Deadlines

Application materials and detailed instructions are available online through the UC Santa Cruz Graduate Division. Applicants may check the status of their application online.

For questions about the application process, please visit the UCSC Grad Admissions FAQ site.

Materials

• Three letters of recommendation from professors, professional contacts, or others who can speak to your abilities and academic potential in your field of study. Additional letters will neither help nor hurt your application.
  
  
• Statement of Purpose in 1-2 pages describing your research interests and plans for graduate study or research, and for your future occupation or profession. Include any information that may aid the selection committee in evaluating your preparation and qualifications for graduate study.
  
  
• Personal History Statement in 1-2 pages discussing how your personal background informs your decision to pursue a graduate degree. Include any educational, familial, cultural, economic, or social experiences, challenges, or opportunities relevant to your academic journey; how you might contribute to social or cultural diversity within your chosen field; and/or how you might serve educationally underrepresented segments of society with your degree. This should be different from your Statement of Purpose.
  
  
• Resume in PDF format.
  
  
• Three Research Areas you are interested in studying. This information will be used to ensure that the faculty in your areas of interest have an opportunity to review your application. If you feel none of the areas listed match your interests, please use the "other" field. Be sure to describe your interests and background in detail in your statement of purpose.
  
  Please provide your research interests in ranked order, with #1 being your highest-order preference:
  • Applied Physics
  • Astrophysics and cosmology experiment
  • Astrophysics and cosmology theory
  • Biophysics
  • Condensed matter experiment
  • Condensed matter theory
  • Material Science
  • Particle physics experiment
  • Particle physics theory

• English Language Competence for those whose primary language is not English.
   
  • TOEFL 
    For those choosing to take the TOEFL, a minimum score on the paper-based TOEFL of 550, or 220 on the computer-based test, or 83 on the internet-based test is required for admission.
    Any international students who wish to be considered for Teaching Assistant opportunities must score a 26 or higher on the Spoken Word portion of the internet-based test.
    
    
  • IELTS Exams
    For those choosing to take the IELTS, a minimum overall score of 7 from the IELTS test is required for admission. A speaking portion score of 8 from the IELTS test is required for all new international students who may serve as a Teaching Assistant at any time during their graduate career.
    
    
• Cumulative 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale in the last two years of undergraduate education.
  • If your undergraduate GPA is not on the 4.0 scale you may use an online calculator to convert your GPA.
    
    
• Unofficial Transcripts in PDF format. If admission is offered you will then need to send us official paper documents for verification. Admission offers are not considered final until we receive official documents matching the uploaded record.
  
  
• Academic Information (publications, teaching experience, etc.)
  • List articles, books, or any other materials published, with dates of publication. Provide URLs to publications where possible.
  • List name, approximate dates, and location of any institution at which you have taught.
  • Present occupation or position
  • Describe degree of proficiency (reading and speaking) in languages other than your first language.
    Foreign Language Proficiency
  • List relevant advanced or research work that you have completed in your chosen field of study.
    Research Experience
    
    
• Optional Diversity Fellowships. The Santa Cruz campus of the University of California has a long-standing goal of achieving a graduate student population that reflects the diversity of the state. Applicants who have excellent potential as future faculty and researchers and whose enrollment would contribute to the diversity of our graduate student population are invited to apply for these fellowships. You should complete this form if you believe that you meet both criteria and wish to be considered for one of these awards.

Application Fee Waiver

International Students

International applicants cannot apply for a fee waiver through the application portal. The Physics Department has a limited number of waivers available and will evaluate requests on a case-by-case basis.

Requirements:

• Have completed and uploaded the following to your application:
  • statement of purpose
  • personal history statement
  • statement of financial need
  • resume
    
    
• Have not yet paid for your application to the University.

Instructions:

• Follow the Application Fee Waiver link by December 15, 2024
  
  
• Include a one-page (500 word maximum) Statement of Financial Need addressed to the Physics Recruitment Committee describing your need for financial assistance. Be sure to include personal resources and other fellowships or grant opportunities that you will pursue to help cover your graduate education expenses.

• If you are granted a fee waiver, we will provide additional directions for how to complete the fee waiver section in the application portal.

Domestic Students

If you are a US Citizen, AB 540, or Permanent Resident of the United States you may request an application fee waiver on the Payment/Fee section of the application.

Domestic students may apply for the Department Fee Waiver only if your previous application fee waiver request was denied by Graduate Division.

Requirements:

• Have completed and uploaded the following to your application:
  • statement of purpose
  • personal history statement
  • statement of financial need
  • resume
    
    
• Have not yet paid for your application to the University.

Instructions:

• Follow the Application Fee Waiver link by December 15, 2024
  
  
• Include a one-page (500 word maximum) Statement of Financial Need addressed to the Physics Recruitment Committee describing your need for financial assistance. Be sure to include personal resources and other fellowships or grant opportunities that you will pursue to help cover your graduate education expenses.
  
  
• If you are granted a fee waiver, we will provide additional directions for how to complete the fee waiver section in the application portal.

Students Deferred Admission

Students admitted to the program in the previous application cycle for the current academic year who were in communication with the department about deferring their enrollment for a year to pursue related academic activities may request a Department Fee Waiver when they reapply by emailing physgradadvising@ucsc.edu.

U.S. Military, Undergraduate Scholars, and Historically Black College & University (HBCU) Applicants

The Graduate Division also offers application fee waivers to U.S. military veterans and students who have participated in any of the following career programs:

• Cal-Bridge
• CSU Pre-Doctoral Program
• Fulbright Scholars
• GEM Fellowship
• Graduate Pathways to STEM Conference
• Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU)
• MEP UC Santa Cruz
• Peace Corps
• SACNAS
• UC LEADS
• UC MEXUS/CONACYT
• UC-HBCU
• UCEAP Reciprocity
• U.S. Military

Full list of programs qualifying for fee waiver

Holisitic Admissions

The UCSC Physics Department is committed to providing an excellent education to a diverse population of graduate students and we encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. We employ a holistic process to assess candidates’ knowledge and passion for physics, as well as whether or not they have the perseverance and tenacity required to complete the doctoral program. Of particular importance is the alignment between the research interests of the candidate and those of the department. While taking into consideration a candidate's undergraduate GPA, letters of recommendation, student statements, and GRE scores (if provided), we do not disqualify applicants based on any single factor.  In particular, the department recognizes the documented limitations of the GRE as an equitable predictor of success in graduate studies and research.