How to Apply to Physics at UC Riverside: B.A. and B.S. in the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences with Five B.S. Tracks and a Physics 41ABC Series Just for Majors, for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

The University of California, Riverside (UCR) offers its physics major through the Department of Physics & Astronomy in the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (CNAS). Applicants use the University of California application and apply to the university. This guide, based on the physics department, the CNAS advising center and the admissions websites, is organised for US domestic applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, followed by transfer students. Mathematics, chemistry, engineering and computer science are not covered here, apart from the physics tracks that overlap with them (applied physics and engineering, biophysics).

1. Degrees and tracks

• B.A. and B.S.: the CNAS advising page and the department say the major offers both. The department describes the B.A. as a flexible degree balancing a liberal arts education with the rigor to be competitive for graduate school in astronomy, physics or engineering, suited to careers in law, business or policy (for example patent law, high-tech business management and technology policy). The B.A. replaces 16 units of upper-division physics with 28 units of additional breadth (8 humanities, 4 social sciences and 16 foreign language).
• Five B.S. tracks: Standard (for industry in STEM fields, or graduate school in physics, astronomy or engineering); Applied Physics and Engineering (16 units of approved engineering courses, at least 8 upper-division, replacing Phys 136, one additional quarter of Phys 142 and two required physics electives); Astrophysics (adds PHYS 111, 112, 166 and 136, with PHYS 140L Techniques of Observational Astronomy replacing 142L); Biophysics (adds Biol 5ABC, organic chemistry Chem 8ABC and two upper-division biochemistry courses; the department says the requirements satisfy medical school admission requirements); and Physics Education (adds Educ 3 and 4 and two upper-division education courses, preparing for teaching internships and credential programs and linking to the one-year M.Ed. in the Graduate School of Education).
• Units: the department says all degrees share the same core, 112 to 113 units. Minimums by track are printed on the degree requirements page: B.S. Standard 165 units (with Phys 142W) to 168 (without); Applied Physics and Engineering also 165 to 168; Astrophysics 168; Physics Education 167 to 170; Biophysics 177 to 180; B.A. 177 to 180. Graduation requires at least 180 units overall and a 2.00 GPA.
• Core courses: lower division includes Physics 41ABC (24 units), Physics 39, Mathematics 9ABC, 10AB and 46, Chemistry 1A/B/C and CS 10A or 9A; upper division includes Phys 130A-B classical mechanics, 132 thermal physics, 135A-B electricity and magnetism, 156A-B quantum mechanics, 139L electronics laboratory and 142W or 142L advanced physics laboratory.
• Laboratory and thesis: the department describes Phys 142 as the capstone advanced laboratory. It encourages students to do research and write a senior thesis (Phys 195), which satisfies half of the advanced laboratory requirement. The thesis is encouraged, not required. Phys 142W includes writing instruction and also satisfies the CNAS English 1C breadth requirement.
• Minor: a physics minor takes 26 upper-division units of physics, of which at least 16 may not be used for the major.
• Course descriptions: the UCR catalog was not read; see the department pages and the catalog.

2. How admission works: apply to the university, then change majors by grades

• At application: the admissions major list places physics under CNAS; the admissions pages read do not describe a separate admission line or quota for physics. Whether you choose a major on the UC application, and what happens if you do not, is not spelled out on the pages read; check the UC application site or ask admissions. UCR also has an Undeclared Program (Science).
• Changing into physics after entry: the CNAS advising page says students must be in good academic standing (quarterly and cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above) to declare; grades of C- or better in attempted math and science coursework; no more than 16 repeated units for the major; an upper-division GPA of at least 2.0 if upper-division courses have been taken; and a path to finish within 216 units (AP/IB units or transfer units earned before high school graduation are excluded). Course requirements by class level: freshman (up to 44.9 units) MATH 9A; sophomore (45–89.9 units) MATH 9A, 9B and 9C plus PHYS 2A/2LA and 2B/2LB, or PHYS 40A and 40B, or PHYS 41A and 41B; junior (90–134.9 units) MATH 9ABC, PHYS 2ABC (with labs), 40ABC or 41ABC, CHEM 1A/1LA and CS 10; senior (135 units and above) all of those plus PHYS 130A, 130B, 135A, 135B and 132.
• Department support: the CNAS page says physics is the only major in the college that guarantees a quarterly meeting with a physics faculty advisor, and the department says several faculty advisors help at each stage from first-year course selection to graduate school applications.

3. Prerequisites, placement and credit

• High school courses (A-G): UC’s college-preparatory pattern includes mathematics 3 years required and 4 recommended (including geometry), laboratory science 2 years required and 3 recommended, English 4 years, history/social science 2 years, a language other than English 2 years (3 recommended), visual and performing arts 1 year and a college-preparatory elective 1 year. Neither the department nor the admissions pages say high school physics or calculus is required, and the pages read do not give additional high school preparation for physics; check with the department or admissions.
• The Math Advisory Exam (MAE) sets when physics starts: the department’s admitted-students page says that if you place into First Year Calculus (Math 9A) or higher, or have Math 9A credit from a sufficient AP score, you start Phys 41A in your first quarter and finish introductory physics in the first year; the department says it strongly prefers this path. Students who place into Intermediate Algebra (ARC 35), Precalculus (Math 5) or Introduction to College Mathematics for the Sciences (Math 6A or 6B) have alternative paths. The MAE can be taken once unproctored for practice and up to twice proctored for placement, with the highest proctored score used; no calculator is allowed; it tests algebra and trigonometry, and some questions require recalling facts such as the quadratic formula; the department advises taking it early, because if you do not place into Math 9A you may still catch up before fall by taking a math course at a community college. The sample course plans for the other placements were not read.
• Introductory physics paths: the department says Phys 41ABC is a series for physics majors in small classes (typically 20 to 40 students, mostly majors) with its own laboratory room, and is the only path that completes introductory physics in the first year; Phys 40ABC or 2ABC classes typically have 200 to 280 students. Alternative paths also satisfy the major, but consult a physics faculty advisor first: for example 40A, 40B, 40C and 41C, or 2A, 2B and 2C with B- or better plus more upper-division electives. Students who want to change into physics may follow any of these paths, and those who have started introductory physics do not have to start over.
• AP: admissions says AP scores of 3, 4 or 5 earn credit toward graduation; the department says sufficient AP credit for Math 9A lets you start with Phys 41A. Which AP Physics exam (Physics 1/2, C: Mechanics, C: E&M) replaces which required physics course, and which math courses AP Calculus AB/BC replaces, is not stated on the pages read; see the catalog or ask the department.
• IB and A-Level: the first-year page says IB scores of 5, 6 or 7 earn credit (the page words the exam as “AP”, apparently a typo; the international page says Higher Level IB 5 or above); the international page says the IB diploma with 30 or above earns 30 quarter (20 semester) units and an IB certificate with HL 5 or above earns 8 quarter (5.3 semester) units; GCE A-Level, Cambridge International A-Level, Singapore-Cambridge H2 and Hong Kong A-Level grades of A*, A, B or C earn 12 quarter (8 semester) units in total. How these units map onto required physics courses is not stated on the pages read.
• Honors: the physics pages read do not describe an honors sequence or honors program.
• Undergraduate research: the department says about 70% of graduating physics majors have done research with faculty, on campus or off campus (for example at Brookhaven National Laboratory), and says it has about 20 to 30 senior majors. The department says research experience is essential for admission to graduate school in physics. Physics 39, the first-year seminar, introduces the department’s research.
• Physics competitions: the pages read do not say how competitions such as USAPhO are viewed in admission.

4. Timeline and materials (first-year)

• Filing period: the UC application opens 1 August and is submitted 1 October to 30 November (first-year page and the international page’s calendar); the international page’s text instead says the fall filing period is 1–30 November, which conflicts with its own calendar, so confirm on the UC application site. First-year decisions begin in March, the Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) is due 1 May, the final high school transcript 1 July, official AP, IB and A-Level scores 15 July, and fall quarter starts in September. The pages show no year, so check that they apply to fall 2027 entry.
• Application fee: the international page says $80 for each UC campus, with fee waivers available; the pages read do not give a separate figure for domestic applicants.
• Essays: personal insight questions, answer 4 of 8, up to 350 words each, all weighted equally.
• Recommendations: the pages read do not say letters of recommendation are required or that a science teacher must write one; check the UC application site.
• Testing: UCR is test-free: SAT and ACT scores are not considered for admission decisions or scholarships; if submitted, they can only serve as an alternative way to meet minimum eligibility or for course placement after enrollment.
• Review: comprehensive review. The international page says UCR calculates an Academic Index Score (AIS) for all first-year applicants from high school GPA (A-G courses in grades 10 and 11, with extra points for approved honors courses, capped and possibly above 4.0), AP or IB courses, Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC), low family income and first-generation status.
• Interview: the international page says some campuses may request an interview to determine English skills during review.

5. US domestic applicants

• GPA minimums: 3.0 in A-G courses in grades 10 and 11 (3.4 for non-California residents); grades of C or better in grades 9 and 12 can be used to meet subject requirements.
• Costs (estimated 2026–27, new first-year students): for California residents, UC tuition and fees $15,588; campus and technology fees $1,202; UC student health insurance $2,824; in university housing, housing $13,793, food $7,282; books and supplies $1,700; transportation $1,275; personal expenses $2,875; the page gives a total of $46,539 (off campus $44,329; living at home $35,764). New students also pay a one-time orientation fee of $300 and a $315 student records management fee. Under the UC Tuition Stability Plan, tuition is set for each incoming class and then stays flat until graduation, for up to six years.
• Out-of-state students: in addition to the $15,588, a nonresident supplemental tuition of $39,270; the page gives a total of $85,809 for out-of-state and international first-year students in university housing. The A-G GPA minimum is 3.4.
• Aid: the cost page says nearly 80% of UCR undergraduates receive financial aid and 99% of them receive need-based scholarships and/or grants. California residents and AB540-eligible students apply with the FAFSA or the California Dream Act Application; the priority deadline is 2 March (UCR school code 001316), and the high school must submit a certified GPA to the California Student Aid Commission.
• Achievement Scholarship for Nonresidents: out-of-state and international admitted students are considered automatically, with no extra forms; first-year students receive up to $89,100 over four years and transfer students up to $44,550 over two years; recipients must be confirmed nonresidents, meet UC eligibility, submit the SIR by 1 May (1 June for transfers) and keep a 3.0 GPA each quarter.
• Home-state residents: California residents need a 3.0 GPA; the pages read describe Eligibility in the Local Context as one factor in the Academic Index Score and do not describe guaranteed admission.
• Department awards: the department’s awards page lists several, for example the Robert Wild Award (for undergraduate or graduate students focused on physics and/or math, with preference for an undergraduate who participates in NCAA athletics with a GPA of at least 3.0), the Brown Williams Endowed Undergraduate Student Award and the R. Stephen White Award. Whether they are open to application and in what amount is not stated on the pages read; contact the department.

6. International applicants

• Minimum GPA: the international page gives a minimum of 3.4 on a 4.0 scale (equivalent to 85 percent on a 100-point scale), based on A-G courses in years 10 and 11; if the school’s curriculum differs, achievement is assessed on that system’s grading scale. UCR says its selection process is the same for international and US-educated applicants.
• English: required if your native language is not English and your secondary school was in a country where English is not the language of instruction; complete one by December of your final year of secondary school: TOEFL iBT 80 (tests before January 2026) or 4.5 (from January 2026); IELTS 6.5 (One Skill Retake and MyBest TOEFL not accepted; only the highest composite from a single sitting); Duolingo 115; AP English Language or Literature 3, 4 or 5; IB English (Language A) SL 6 or 7 or HL 5, 6 or 7; ACT English Language Arts 24 and SAT Writing and Language 31 (the original wording of these two lines is incomplete, so check the website; the digital SAT Reading and Writing score is not approved); or a C or better in a UC-transferable college English composition course. A campus may require more than the minimum. Score codes: TOEFL/AP/SAT 004839, ACT 0456.
• Documents: the UC application; country-specific requirements are on the University of California’s requirements-by-country page (see the section for applicants from China); official transcripts and exam results after admission; the submission details are on the UC application site.
• Visa: the international page says you need a valid passport, a nonimmigrant visa (F-1 or J-1) and the appropriate documents; after admission, International Students and Scholars (ISS) supports visa matters. The financial-support amount required for the I-20 is not stated on the pages read; check the ISS website.
• Costs and scholarships: see section 5 for the 2026–27 estimate ($15,588 tuition and fees plus $39,270 nonresident supplemental tuition; the page total starts at $85,809). The Achievement Scholarship applies to international students. Whether international students can receive need-based aid is not stated on the pages read; ask admissions.
• Preparation option: the international page mentions UCR Extension’s Admission Preparation Program and says taking it does not in itself give preference in admission.

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: neither the UCR admissions pages nor the University of California country-requirements page mention whether the gaokao is considered or how. This is not published on the pages read; contact admissions at admissions.ucr.edu/ask.
• Transcripts and documents: the University of California country page says applicants following the Chinese national curriculum list all courses and marks from grade 9 (year 3 of lower middle school) through grade 12 exactly as on official academic records, and, if admitted, submit the upper middle school graduation certificate and official lower and upper middle school academic records (grades 9–12). Applicants following the IGCSE/GCSE/GCE curriculum must complete at least 5 IGCSE/GCSE/GCE O-Levels and at least 3 academic GCE A-Level exams and report them on the International Exams page of the application; IB applicants follow the IB instructions.
• Huikao: the pages read do not state requirements specific to the Chinese academic proficiency test.
• English: see section 6. Whether schooling in China counts as English-medium is not addressed on the pages read; the safest route is an accepted test score, and admissions can confirm.

8. Costs, scholarships and outcomes

• Costs: see section 5.
• Undergraduate research funding: the department’s research support page lists the Chancellor’s Research Fellowship (up to $5,000 for materials, supplies and travel, due in April); Student Mini-Grants (three times a year, for the following quarter); the Mentoring Summer Research Internship Program (eight weeks, for rising juniors and seniors from educationally and/or economically disadvantaged backgrounds, due early February); UC LEADS (two years, for students with the same background who want a PhD, due late February); RISE (ten-week summer research with a $5,000 stipend); CNAS Scholars Fellows ($5,000 stipend, due 8 April); and MARC U-STAR (physics students have been supported, due in April). Off-campus options include NSF REU programs and DOE SULI internships. These pages show no year, so check the dates.
• Outcomes: the CNAS physics page says many UCR physics majors go on to master’s or doctoral study in physics or engineering, others work in aerospace, data science, software engineering, engineering, as technicians, in medical physics or in teaching, and graduates have held positions at companies such as Lockheed Martin, SpaceX, the SETI Institute, Boeing, Intel and City of Hope. The department’s overview page cites American Institute of Physics data: after physics bachelor’s degrees, 33% went to graduate school in physics and astronomy, 23% to other graduate or professional schools, 21% to private-sector employment and 17% to academia, high school teaching, or military or government work. The department also has an alumni page that was not read.

9. Transfer students

• Basic requirements: the transfer page says complete at least 60 semester (90 quarter) units of UC-transferable credit with a GPA of at least 2.4 in UC-transferable courses (2.8 for non-California residents), some majors requiring more, and complete a seven-course pattern by the end of the spring term before fall enrollment: two transferable English composition courses, one mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning course, and four courses from at least two of arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and physical and biological sciences.
• CNAS GPA: the international page says the CNAS minimum GPA is 2.8, and the transfer majors preparation guide says all CNAS majors require at least a 2.7 in UC-transferable coursework with a C or better in required courses; the three pages disagree (2.4 general, 2.8 on the international page, 2.7 in the guide), so rely on the latest from admissions and ASSIST.org.
• Physics preparation: the guide lists Math 9A, 9B and 9C (or Math 7A, 7B and 9C) and Physics 40A, 40B and 40C for Physics (B.A./B.S.); use ASSIST.org to check whether community college courses transfer. The department posts two sample paths for Standard-track transfers: students who arrive with all introductory physics including modern physics and the lower-division math, and students who arrive with part of introductory physics but not modern physics; those who want another track should plan with their faculty advisor.
• Breadth: CNAS does not accept Cal-GETC to satisfy its college breadth, although courses taken for Cal-GETC may count toward the college pattern; the transfer page also says Cal-GETC may not be recommended for engineering, mathematics or science majors.
• Timeline (the pages show no year; check it): Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) applications, for California community college students, 1–30 September; the UC application 1 October to 30 November; Transfer Academic Update by 31 January; decisions begin in April; SIR due 1 June; final transcripts due 1 July. Transfer applicants answer one required and three of seven personal insight questions.
• AP/IB credit: the transfer page says AP scores of 3, 4 or 5 earn credit and IB may earn credit; details are in the catalog.
• International transfer applicants: the international page says the selection process is the same for international and US-educated applicants; the pages read do not give physics-specific rules for international transfer applicants.

Application checklist

US domestic applicants:

• UC application 1 October to 30 November; A-G GPA 3.0 (3.4 out of state); no SAT/ACT; personal insight questions, 4 of 8
• FAFSA or California Dream Act Application, priority deadline 2 March (school code 001316)

International applicants (including China):

• GPA 3.4; TOEFL 4.5 (new scale) or 80 (old scale), IELTS 6.5 or Duolingo 115, completed by December of the final school year
• How the gaokao is used is not published; Chinese national curriculum applicants list all grade 9–12 courses and marks

After entry:

• Placing into Math 9A or higher on the MAE means starting Phys 41A in the first quarter; changing into physics needs a 2.0 GPA and the listed courses by class level

Transfer students:

• 60 semester units, GPA 2.4 (2.8 non-resident); Math 9ABC and Phys 40ABC as preparation; UC application 1 October to 30 November

Sources: UC Riverside and the University of California, Physics & Astronomy: undergraduate program; Physics: degree requirements; Physics: admitted students; Physics: support for research; Physics: career planning; Physics: program overview; Physics: student awards; CNAS: Physics major; CNAS advising: Physics; First-year admission; Out-of-state applicants; International applicants; Transfer admission; Transfer majors preparation guide; Majors; Cost of attendance; UC requirements by country. Most of these pages show no year, so check that dates apply to fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 estimates) and see UC Riverside’s website for the latest.