The acceptance rate for MIT’s physics PhD program is highly competitive, typically hovering around 4-5% each year. This means that only a small percentage of applicants are accepted into the prestigious program, making it one of the most selective in the world.
To be considered for admission to MIT’s physics PhD program, applicants must have completed or be in the final stages of completing a four-year bachelor’s degree or higher. While a GPA of 3.5 or above is encouraged, it is not a guarantee of acceptance. Applicants are also expected to have a strong background in physics and related fields, as well as strong letters of recommendation and a compelling personal statement.
The admission process for MIT’s physics PhD program is highly competitive and rigorous. In addition to meeting the academic requirements, applicants must also submit GRE scores, letters of recommendation, a personal statement, and any relevant research experience. The admissions committee carefully reviews each application and selects only the most qualified candidates for interviews and ultimately, acceptance into the program.
Topic | Acceptance Rate for MIT Physics PhD Program | GPA Requirement for MIT PhD |
---|---|---|
Details | The acceptance rate for MIT’s physics PhD program varies from year to year, but it is typically around 4-5%. | At the graduate level, applicants must have a GPA of 3.5 or better. |
Relation to Quality of Education | A low acceptance rate indicates that MIT’s physics PhD program is highly competitive and attracts top-tier applicants. | Requiring a high GPA ensures that students admitted to the program have demonstrated academic excellence. |
is a PhD from mIT worth it
A PhD usually involves students engaged independently in original and significant research in a specific field or subject prior to the production of a publication-worthy thesis. By undertaking a PhD, you will become an expert, possibly an international expert, in your chosen field. A doctorate is the highest academic degree that can be awarded by a university. In Germany, studying for a doctorate means working intensively on a specific subject or research project over a long period of time. The duration of the doctorate also varies. Three to five years is typical. If you decide to take a doctorate, you can choose between different forms of study.
The Harvard Physics PhD program will not be accepting Physics or General GRE scores for the upcoming admissions cycle with application deadline December 15, 2020. Please do not submit GRE scores to us or mention them anywhere in your application. Note that this new policy may not be reflected on all Harvard University websites yet. Note also that several other graduate physics programs have made similar changes to their GRE policies, so please be sure to check in with any programs to which you will be applying. Questions about our policy should be directed to the Department of Physics at gradinfo@physics.harvard.edu.
Applications are evaluated for our doctoral (PhD) program in Physics, which builds on an undergraduate degree in Physics or similar field. We do not offer a Master of Science degree for incoming students.
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 our regular practice of performing individualized, holistic reviews of each applicant. Please read our special COVID-19 Statement regarding transcripts and tests for applications submitted by 12/15/2020.
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.
The list below describes the important elements of a complete application. Please reach out to us at physics-grad@mit.eduif you have a concern or logistical difficulty that could prevent you from providing your strongest application.
Complete Applications will include (click links for more information):
- Application Fee: $75
- University Transcripts – (See Special COVID-Period Grading statement.)
- Standardized Test Results
- GRE General Test – (Not considered in 2020 under special COVID-period policy.)
- GRE Physics Subject Test – (Not considered in 2020 under special COVID-period policy.)
- TOEFL or IELTS Test – (Required for Non-Native English Speakers.)
- 3 Letters of Recommendation
- Personal Statement
- Your Achievements:
- Research, Talks, Presentations, and Papers
- Awards, Scholarships, and Publications
When/How to Apply:
The MIT graduate application is online at https://gradapply.mit.edu/physics/apply/login/?next=/physics/apply/. The online application will be available from September 15 and is due by December 15 for the fall semester in the next year. (Example: Applications for fall 2021 are due by 12/15/2020.)
Application guidance and responses to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are available on our webpage for Prospective Applicants. Please check back through September 2020 as we continue to update this information athttp://web.mit.edu/physics/prospective/graduate/applicationinfo_full.html.
Additional information can be found by reviewing the links on this page. For technical and questions related to requirements, please email physics-grad@mit.edu.
mIT physics PhD admission requirements
In recognition of the significant disruptions caused by Covid-19, specifically the challenges of finding a practical testing site and date, the MIT Physics Department is not accepting Physics GRE or General GRE scores for applications received by the December 15, 2020 deadline for the academic year starting in 2021. We believe that this is necessary to avoid inadvertently privileging some applicants. All applications will be given full consideration without reference to GRE scores, either general test or Physics subject test scores.
MIT has also 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 (physics-grad@mit.edu).
School name | Department | Acceptance rate | Number applied | Number admitted | Number enrolled | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Appalachian State University | Physics and Astronomy | 100% | 19 | 19 | 17 |
2 | Southern Connecticut State University | Physics | 87.5% | 8 | 7 | 6 |
3 | Bowling Green State University | Physics & Astronomy | 85.71% | 70 | 60 | 8 |
4 | University of Dayton | Electro-Optics Program | 81.13% | 53 | 43 | 17 |
5 | University of Colorado, Colorado Springs | Physics | 79.17% | 24 | 19 | 14 |
6 | Creighton University | Physics | 76.92% | 26 | 20 | 9 |
7 | University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth | Physics | 76.19% | 21 | 16 | 5 |
8 | Eastern Michigan University | Physics and Astronomy | 75% | 12 | 9 | 6 |
9 | Virginia Commonwealth University | Physics | 72.73% | 11 | 8 | 8 |
10 | George Mason University | Physical Sciences | 65.08% | 63 | 41 | 24 |
11 | Alabama A&M University | Physics | 62.5% | 8 | 5 | 4 |
12 | San Francisco State University | Physics & Astronomy | 61.54% | 26 | 16 | 12 |
13 | Illinois Institute of Technology | Physics | 61.36% | 88 | 54 | 14 |
14 | University of Houston | Physics | 60.53% | 76 | 46 | 23 |
15 | Florida Atlantic University | Physics | 60% | 20 | 12 | 10 |
16 | Fudan University | Physics | 60% | 150 | 90 | 90 |
17 | San Diego State University | Physics | 58.33% | 60 | 35 | 13 |
18 | University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee | Physics | 57.75% | 71 | 41 | 16 |
19 | Northern Illinois University | Physics | 57.58% | 99 | 57 | 8 |
20 | East Carolina University | Physics | 56.76% | 37 | 21 | 13 |
21 | University of Minnesota, Duluth | Physics | 56% | 25 | 14 | 6 |
22 | Missouri University of Science & Technology | Physics | 55.81% | 43 | 24 | 24 |
23 | Boston College | Physics | 54.72% | 53 | 29 | 6 |
24 | Montana State University, Bozeman | Physics | 54.17% | 96 | 52 | 19 |
25 | University of Tennessee, Knoxville | Physics & Astronomy | 54.17% | 144 | 78 | 22 |
26 | Western Michigan University | Physics | 52.94% | 34 | 18 | 7 |
27 | Michigan Technological University | Physics | 52.76% | 127 | 67 | 10 |
28 | Montana Tech | Geosciences & Engineering | 52.31% | 65 | 34 | 26 |
29 | George Washington University | Physics | 50% | 70 | 35 | 17 |
30 | Montana Tech of the University of Montana | Materials Science PhD Program | 50% | 8 | 4 | 3 |
31 | Texas State University, San Marcos | Physics | 50% | 22 | 11 | 5 |
32 | University of Maryland, Baltimore County | Atmospheric Physics Graduate Program | 50% | 12 | 6 | 5 |
33 | Oklahoma State University | Physics | 48.98% | 49 | 24 | 14 |
34 | New Mexico State University | Physics | 48.39% | 31 | 15 | 9 |
35 | University of Nebraska, Lincoln | Physics & Astronomy | 48.39% | 93 | 45 | 18 |
36 | University of Arizona | Optical Sciences | 48.28% | 290 | 140 | 95 |
37 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | Physics | 48% | 25 | 12 | 8 |
38 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | Physics | 48% | 50 | 24 | 5 |
39 | University of Maine | Physics and Astronomy | 47.06% | 34 | 16 | 9 |
40 | University of Nevada, Reno | Physics | 46.67% | 30 | 14 | 8 |
41 | Ohio University | Physics and Astronomy | 45.83% | 96 | 44 | 10 |
42 | University of Massachusetts, Lowell | Physics & Applied Physics | 44.87% | 78 | 35 | |
43 | Northeastern University | Physics | 44.74% | 228 | 102 | 24 |
44 | University of California Merced | Physics | 43.75% | 80 | 35 | 18 |
45 | Columbia University | Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics | 43.28% | 536 | 232 | |
46 | Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis | Physics | 42.86% | 14 | 6 | 6 |
47 | College of William and Mary | Physics | 41.18% | 51 | 21 | 8 |
48 | Texas Christian University | Physics and Astronomy | 40.91% | 22 | 9 | 7 |
49 | University of Alaska Fairbanks | Physics | 40.91% | 22 | 9 | 3 |
50 | Clark University | Physics | 40.74% | 27 | 11 | 4 |
51 | Auburn University | Physics | 40% | 30 | 12 | 12 |
52 | Oakland University | Physics | 40% | 15 | 6 | 3 |
53 | Seton Hall University | Physics | 40% | 15 | 6 | 6 |
54 | Southern Methodist University | Physics | 40% | 15 | 6 | 4 |
55 | University of New Hampshire | Physics | 40% | 60 | 24 | 12 |
56 | Georgetown University | Physics | 39.66% | 58 | 23 | 7 |
57 | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill | Physics & Astronomy | 39.55% | 134 | 53 | 27 |
58 | Oregon State University | Physics | 38.89% | 72 | 28 | 10 |
59 | University of Virginia | Physics | 38.41% | 151 | 58 | 13 |
60 | Texas Tech University | Physics | 38.18% | 55 | 21 | 16 |
61 | University of Vermont | Physics | 37.93% | 29 | 11 | 5 |
62 | Arizona State University | Physics & Astronomy | 36.89% | 103 | 38 | 19 |
63 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | Physics | 36.67% | 30 | 11 | 4 |
64 | Virginia Tech | Physics | 36.59% | 123 | 45 | 12 |
65 | University of Massachusetts, Amherst | Physics | 35.8% | 176 | 63 | 23 |
66 | State University of New York (SUNY), Binghamton | Physics, Applied Physics & Astronomy | 35.71% | 42 | 15 | 6 |
67 | University of Connecticut | Physics | 35.48% | 124 | 44 | 19 |
68 | University of Wisconsin | Medical Physics Program | 35.21% | 71 | 25 | 10 |
69 | University of Florida | Physics | 35.14% | 276 | 97 | 27 |
70 | Rice University | Smalley-Curl Institute | 33.78% | 74 | 25 | 12 |
71 | North Carolina State University, Raleigh | Physics | 33.33% | 165 | 55 | 17 |
72 | University of Mississippi | Physics & Astronomy | 33.33% | 60 | 20 | 14 |
73 | Clemson University | Physics & Astronomy | 33.01% | 103 | 34 | 14 |
74 | University of Illinois, Chicago | Physics | 32.71% | 107 | 35 | 14 |
75 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Physics, Applied Physics, Astronomy | 31.93% | 119 | 38 | 11 |
76 | Old Dominion University | Physics | 31.75% | 63 | 20 | 8 |
77 | University of Iowa | Physics & Astronomy | 30.89% | 123 | 38 | 15 |
78 | California State University, Long Beach | Physics & Astronomy | 30.77% | 65 | 20 | 15 |
79 | Ohio State University | Physics | 30.71% | 394 | 121 | 41 |
80 | Purdue Universty | Physics | 30.31% | 320 | 97 | 28 |
81 | Clarkson University | Physics | 30% | 10 | 3 | 2 |
82 | Washington University in St. Louis | Physics | 30% | 100 | 30 | 10 |
83 | Drexel University | Physics | 29.63% | 81 | 24 | 8 |
84 | Emory University | Physics | 28.87% | 97 | 28 | 12 |
85 | Baylor University | Physics | 28.81% | 59 | 17 | 10 |
86 | University of Minnesota | Physics | 28.8% | 316 | 91 | 33 |
87 | University of Oregon | Physics | 28.7% | 216 | 62 | 16 |
88 | State University of New York (SUNY), Univ. at Buffalo | Physics | 28.45% | 116 | 33 | 12 |
89 | University of California, Riverside | Physics & Astronomy | 28.23% | 294 | 83 | 34 |
90 | Wake Forest University | Physics | 28.21% | 39 | 11 | 6 |
91 | Georgia Institute of Technology | Physics | 27.91% | 258 | 72 | 20 |
92 | DePaul University | Physics | 27.78% | 18 | 5 | 5 |
93 | Portland State University | Physics | 27.78% | 36 | 10 | 6 |
94 | University of Central Florida | CREOL, The College of Optics & Photonics | 27.07% | 181 | 49 | 23 |
95 | Rice University | Physics & Astronomy | 27.05% | 244 | 66 | 23 |
96 | University of Notre Dame | Physics | 27.03% | 185 | 50 | 11 |
97 | Kansas State University | Physics | 26.83% | 123 | 33 | 9 |
98 | University of South Dakota | Physics | 26.32% | 19 | 5 | 3 |
99 | Kent State University | Department of Physics | 26.03% | 73 | 19 | 9 |
100 | University of Maryland, Baltimore County | Physics Graduate Program | 26.03% | 73 | 19 | 5 |
101 | Utah State University | Physics | 25% | 40 | 10 | 7 |
102 | University of Texas at Austin | Physics | 24.75% | 303 | 75 | 34 |
103 | University of Colorado, Boulder | Physics | 24.57% | 863 | 212 | 66 |
104 | Colorado School of Mines | Physics | 24.42% | 86 | 21 | 13 |
105 | Georgia State University | Physics & Astronomy | 23.58% | 106 | 25 | 15 |
106 | Lehigh University | Physics | 23.48% | 115 | 27 | 10 |
107 | University of Pittsburgh | Physics & Astronomy | 23.29% | 365 | 85 | 27 |
108 | University of Michigan | Applied Physics | 23.23% | 155 | 36 | 16 |
109 | University of Missouri, Columbia | Physics & Astronomy | 22.67% | 75 | 17 | 10 |
110 | University of Kansas | Physics & Astronomy | 22.47% | 89 | 20 | 9 |
111 | University of California, San Diego | Physics | 22.44% | 566 | 127 | 25 |
112 | University of Cincinnati | Physics | 22.39% | 67 | 15 | 8 |
113 | University of Arizona | Physics | 22.35% | 179 | 40 | 15 |
114 | Rutgers University, New Brunswick | Physics & Astronomy | 21.82% | 275 | 60 | 20 |
115 | University of South Florida | Physics | 21.74% | 92 | 20 | 10 |
116 | University of Delaware | Physics & Astronomy | 21.25% | 160 | 34 | 11 |
117 | University of Central Florida | Physics | 21.16% | 189 | 40 | 21 |
118 | Florida State University | Physics | 21.07% | 261 | 55 | 26 |
119 | Bryn Mawr College | Physics | 21.05% | 19 | 4 | 1 |
120 | University of Wisconsin, Madison | Physics | 20.96% | 477 | 100 | 30 |
121 | Iowa State University | Physics and Astronomy | 20.83% | 120 | 25 | 4 |
122 | Miami University | Physics | 20.83% | 48 | 10 | 9 |
123 | New Mexico State University | Astronomy | 20.56% | 107 | 22 | 8 |
124 | University of Rochester | Physics & Astronomy | 20% | 445 | 89 | 15 |
125 | University of California, Irvine | Physics | 19.49% | 431 | 84 | 35 |
126 | University of South Carolina | Physics & Astronomy | 19.23% | 78 | 15 | 6 |
127 | Duke University | Physics | 18.8% | 250 | 47 | 19 |
128 | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign | Physics | 18.66% | 745 | 139 | 44 |
129 | University of Kentucky | Physics & Astronomy | 18.56% | 97 | 18 | 9 |
130 | University of Southern California | Physics & Astronomy | 18.4% | 163 | 30 | 11 |
131 | Pennsylvania State University | Physics | 18.09% | 470 | 85 | 25 |
132 | University of California, Santa Cruz | Physics | 17.99% | 278 | 50 | 22 |
133 | Carnegie Mellon University | Physics | 17.3% | 318 | 55 | 11 |
134 | Colorado State University | Physics | 17.02% | 188 | 32 | 12 |
135 | Indiana University, Bloomington | Astronomy | 16.95% | 59 | 10 | 5 |
136 | Cornell University | Physics | 16.67% | 594 | 99 | 24 |
137 | University of Oklahoma | Physics & Astronomy | 16.51% | 109 | 18 | 18 |
138 | State University of New York (SUNY), Stony Brook | Physics & Astronomy | 16.31% | 558 | 91 | 32 |
139 | University of Nevada, Las Vegas | Physics | 16.13% | 31 | 5 | 3 |
140 | University of Washington | Physics | 15.94% | 646 | 103 | 26 |
141 | Kent State University | Chemical Physics | 15.91% | 44 | 7 | 7 |
142 | The Graduate Center – The City University of New York | Ph.D. Program in Physics | 15.67% | 134 | 21 | 20 |
143 | University of Chicago | Physics | 15.26% | 688 | 105 | 33 |
144 | Central Michigan University | Physics | 15.15% | 33 | 5 | 5 |
145 | Boston University | Physics | 14.78% | 372 | 55 | 11 |
146 | Wayne State University | Physics and Astronomy | 14.29% | 70 | 10 | 7 |
147 | University of California, Berkeley | Physics | 14.27% | 932 | 133 | 46 |
148 | University of California, Santa Barbara | Physics | 14.27% | 869 | 124 | 25 |
149 | State University of New York (SUNY), Albany | Physics | 14.17% | 120 | 17 | 15 |
150 | University of Wyoming | Physics & Astronomy | 14% | 100 | 14 | 8 |
151 | Brown University | Physics | 13.22% | 295 | 39 | 18 |
152 | Indiana University, Bloomington | Physics | 12.61% | 111 | 14 | 14 |
153 | University of Texas, Arlington | Physics | 12.5% | 64 | 8 | 8 |
154 | Northern Arizona University | Physics | 11.43% | 70 | 8 | 7 |
155 | University of Maryland, College Park | Astronomy | 11.26% | 151 | 17 | 10 |
156 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Physics | 10.6% | 1009 | 107 | 49 |
157 | Florida International University | Physics | 10.34% | 87 | 9 | 7 |
158 | University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa | Physics & Astronomy | 10.23% | 88 | 9 | 6 |
159 | North Dakota State University | Physics | 10% | 20 | 2 | 2 |
160 | Columbia University | Physics | 9.94% | 503 | 50 | 18 |
161 | Northwestern University | Physics & Astronomy | 9.75% | 472 | 46 | 27 |
162 | Harvard University | Physics | 9.64% | 726 | 70 | 44 |
163 | Stanford University | Physics | 9.57% | 794 | 76 | 36 |
164 | Princeton University | Physics | 9.28% | 614 | 57 | 25 |
165 | University of Pennsylvania | Physics | 9.19% | 457 | 42 | 13 |
166 | Vanderbilt University | Physics & Astronomy | 8.94% | 179 | 16 | 11 |
167 | University of Denver | Physics | 8.89% | 45 | 4 | 3 |
168 | University of Chicago | Astronomy & Astrophysics | 8.57% | 245 | 21 | 5 |
169 | Case Western Reserve University | Physics | 7.8% | 141 | 11 | 7 |
170 | Wesleyan University | Physics | 5.77% | 52 | 3 | 1 |