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Application Information

  • Applicants should have a solid foundation in physics at the B.A. or B.S. level. Admission to the program is based of the applicant's academic record, letters of recommendation  and statement of goals.
  • Applications must be submitted electronically through the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies at Dartmouth
  • The application deadline for Physics and Astronomy is December 15.
  • There is no application fee to apply to the graduate program in Physics and Astronomy.
  • You must upload a copy of your academic transcript(s) from institutions you have previously attended, with a certified translation if the transcript is not in English.
  • You must arrange to have at least three of your instructors or research supervisors electronically submit letters of recommendation for you using the on-line application system. (Up to four letters are permitted.)
  • GRE scores (general and subject) may be submitted with your application but are not required
  • Evidence of English language proficiency is needed, but a language proficiency exam is not required if you have previously studied at an institution in an English-speaking country, or at an institution where the instruction is 100% English. Self-reported TOEFL, IELTS, and DET exam results are also accepted as evidence of language proficiency. 
  • During the application process you will be asked to specify your top 3 areas of general research interest. Matching of students to specific research groups is considered during admissions, but our policy is that students are admitted to the program, and are not formally obligated to work in a specific research area or commit to work with a specific research group upon arrival. You should carefully review the current research activities in the department before applying, and be a specific as you can about your research interests in your application essay / statement of goals.

Timeline

The application review process begins after the December 15 application deadline. It is our policy to conduct virtual interviews of all short-listed applicants, usually beginning in mid-January. Offers of admission are typically extended from February through mid-March. An offer of admission must be accepted or declined by April 15. For students who are admitted, the program starts in the next Fall quarter. For more information on this, please refer to the Dartmouth Academic Calendar.

Further Information

We hope that these Web pages will answer your immediate questions about graduate study in physics and astronomy at Dartmouth. Please do not hesitate to contact the graduate admissions chair, Kevin Wright, if you would like further information or assistance. If you are interested in the research activities of specific members of the faculty, please also feel free to contact them directly.