ADMISSIONS
The prerequisite for the physics graduate program is a four-year undergraduate degree in physics, or its equivalent, from an accredited institution. Entering graduate students are expected to have a strong undergraduate foundation in general physics, classical mechanics, elementary quantum mechanics and modern physics, electromagnetism, and thermodynamics, in addition to mathematics through differential equations. Promising students who do not meet these requirements will still be considered for admission. However they may expect to spend a portion of their first year taking transitional courses to complete their preparation for graduate study.

Deadlines:

For full consideration, international students should submit all application materials before January 15. US applicants should submit all materials before February 1. The first offers of admission and financial support are sent in late January and early February: applicants who submit materials after the deadline are therefore at a distinct disadvantage. International students who submit late materials may not have time to obtain required visas.

If an applicant does not take the GRE or TOEFL exam sufficiently early, the test score report may not arrive prior to these deadlines. In this case, we will still review the application. However, no offer of admission or financial support can be made until the application is complete.

Students receiving offers of admission and financial support are asked to accept or decline that offer no later than April 15, 2012. Under the guidelines of the Council of Graduate Schools, no U.S. institution may require a graduate program applicant to accept or decline an offer of financial support before April 15.

Financial support:

Almost all of our entering graduate students receive full financial support, usually through a teaching assistantship or a grading assistantship. This support includes a stipend, tuition and a health insurance benefit. Therefore, if you apply to the graduate program in physics, it is not necessary to submit any separate application for financial support. However, if you are able to come without support, you may explain this in your Statement of Purpose. Students who do not receive Assistantships are liable for all tuition and fees.

How to apply:

Students are admitted into the graduate program of the Physics Department, not into individual research groups. Therefore no offer or promise of admission to the graduate program can be made until a student has submitted a complete application for graduate admission. All application materials should be submitted through the University of Florida admissions website and NOT to the department.

The online application: Please submit ALL application materials through the University of Florida online application system at the website of the University of Florida Office of Admissions: http://www.admissions.ufl.edu/start.html. When you complete the online application, please be careful to apply for the fall semester (not spring or summer). You will be given an identification number (the UFID) that you can use to track the receipt of application materials through the Office of Admissions website. For further details see http://www.admissions.ufl.edu/prospectivegraduate.html.

If you have technical difficulties completing the online application, please contact the University of Florida Office of Admissions for assistance.


Materials Required for a Complete Application to the Physics Graduate Program

ITEMS Submit to University of Florida
Office of Admissions
201 Criser Hall, P.O. Box 114000, Gainesville FL 32611-4000, USA, Telephone: 352-392-1365
Application Fee $30
Official College/
University Transcripts		 Official Transcripts
TOEFL Test Score Reports
(for international students)		 Original report Use institution code 5812
GRE general exam
score report		 Original report Use institution code 5812
GRE physics exam
score report (required by the department)		 Upload through UF admissions online system
Letters of recommendation Submit three letters online
Statement of purpose Submit online
Certification of Financial Responsibility May be submitted after acceptance


Materials sent to the University of Florida Office of Admissions: The University's Office of Admissions has certain requirements for admission; their requirements are described here.

Application fee of $30. This fee is required by the University of Florida. It cannot be waived, reduced, or deferred by the Physics Department. Please note that a service charge may be added if you pay by credit card.

Official transcripts from every postsecondary institution (college or university) that you have attended. Your transcripts must show that you possess (or will possess) a four-year undergraduate degree, or its equivalent. Official transcripts must be provided to the UF Office of Admissions from each postsecondary institution attended. Please do not send official transcripts to the department office but upload through the online system for department viewing.

Official score report for both the GRE General and the GRE Subject (physics). The University of Florida requires the GRE General score and the Physics Department requires the (physics) score. The Physics GRE be uploaded though the UF admissions online system.

Official score report for the English language proficiency exam is required for most international students. Proficiency in the English language is required of applicants from countries (including Puerto Rico) where English is not the official language. These applicants must submit official scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB). The Physics Department strongly recommends that international students take the internet-based TOEFL (the TOEFL-iBT) if possible. Please use institution code 5812 to send TOEFL score reports to the Office of Admissions. The English testing requirement may be waived if you have been enrolled in a degree seeking program for one academic year (in a country where English is the official language) prior to your anticipated term of enrollment at UF.

Certification of Financial Responsibility. This form is required by the University, but it does not have to be completed before we review your application. This form can be submitted at a later date.


If you have questions about your application:


You may use the online application system to track the status of your application at the UF Office of Admissions.

Please see our Frequently Asked Questions for more information about physics graduate admissions. International students may have special concerns about English proficiency, certification of financial responsibility, and visas. Further information about these topics is available at http://www.admissions.ufl.edu/prospectiveinternational.html.

The website of the Office of Admissions has further details on the admissions requirements and procedures for the University of Florida. If you still cannot find the information you seek, please email admissions@phys.ufl.edu.