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Admissions Information for Prospective Graduate Students

Thank you for considering the PhD program in Physics at MIT. Information regarding our graduate program and our application process can be found below and through the following webpages and other links on this page. If your questions are not answered after reviewing this information, please contact us at [email protected] .

Here are some links to pages relevant to prospective students:

• Material Required for a Complete Application , and information about When/How to Apply can be found below on this page.
• We have an FAQ which should help to answer many questions, and we provide Application Assistance from staff and students if you don’t find what you need in the FAQ.
• Additional Guidance about the application itself, along with examples, can be found on a separate page. The graduate application is available at https://apply.mit.edu/apply/ .
• General information about the graduate program and research areas in the physics department may also be of use.
• MSRP (MIT Summer Research Program) is designed to give underrepresented and underserved students access to an MIT research experience, pairing each student with a faculty member who will oversee the student conducting a research project at MIT.

Statement regarding admissions process during COVID Pandemic (Updated Summer 2023)

MIT has adopted the following principle: MIT’s admissions committees and offices for graduate and professional schools will take the significant disruptions of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 into account when reviewing students’ transcripts and other admissions materials as part of their regular practice of performing individualized, holistic reviews of each applicant.

In particular, as we review applications now and in the future, we will respect decisions regarding the adoption of Pass/No Record (or Credit/No Credit or Pass/Fail) and other grading options during the unprecedented period of COVID-19 disruptions, whether those decisions were made by institutions or by individual students. We also expect that the individual experiences of applicants will richly inform applications and, as such, they will be considered with the entirety of a student’s record.

Ultimately, even in these challenging times, our goal remains to form graduate student cohorts that are collectively excellent and composed of outstanding individuals who will challenge and support one another.

Questions or concerns about this statement should be directed to the Physics Department ( [email protected] ).

Applying to the MIT Department of Physics

We know that the application process can be time-consuming, stressful, and costly. We are committed to reducing these barriers and to helping all applicants receive a full and fair assessment by our faculty reviewers. Help is available from the Physics Graduate Admissions Office at [email protected] and additional assistance from current students is offered during the admissions season. Further details are described at the end of this page in our Assistance for Prospective Applicants section.

The list below describes the important elements of a complete application. Please reach out to us at [email protected] if you have a concern or logistical difficulty that could prevent you from providing your strongest application.

Required for a Complete Application

1. online application and application fee.

• MIT Graduate Admissions Online Graduate Application
• Application Fee: $90

2. University Transcript(s)

Unofficial transcripts are sufficient for our initial review, with final transcripts required as a condition of matriculation for successful applicants. Applicants should include a scan of their transcript(s) and, if a degree is in progress, should include a list of the class subjects being taken in the current semester. The portal will allow applicants to log back into the application after the deadline to add their Fall term grades when they are available.

Note: We will respect decisions regarding the adoption of Pass/No Record (or Credit/No Credit or Pass/Fail) and other grading options during the unprecedented period of COVID-19 disruptions, whether those decisions were made by institutions or by individual students.

3. Standardized Test Results

• GRE Tests : The Physics GRE (PGRE) is recommended but not required for graduate applications. All applications will be given full consideration with or without GRE scores.
• TOEFL or IELTS Test or a waiver is required for non-native English speakers. MIT’s TOEFL school code is 3514; the code for the Department of Physics is 76. IELTS does not require a code. Eligibility for TOEFL/IELTS waivers is in our FAQ section .
• Self-reported scores are sufficient for our initial application screening, with official scores required for admitted students as a condition of their offer. Applicants should attach a scanned copy of their test score report.

4. Letters of Recommendation

Letters should include any individual work applicants have done and/or areas where they have special strengths. It is possible to submit up to 6 total letters, but 3 are sufficient for a complete application and committee members may evaluate applications based on the first three letters that they read.

5. Statement of Objectives

Research is central to graduate study in physics. The Statement of Objectives/Purpose should include descriptions of research projects, aptitude and achievements as completely as possible. This important part of the application provides an opportunity to describe any interests, skills, and background relative to the research areas selected on the application form. Applicants should share anything that prepares them for graduate studies and describe their proudest achievements.

Additional Application Materials

• Research, Teaching, and Community Engagement – Any special background or achievement that prepares the applicant for Physics graduate studies at MIT. This may include research at their undergraduate school as part of their Bachelor or Master degree, or summer research at another program or school.  We also value our student’s contributions to their community on a variety of scales (from institutional to societal) and we encourage applicants to tell us about their teaching and community engagement activities.  The “experience” questions are intended to provide a CV-like listing of achievements, some of which may be elaborated on in the “Statement of Objectives” and/or the optional “Personal Statement”.
• Publications, Talks, and Merit Based Recognition – Recognition of success in research, academics, and outreach can take many forms, including publications, talks, honors, prizes, awards, fellowships, etc.  This may include current nominations for scholarships or papers submitted for publication.
• Optional Personal Statement – Members of our community come from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. We welcome any personal information that will help us to evaluate applications holistically and will provide context for the applicant’s academic achievements. This statement may include extenuating circumstances, significant challenges that were overcome, a non-traditional educational background, description of any advocacy or values work, or other information that may be relevant.
• Detailed instructions for each application section, and many examples , can be found on the “ Additional Guidance ” page.  The detailed instructions are lengthy, and are intended to be read only “as needed” while you work on your application (i.e., you don’t need to go read the whole thing before you start).

When/How to Apply

When : Applications can be submitted between September 15 and December 15 by 11:59pm EST for the following year.

How : The application is online at https://apply.mit.edu/apply/

Application Assistance

Faculty, students, and staff have collaborated to provide extensive guidance to prospective applicants to our graduate degree program, which we detail below:

• Our website provides answers to many frequently asked admissions questions
• Admissions staff are available for questions at [email protected] . We encourage students to send their questions early in the application process, as staff become increasingly busy with requests as the application deadline approaches!
• The Physics Graduate Application Assistance Program ( PhysGAAP ) is run by current graduate students and offers online webinars, office hours, and one-on-one mentoring. Registration is now open for Fall 2024 , and more information is provided below.

Physics Graduate Application Assistance Program (PhysGAAP)

PhysGAAP is a program offering resources for students applying to graduate school, and it was first started to reduce the barriers for application to the MIT Physics PhD program and address the underrepresentation of students from historically excluded communities. Our services include annual webinars about the application process, office hours to answer questions, and a one-on-one mentoring program for students who would benefit from more in-depth, individual assistance. Visit the PhysGAAP website for more information! 

The Fall 2024 webinars will be held on October 16th at 9-10am and 4-5pm. Zoom and Slido information will be sent 1 week before the webinar to applicants who have registered for PhysGAAP using this form .

Recordings of past webinars can also be found on our website . Please note past webinars may contain outdated information about some topics, such as GRE requirements.

Office Hours

Our Office Hours are a space where you can briefly chat with an MIT Physics graduate student about questions you may have about applying to graduate school. For example, if you have questions about the specifics of applying to MIT Physics, what materials you need for your application, or other questions that only require a one-time meeting, office hours may be a good option for you.

Information about the Office Hours program will be sent out to those who register for PhysGAAP through this form .

1-on-1 Mentorship

1-on-1 mentoring is offered for students who would benefit from more in-depth individual assistance. Our capacity is limited, so we will give preferential consideration to PhysGAAP Mentorship applicants who would most benefit from the program and can demonstrate that they are a good fit. We therefore ask prospective applicants to start by asking their questions at our webinars and office hours program. 

If applicants want further assistance, they may apply to the PhysGAAP Mentorship Program, which pairs prospective graduate school applicants with current graduate students who can provide feedback on their application and insight into graduate school and the MIT Physics PhD program. 

Applications for the PhysGAAP Mentorship Program will open later in the Fall and are expected to close in early-mid November . To stay up to date on when the applications open, please register for PhysGAAP through this form .

Please note that participation in PhysGAAP is not considered during admissions review. It helps applicants put forward their strongest materials, but does not guarantee admission into our graduate program.

Admissions/Application FAQs

Our Frequently Asked Questions provide further information about degree requirements, funding, educational background, application deadlines, English language proficiency, program duration, start dates and deferrals, and fee waiver requests.

The MOST Frequently Asked Question…

What is included in a strong graduate application for physics at mit.

Applications are assessed holistically and many variables are considered in the application review process. The following four main factors are required for a complete application.

• the applicant’s statement of objectives or purpose,
• transcripts of past grades,
• score reports of any required standardized tests,
• three letters of reference.

In addition, any past research experience, publications, awards, and honors are extremely helpful, particularly if they are in the area(s) of the applicant’s interest(s). Applicants may also include a personal statement in their application to provide context as the materials are assessed.

Applications are routed to admission committee members and other faculty readers using the “areas of interest” and any faculty names selected from the menu as well as based on the research interests included in the statement of objectives. Please select the areas of interest that best reflect your goals.

Instructions are available in the application itself , with further guidance on our Additional Guidance page. The Physics Admissions Office will respond to questions sent to [email protected] .

General Questions Regarding the PhD Program in Physics

Must i have a degree in physics in order to apply to this graduate program.

Our successful applicants generally hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics, or have taken many Physics classes if they have majored in another discipline. The most common other majors are astronomy, engineering, mathematics, and chemistry. Bachelor of Science degrees may be 3-year or 4-year degrees, depending on the education structure of the country in which they are earned.

What are the requirements to complete a PhD?

The requirements for a PhD in Physics at MIT are the doctoral examination, a few required subject classes, and a research-based thesis. The doctoral examination consists of a written and an oral examination. The written component may be satisfied either by passing the 4 subject exams or by passing designated classes related to each topic with a qualifying grade; the oral exam will be given in a student’s chosen research area. The Physics Department also requires that each student take two classes in the field of specialization and two physics-related courses in fields outside the specialty. Research for the thesis is conducted throughout the student’s time in the program, culminating in a thesis defense and submission of the final thesis.

Can I take courses at other schools nearby?

Yes. Cross-registration is available at Harvard University and Wellesley College.

How many years does it take to complete the PhD requirements?

From 3 to 7 years, averaging 5.6 years.

How will I pay for my studies?

Our students are fully supported financially throughout the duration of their program, provided that they make satisfactory progress. Funding is provided from Fellowships (internal and external) and/or Assistantships (research and teaching) and covers tuition, health insurance, and a living stipend. Read more about funding .

Note: For more detailed information regarding the cost of attendance, including specific costs for tuition and fees, books and supplies, housing and food as well as transportation, please visit the Student Financial Services (SFS) website .

How many applications are submitted each year? How many students are accepted?

Although the number varies each year, the Department of Physics usually welcomes approximately 45 incoming graduate students each year. Last year we received more than 1,700 applications and extended fewer than 90 offers of admission.

What are the minimum grades and exam scores for admitted applicants?

There are no minimum standards for overall grade point averages/GPAs. Grades from physics and other related classes will be carefully assessed. Under a special COVID-19 policy, MIT will accept transcripts with a variety of grading conventions, including any special grading given during the COVID-19 pandemic. PGREs (Physics subject GRE) is not required for graduate applications but is recommended.

Our program is conducted in English and all applicants must demonstrate their English language proficiency. Non-native English speakers should review our policy carefully before waiving the TOEFL/IELTS requirements. We do not set a minimum requirement on TOEFL/IELTS scores; however, students who are admitted to our program typically score above the following values:

• IELTS – 7
• TOEFL (computer based) – 200
• TOEFL (iBT) – 100
• TOEFL (standard) – 600

The Application Process

When is the deadline for applying to the phd program in physics.

Applications for enrollment in the fall are due each year by 11:59pm EST on December 15 of the preceding year. There is no admission cycle for spring-term enrollment.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for me to take tests in person. Can I still apply?

PGRE (Physics subject GRE) is not required for graduate applications but is recommended. Non-native English speakers who are not eligible for a test waiver should include their results from either an in-person or online version of the TOEFL or IELTS test.

Does the Department of Physics provide waivers for the English language exam (TOEFL/IELTS)?

An English language exam (IELTS, TOEFL, TOEFL iBT, or the C2 Cambridge English Proficiency exam) is required of all applicants who are from a country in which English is not the primary language. Exceptions to this policy will be considered for candidates who, at the start of their graduate studies in 2025, will have been in the US or in a country whose official language is English for three years or longer and who will have received a degree from a college or university in a country where the language of education instruction is English. An interview via telephone, Zoom, or Skype may be arranged at the discretion of the Admissions Committee. More information on a possible English Language Waiver Decision (PDF).

Does the Department of Physics provide application fee waivers?

Although we do not want the MIT application fee to be a barrier to admission, we cannot provide application fee waivers to all who request one.  The Department of Physics has a limited number of fee waivers to grant. Applicants should first investigate their eligibility for a fee waiver through the Office of Graduate Education . Those not eligible will be prompted to submit a departmental application. Fee waiver requests will only be considered *before* an applicant has submitted the application, but *after* they have completed all parts of the application, including transcript uploads and requests for letters of recommendation. Fee waiver requests for incomplete applications will not be considered. Fee waiver requests will be considered on a first-come-first-served basis, and not after December 1. Furthermore, applications lacking the paid fee or a fee waiver by 11:59pm EST on December 15 will not be reviewed or considered for admission.

Can I arrange a visit to the Physics Department or a specific research area?

We are not currently hosting or meeting with outside visitors in person, nor are we facilitating visits to our classrooms. Current graduate students and prospective applicants should direct any questions by email to [email protected] .

Applicants are invited to send specific questions to the Physics Admissions Office and some questions may be forwarded to current students for further information. Admitted students will be invited to attend an in-person open house.

Can I receive an update on the status of my application?

Candidates can check on the status of their application at apply.mit.edu/apply at any time. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all items are sent.

When will I be notified of a final decision?

Applicants will be notified via email of decisions by the end of February. If you have not heard from us by March 1, please send email to [email protected] .

We do not provide results by phone.

Can admitted students start in a term other than the next Fall semester?

Applications submitted between September 15 and December 15 by 11:59pm EST are assessed for the following Fall semester. We do not provide a separate admission review cycle for the Spring semester. Individual research supervisors may invite incoming students to start their research during the summer term a few months earlier than their studies would normally begin. All other incoming students start their studies in late August for the Fall term.

Once admitted, applicants may request a one-year deferral to attend a specific academic program or for another approved reason, with single semester deferrals for the following Spring term granted only rarely.

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• General Exam Prep

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General exam preparation.

The general exam consists of two parts: written and oral . See the department webpage for more details. The Written Exam addresses four topics:

• Electricity & Magnetism (E&M),
• Classical Mechanics (CM),
• Statistical Mechanics (SM),
• Quantum Mechanics (QM).

Students take each topic as a separate 75-minute exam, selecting one of two presented written questions; their performance is evaluated separately for each section. Students may also meet any one of the topic requirements through classwork (for E&M, 8.311; for CM, 8.309; for SM, 8.333; and for QM, 8.321). Written Exams are administered and results are available prior to the fall and spring semesters each year.

Sample exams, with solutions, are available to help MIT Physics doctoral students study for the Written Exam. Prior to 2015 our Qualifying Exams were given in 3 parts: Parts I and II comprised the Written Exam, and the Oral Exam was known as Part III. [Note that faculty and students who experienced the exams in this format may still refer to the current Written Exam as "Part II" and the Oral Exam as "Part III".] Sample exams labeled "Part II" with the 4 sections presented as a 5-hour exam continue to be valuable for Written Exam study, if reviewed as separate 75-minute topics. The fall 2015 is the first exam that was administered in the current format.

MIT Physics GSC General Exam Report

In the spring of 2006, the MIT Physics GSC surveyed the Course 8 graduate student population on a series of topics relating to the Graduate General Exams. The results have been painstakingly compiled into a full report by the members of the PGSC. The PGSC has also prepared a report comparing MIT's general exams to those administered by other graduate physics programs in the US, and a collection of sample problems from exams at other universities. Many thanks to the MIT Physics GSC for this important service to the Course 8 graduate community!

• Survey Report
• Comparison Report
• Exam samples from other institutions
• Written Exam Study Guide

The following study guide was generously contributed by Alexander Leder in 2015 and most recently reviewed by the faculty exam committee in 2019. It provides some useful tips and a list of topics for each of the four subject areas.

[NEW!] The following resources on Quantum Mechanics were generously contributed by Alex Yelland in 2023. Inside this ZIP file, there is both the PDF and TEX versions of his notes (“Quantum_Mechanics_Notes”) , the study guide (“Quantum_Mechanics_Cheatsheet”) , and the written exams solutions (“Quantum_Mechanics_Written_Exams_Solutions”) , along with the individual exam problems broken out into separate projects/PDFs. Please note that these resources were kindly provided by the student and they are not official. Please feel free to contact Alex ( [email protected] ) or the PhysREFS ( [email protected] ) if you have any questions or concerns. 

• Study Resources on Quantum Mechanics

Sample Written Exams & Solutions

Below we have compiled exams and solution sets for as many back years as we can find. These are solutions generously provided by fellow students for past written exams; they are not official solutions. Please reach out to physREFS if you find any errors at [email protected] .  As you can see, not all exams have solution sets, and some of the posted solutions are messy or incomplete. If, in your preparation for the general exams, you work out a solution to a problem, please consider writing it up and sending us a copy. In addition to the warm, fuzzy sensation of knowing you helped out your fellow exam-takers, and the fame and prestige of having your insightful solution admired by future generations of Course 8 students, the really important thing is that every neatly typeset and correct solution to a complete written exam problem will be gratefully rewarded with a shiny physREFS water bottle . To qualify for the gift, the existing solution to the problem below must be either (1) missing, (2) handwritten, or (3) demonstrably incorrect (with the demonstrating to be done by you). Only submissions typeset in LaTeX will be accepted; you must send us both the PDF and LaTeX source versions of your solution. Send your submissions to [email protected] .

• 2021 Fall: Exam | Student contributions: Classical Mech. 1 & 2 by Rikab Gambhir and Daniel Mark, Statistical Mech. 1 & 2 by Yunchao Zhang, EM 1 & 2 by Yunchao Zhang, QM 1 & 2 by Zhaoyi Li
• 2021 Spring: Exam | Student contributions: Classical Mech. 1 & 2 by Daniel Mark, Statistical Mech. 1 & 2 by Kien Pham, EM 1 & 2  by Michael Reefe, QM 1 & 2 by Zhaoyi Li
• 2016 Spring : Exam | Solution
• 2015 Fall : Exam | Solution
• 2012 Fall : Exam | Solution  [Correction to E&M Q1c  by Abdelaziz Hussein]
• 2012 Spring : Exam | Solution
• 2002 Fall : Exam | Solution  [Correction to E&M Q1 by Wenzer Qin]
• 2002 Spring : Exam | Solution  [Student contributions: all problems by Istvan Cziegler; corrections to Stat Mech Problem 1 and Problem 2 by Anthony Grebe]
• 2001 Fall : Exam | Solution
• 2001 Spring : Exam | Solution
• 2000 Fall : Exam | Solution
• 2000 Spring : Exam | Solution   [Student contributions: CM 1 & 2 by  by Mingyu Charles Li]
• 1999 Fall : Exam | Solution
• 1999 Spring : Exam | Solution
• 1998 Fall : Exam | Solution  [Student contributions: QM 1 & 2 by Leo Stein; CM 1 by Koushik Balasubramanian; CM 2 by Vijay Kumar Sreenivasa Gopalan; E&M 1 by Eric Fitzgerald]
• 1998 Spring : Exam | Solution
• 1997 Fall : Exam | Solution

Oral Exam Study Guide

The MIT Physics GSC hosts a wiki site for topics and questions that appeared in past oral exams (known as "Part III" prior to 2015). In addition, Brian Ross has generously compiled a study guide in 2008 for biophysics. We welcome simlilar compilations for other divisions!

• Biophysics oral exam study guide