Application
To apply to study in physics, apply to the Graduate School:
Note: We are accepting applications for Fall 2026.
We are GRE-optional and require Zoom interviews for PhD applications
Application Timeline – 2026
by January 8
All applications must be submitted and application fees paid or waived.
Applications that are incomplete after this date – except for letters of reference — will not be considered.
on January 9
Applicant files will be start being evaluated for interviews.
after January 15
Late letters of recommendation only no longer be accepted.
All incomplete applications will be rejected after this date.
Late January through mid-February
Zoom interviews of applicants under consideration will be conducted.
Applicants will be interviewed by two faculty, at least one of whom is on the admissions committee.
When you receive an interview request will depend on when your application is read which likely will not depend on your individual merit.
If you do not receive an interview request by February 8, 2024, you may safely assume that you are rejected or waitlisted.
Mid to late-February
Informal emails for acceptances, waitlists, and rejections from the graduate director should be out. Formal emails from the graduate school usually arrive within a week after.
Final decisions on waitlisted students depend on other students either accepting or declining offers, so some decisions will occur after April 15.
TBD
Accepted domestic students, or international students currently in the US, will be invited for an optional campus visit; dates are to be arranged.
April 15
Deadline for accepting admissions with our standard financial aid package, if offers were made before April 15. However, some additional fellowships may have earlier deadlines for those particular fellowships. Also, there are almost offers made after April 15 off of the waitlist.
More information can be found here.
We accept only online applications (no paper applications).
Application Instructions
- fill out an online application
- This includes a personal statement, which needs to include
- How do your future research interests fit with those of the faculty in the physics department?
– What faculty are you interested in working with?
– What are your motivations for pursuing graduate school, and what are your future career goals?
– What experiences, research, or other relevant science engagement, have you had, and how have they influenced your decision to pursue graduate studies?
- How do your future research interests fit with those of the faculty in the physics department?
- This includes a personal statement, which needs to include
- pay the application fee of $80; unless you are eligible for a waiver.
- Domestic students who receive need-based financial aid are likely eligible for a waiver. Domestic students may contact Ann Bell at gradadmissions@wfu.edu, with a copy of their financial aid letter, or have their University’s financial aid office contact gradschl@wfu.edu directly.
- International students are not eligible for fee-waivers. International students are defined at WFU as students needing a visa to study at Wake Forest. Note, USCIS may consider receiving a fee waiver as a negative factor in student visa decisions as the fee is small relative to the other costs involved in coming to the US to study..
- have three letters of reference sent
- have an official transcript sent (an unofficial copy is sufficient for application)
- have an official report of your TOEFL or IELTS results sent (only if you are an international student who has not studied in the US; an unofficial copy is sufficient for application)
- If the sole language of instruction at your university or college is English, then the graduate school might waive the requirement. A statement or letter stating that English is the sole language of instruction needs to be both uploaded on Slate and emailed to gradadmissions@wfu.edu.
FAQs
All applicants are automatically considered for financial aid. For academic year 2026-27, full-time PhD students receive a full tuition waiver and a yearly stipend of $30,470 (as a teaching assistant or research assistant) as well as Wake Forest health insurance and waiver of most mandatory fees. For the academic year 2026-27, MS students will receive a 75% tuition waiver and may receive a stipend as an RA or TA, but it is not guaranteed.
- Fall 2026
- Jan 8, 2026 is the deadline for applications for Fall 2026.
- Applications will open in the Fall on Slate.
- Spring 2026:
- November 1, 2025 for domestic students
- October 1, 2025 for international students
The graduate school has a 3.0 minimum GPA, but this may be waived in exceptional cases.
The general GRE is optional but may strengthen your application.
The subject GRE is optional but may strengthen your application
The graduate school requires a minimum score of:
Computer-based TOEFL – 217
International-Based Total (IBT) – 79
International English Language Testing System(IELTS) – 6.5
We are not allowed to render opinions on the likelihood of admission before a student applies. The decision to admit a student is made by the Graduate Committee of the Physics Department. Many criteria go into the decision process such as the intended area of study, background and experience of the applicant, letters of recommendation, the strength of the applicant’s transcript, and if submitted performance on the GRE.
Fall application decisions are generally sent out in early to mid-February.
For a flyer with an overview of research interests, check out our Physics Flyer. Most faculty have websites with more detailed information linked from the faculty research pages here.