific about which research areas you are interested in.
