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, 2010. US applicants should submit all materials before February 1, 2010. 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, 2010. 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. The complete application has three parts: (1) the online application, (2) materials sent to the University of Florida Office of Admissions, and (3) materials sent directly the Physics Department:(1) The online application: Please begin by completing the online application 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. If for some reason you cannot complete the online application, you may instead complete a paper application. The forms are available for download from the Office of Admissions at http://www.admissions.ufl.edu/forms.html. Please do not send the paper application to the Physics Department. Paper applications must be sent to the UF Office of Admissions at P.O. Box 114000, Gainesville, FL 32611-4000, USA.
Once you have completed the online application, you need to send application materials to both the Physics Department and the UF Office of Admissions. Please refer to the following checklist to make sure that you have sent all items required. Each item is explained in more detail below.
Materials Required for a Complete Application to the Physics Graduate Program
| ITEM | Send to Physics Graduate Office
Museum Road & Lemerand Drive PO Box 118440 Gainesville FL 32611-8440 USA Telephone: 352-392-9472 |
Send 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 |
Original Transcripts | Original Transcripts |
| TOEFL Test Score Reports
(for international students) |
Photocopy of report | Original report Use institution code 5812 |
| GRE general exam
score report |
Photocopy of report | Original report Use institution code 5812 |
| GRE physics exam
score report |
Photocopy of report | Original report Use institution code 5812 |
| Letters of recommendation | Send 3 letters directly to Physics Dept | Letters may be submitted in online system (optional) |
| Statement of purpose | Copy of statement | Submit online |
| Certification of Financial Responsibility | -- | May be submitted after acceptance |
(2) Materials sent to the University of Florida Office of Admissions: The University's Office of Admissions has certain requirements for admission; their requirements, described here, are in addition to the requirements of the Physics Department. Please send the following materials to the University of Florida Office of Admissions at the address given above:
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 of $1.75 may be added if you pay by credit card.
Official transcript 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. Photocopied or scanned transcripts are not accepted.
Official score report for both the GRE General and the GRE Subject (physics). Please use institution code 5812 to send these score reports to the Office of Admissions. The University of Florida requires the GRE General score and the Physics Department requires the (physics) score.
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. It can be submitted later.
(3) Materials sent directly to the Physics Department: Please send the following materials to Physics Department Graduate Admissions at the address given above:
Complete official transcripts. Both the Physics Department and the Office of Admissions require official transcripts from all postsecondary institutions that you have attended. If for reasons of cost you cannot send official transcripts to both the Physics Department and the Office of Admissions, please send one set of official transcripts to the Physics Department. We will make our own copies and then forward the original transcripts to the UF Office of Admissions.
Copies of test score reports. Please send copies of your GRE general and subject (physics) scores, and TOEFL scores (if applicable). All physics PhD applicants must submit a GRE subject (physics) score.
Statement of Purpose. This Statement tells us your plans and explains why you want to attend graduate school in physics. It is particularly helpful if your Statement describes any prior physics research experience that you may have, identifies your potential research interests, and explains any unusual circumstances that may surround your application. Even if you have submitted your Statement through the online application, please send a paper copy to the Physics Department.
3 Letters of Recommendation. Letters of recommendation from faculty who can discuss your potential as a physicist are especially important in graduate admission. You may submit more than three letters if you wish, although there is usually little benefit in sending more than four letters. These letters may be submitted electronically (through the online application system) or they may be sent by postal mail directly to the physics department. The Physics Department strongly prefers to receive these letters by postal mail.
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. However there is no online system that will allow you to track the status of your application at the Physics Department. Please refer to the table above to make sure that you have sent all required materials to the Physics Department.
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.
Graduate Links
Contact
Student Services
Office: 1210C NPB
Phone: 352.392.9472
Mail Application to:
Department of Physics Graduate Admissions
University of Florida
B100 New Physics Building
Gainesville, FL 32611-8440
United States of America
Office: 1210C NPB
Phone: 352.392.9472
Mail Application to:
Department of Physics Graduate Admissions
University of Florida
B100 New Physics Building
Gainesville, FL 32611-8440
United States of America