Graduate Program
More than a century of tradition and achievement provide a bedrock for physics in Urbana. Our Department, ranked among the top ten physics departments in the nation by the National Research Council, our academic peers, and the media, is known world-wide for its excellence and innovation. Administratively located in Illinois' College of Engineering, the physicists of Illinois have had profound effects on our modern life. The applications of the transistor and microelectronics and nanoelectronics, the discovery of magnetic resonance imaging, the creation of light-emitting diodes and supercomputers, the development of radar and the Internet have all arisen directly from fundamental research in physics—research done here in the heartland of central Illinois. If you are considering applying to the Physics graduate program, please refer to our application instructions. The deadline for graduate applications for Fall 2010 admission is January 15, 2010.
Research Groups
Admissions Information for U.S. Citizens
OUR APPLICATION DEADLINE IS JANUARY 15, 2010 FOR FALL 2010 ADMISSION CONSIDERATION.
An application for admission should be submitted on-line at Apply Yourself. When you apply on-line you should also pay the application fee at that time, using a credit card, as well as set up your recommenders to submit their letters of reference for you on-line, and submit the required statement of purpose on-line. The GRE scores should be sent to the University of Illinois via ETS using institution code 1836. The only item that should be submitted via paper are transcripts and they must be sent to the Physics Graduate Office at 227 Loomis Lab 1110 W. Green Street Urbana, IL 61801.
Requirements and Procedures for Admission to Graduate Study in Physics
Admission and Financial Aid Application Instructions
- Admissions Criteria
- Application Fee
- Proposed Program and Field of Specialization
- Applying to the Medical Scholars Program
- Deadlines
- Where to Send Your Application Materials
(All application materials should be submitted on-line with the exception of test scores and transcripts. GRE scores should be submitted via ETS and transcripts should be sent directly to the Physics Department Graduate Office at 227 Loomis Lab 1110 W. Green Street Urbana, IL 61801). - Admissions Decisions
Admissions Information for non-U.S. Citizens
OUR APPLICATION DEADLINE IS JANUARY 15, 2010 FOR FALL 2010 ADMISSION CONSIDERATION.
An application for admission should be submitted on-line at Apply Yourself. When you apply on-line you should also pay the application fee at that time, using a credit card, as well as set up your recommenders to submit their letters of reference for you on-line, and submit the required statement of purpose on-line. The GRE and TOEFL scores should be sent to the University of Illinois by ETS using institution code 1836. The only items that should be submitted via paper are transcripts and certificate of degrees and they must be sent to the Physics Graduate Office at 227 Loomis Lab 1110 W. Green Street Urbana, IL 61801.
Admission and Financial Aid Application Instructions
- Prior Educational Requirements
- Criteria
- Proposed Program and Field Specialization
- Where to Send Your Application Materials
(*All application materials must be submitted on-line except for GRE & TOEFL scores and transcripts. GRE and TOEFL scores should be submitted directly to the University by ETS using institution code 1836. Transcripts and degree certificates should be sent directly to the Physics Department Graduate Office at 227 Loomis Lab 1110 W. Green Street Urbana, IL 61801). - Deadlines
- Application Decisions
The International Student Handbook
Graduate Study in the United States
Comprehensive, step-by-step discussion of what is required of non-U.S. citizens to pursue an advanced degree in the United States,
including advice on obtaining a visa, picking an appropriate university, budgeting, and adjusting to U.S. life.
Financial Aid
The Department of Physics makes every effort to ensure that eligible prospective students are not deterred from attending because of financial constraints, and we are proud of our tradition of providing continuing and adequate support for our students (salary chart). All types of financial support (Teaching Assistantships, Research Assistantships, and Fellowships) include a full tuition waiver and partial fee waiver as long as they are for at least 25% time.
Most entering graduate students are supported as Teaching Assistants with a few fellowships available for outstanding students. A typical teaching load is three - four sections of discussion or laboratory courses per week, plus additional class preparation time and "office hours" for tutoring or other student assistance. A graduate assistant typically takes a course load of 8 hours.
First-year teaching assistants often wonder whether appointments will be continued into subsequent years. All appointments are contingent on state or federal funding and on satisfactory academic and job performance. For continuing students, initial appointments in the Department of Physics are generally renewed at an equivalent salary rate.
Various national fellowships, with no work requirements other than adequate progress toward degree, are available with various stipends and exemption from tuition and most fees. Most fellowships (if allowed by the granting agency) may be supplemented, at the fellow's option, with a quarter-time teaching assistantship involving about four-six hours of classroom teaching per week.
Fellowships are rarely continued beyond one year, but research or teaching positions are available to all fellows whose work is satisfactory.
Summer research positions and a few summer teaching assistantships are available to the majority of those students who want them. In case of financial emergencies, short term loans are available from the Office Of Student Financial Aid.