Graduate Application

Application

To apply to study in physics, go to the graduate admissions page. 

Check here for faculty research blurbs with more details on our research pages.

Applications for Fall 2025 are closed.

Applications for Fall 2026 will open by September.

Application deadlines can be found here.

We now accept the Duolingo test for English proficiency.

Note, that we are GRE-optional and require Zoom interviews for PhD applications.

The timeline for Fall 2026 will be as follows:

• by the Fall application deadline, all applications must be submitted and application fees paid or waived (for eligible domestic students).
  • Applications that are incomplete after this date will not be considered.
• Applicant files will be evaluated for interviews starting immediately.
• Zoom interviews of applicants under consideration for admission will be conducted between late January and mid-February
  • Applicants will be interviewed by two faculty, at least one of whom is on the admissions committee and at least one is a potential mentor.
  • when you receive an interview request will depend on the interviewers’ schedules and not on your individual merit.
• Some rejections and waitlisting will occur without interviews.
• Informal emails for acceptances, waitlists, and rejections from the graduate director should be sent out in mid to late Feb. Formal emails from the graduate school usually arrive within a week after.
  • Final decisions on waitlisted students depend on other students accepting or declining offers so that some decisions will occur after April 15.
  • If you have not received a rejection letter from the graduate director, you are still under consideration. However, if you no longer wish to be considered, we would appreciate an email letting us know.
• Accepted domestic students, or international students currently in the US, will be invited for an optional campus visit; dates are to be arranged.
• The deadline for accepting admissions with our standard financial aid package is April 15th. However, some additional fellowships may have earlier deadlines for those particular fellowships.

We accept only online applications (no paper applications).

To apply you must

1. fill out an online application completely
2. pay the application fee of $80; unless you are eligible for a waiver. Domestic applicants who receive need-based financial aid are likely eligible for a waiver. Domestic students may contact gradadmissions@wfu.edu, with a copy of their financial aid letter, or have their University’s financial aid office contact gradadmissions@wfu.edu directly. International PhD applicants are not eligible for application fee waivers. International students are defined at WFU as students needing a visa to study at Wake Forest.
3. have three letters of reference sent
4. have a transcript(s) sent (unofficial copy/copies sufficient for application)
5. In your Personal statement address:
   – How do your future research interests fit with those of the faculty in the physics department? Refer to the faculty research interests on the flyer linked below for further information).
   – 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?
6. If you are an international student, have an official report of your TOEFL or IELTS results sent (an unofficial copy is sufficient for application)
   1. 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 uploaded both with your application package on Slate and emailed to gradadmissions@wfu.edu. International students are defined at WFU as students needing a visa to study at Wake Forest. This requirement is unwaivable do to US immigration requirements.