Physics & Astronomy at Northwestern

APPLY ONLINE


Contact Us
Main Physics email address

More Information
Financial Aid

PhD Curricular Requirements

Northwestern Graduate School Admissions Page

Physics & Astronomy Entry in the Graduate Catalog

Graduate Admission

How to apply
Students who wish to be considered for graduate admission in Physics and Astronomy must submit an application to the Graduate School.  Applications must be made on-line.  The deadline for applications with a request for financial aid is December 31; without a financial aid request the deadline is June 1.  You must submit the following material in support of the application:

  • Completed on-line application form and application fee.  The application fee should be sent directly to the Graduate School.  Applications are examined by our department as they are submitted, i.e., if you pay the application fee by check, we do not wait for the check to arrive.

  • Two official transcripts of work completed or in progress at all colleges or universities attended.  Transcripts should be mailed to our department.

  • At least two letters of recommendation from professors familiar with your work.  The letters should be mailed to our department; it is your responsibility to ensure that we receive all letters by December 31.

  • Results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

  • Results of the advanced GRE in physics. For both the standard and advanced GRE exams, we will accept the results of exams taken before December 31 even if we do not receive the scores until after December 31.

  • For non-native English-speaking students, results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).  A minimum TOEFL score of 600 (paper test), or 250 (computer test), or 100 (Internet-based test) is required for admission to Northwestern.  Non-native English-speaking students who wish to work as Teaching Assistants must take the TOEFL-iBT (Internet-based Test) and achieve a minimum score of 26 on the oral part.  The paper and computer TOEFL exams are not acceptable to serve as a Teaching Assistant; these qualify you only for admission.  Students who have previously scored a 45 on the old TSE (Test of Spoken English) exam can also serve as Teaching Assistants.

The department does not offer a terminal Master's program, and only students who intend to pursue the PhD are admitted.  However, PhD students who satisfactorily complete the first year of classes and pass a comprehensive examination are eligible to receive a Master of Science degree.