How to Apply to UC San Diego for a Physics Major: The Physics Department Offers Only a BS and a BA in Physics, All Now Uncapped, with the PHYS 4 Series and MATH 18 and 20A–E Required, and Notes for US, International (Including China) and Transfer Applicants

The University of California San Diego (UC San Diego or UCSD) teaches physics in the Department of Physics. UCSD also has a college system for general education: you can rank up to four of its eight undergraduate colleges when you apply, but college and major are separate choices. This guide follows the admissions office and Department of Physics websites and is organised for US applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. Mathematics, chemistry, astronomy, engineering and computer science are not covered here.

1. Degrees and how you apply

• Degrees: the department’s undergraduate education page says it grants a Bachelor of Science (BS) and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Physics. The major requirements page says majors with specializations have been retired, so you can no longer declare a physics major with a specialization.
• BS versus BA (FAQ on the major requirements page): the BA is broader and more flexible, with fewer advanced physics core requirements and more self-select courses, including up to four upper-division electives from outside physics; for example BA students are not required to take PHYS 105A or PHYS 140A, and PHYS 130B is not part of the standard BA. It suits students who do not plan graduate work in physics or who want to pair physics with another field. The BS focuses more on mathematics, laboratory work, research methods and data analysis and has more advanced core: PHYS 105A (105B strongly recommended), PHYS 130B (130C strongly recommended) and PHYS 140A (140B strongly recommended), with up to three self-select courses if you choose an optional focus area. The page says the BS is the right choice for graduate school in physics. The comparison table on the minor page gives 109 units for the BS major.
• Research areas (undergraduate education page): elementary particles; quantum liquids and superconductivity; solid-state and statistical physics; plasma physics; astrophysics and space physics; atomic and molecular collisions and structure; biophysics; geophysics; nonlinear dynamics; computational physics. The high-energy program uses accelerators at SLAC, CERN and Fermilab; astrophysics uses Keck, Lick and Kitt Peak observatories.
• You apply to UCSD, not to the department: the department’s freshman page says students who want a physics major must first be admitted to UCSD and that admission questions go to UCSD Admissions. The transfer page says academic departments do not take part in undergraduate admission decisions and do not review transfer coursework for admission. The admissions office’s selective-major list names only Data Science, Engineering and Public Health (Nanoengineering and Structural Engineering are screened majors); physics is not on it.
• Capped or not, and when you declare: the department says “all of our majors and specializations are now uncapped”. Its freshman page says incoming fall 2026 admits who want physics can declare through the Major/Minor Tool after enrolling in their first fall course. It does not say whether you can list physics on the application or whether that matters; not published, so ask admissions. The continuing-students page says current students may declare but time to degree depends on coursework already completed, when courses are offered and prerequisites: because most major courses run once a year, students not on the standard plan can be delayed by up to a year; contact the Virtual Advising Center (VAC) or advising@physics.ucsd.edu first. A GPA threshold for moving in is not stated on the pages read; not published.
• Colleges: the admissions office says every undergraduate belongs to one of eight colleges, you rank your top four on the application, and you can pursue any major regardless of college.
• Minor: the physics minor is seven four-unit letter-graded physics courses (28 units), at least five of them upper-division; minors do not get enrollment priority.

2. Preparation and course structure

• High school courses (admissions first-year requirements): the UC A–G courses: mathematics 3 years (4 recommended), laboratory science 2 (3 recommended), language other than English 2 (3 recommended), plus history/social science, English, visual and performing arts and a college-preparatory elective. The physics and admissions pages do not ask physics applicants for high school physics or calculus; not published.
• Required lower-division courses: the department’s freshman page says to note the lower-division mathematics (MATH 18, 20A-B-C-D-E) and physics (PHYS 41, 2CL-2DL, 4A-B-C-D-E) courses in the major. All physics majors must complete the full PHYS 4 series; the PHYS 2 lecture series and the MATH 10 lecture series do not satisfy major requirements. Honors mathematics (MATH 31AH, 31BH, 31CH) automatically replaces MATH 18, 20C and 20E.
• Math placement and plans: based on your math placement, you must follow either the standard academic plan or an alternate plan: if MATH 20A will be completed by the end of fall of year 1, either is possible; if not, you must follow an alternate plan. Most physics courses are offered only once a year and prerequisites are strictly enforced, so you must follow a department-approved plan, not one you draft yourself.
• PHYS 4 versus PHYS 2: the PHYS 4 series prepares students for the upper-division program and is required of all majors; students exempt from PHYS 2A (mechanics) or 2B (E&M) through AP/IB/A-Level are not exempt from those topics in the PHYS 4 series.
• AP physics and calculus (2026-27 AP credit chart): Physics 1 or 2: elective credit and exempts PHYS 10; Physics C Mechanics: a 3 exempts PHYS 1A, a 4 or 5 exempts PHYS 1A or 2A; Physics C Electricity and Magnetism: a 3 exempts PHYS 1B, a 4 or 5 exempts PHYS 1B or 2B (8-unit maximum for the three physics tests). Calculus AB: a 3 exempts MATH 10A, a 4 or 5 exempts MATH 20A or 10A; Calculus BC: a 3 exempts MATH 20A or 10A and 10B, a 4 or 5 exempts MATH 20A and 20B or 10A and 10B (8-unit maximum for AB and BC together). Note that physics majors are required to take the PHYS 4 series, while these exemptions name the PHYS 1 and 2 series; how they affect PHYS 4 follows the department’s statement above.
• AP/IB and labs (department AP/IB/A-Level page): course exemptions exist only for exams with a PHYS subject code; AP/IB physics does not exempt any physics lab, even if your high school course had one, and no exceptions are made, even by petition; AP/IB/A-Level cannot be combined with college courses to claim broader equivalencies. Credit follows the UC systemwide AP, IB and A-Level policies; send scores to Admissions and check your academic history report and degree audit. The IB credit chart was not read.
• A-Level physics: the department’s chart says syllabus codes 9702 or 7408 exempt PHYS 1A, 1AL, 1B, 1BL, 1C, 1CL; 9PH07 exempts PHYS 2A; 9PH0 and/or 9PH01 do not correspond to any UCSD course; 0625, 9630, 9623, 9646, 2450, 2451, 9749, A420QS, H556, H557(A) and WPH11 to WPH16 exempt PHYS 10.
• Major regulations: no pass/no-pass for courses applied to the major (AP/IB/A-Level credit and one 4-unit PHYS 199/199H excepted); a C– or better in each major course and a 2.0 upper-division major GPA to graduate; no D grades are considered; at least 60 percent of upper-division major courses, and all core upper-division courses, must be taken at UC San Diego.
• Labs and thesis/research: the major requirements page lists non-core upper-division requirements called PHYS UD Lab, PHYS UD Depth and PHYS UD Restricted Electives; the department pages do not make a thesis a requirement. See section 7 for honors.
• Competitions: the admissions pages read do not say how physics competitions are viewed.

3. First-year rounds, deadlines and materials (fall 2027 entry)

• Timeline (first-year timeline page): the UC application opens 1 August; the page says to submit the UC application between 1 October and 30 November, with a 30 November deadline (no year is printed, so check the UC application site for the fall 2027 deadline); FAFSA and California Dream Act open 1 October, with priority funding for filing by 2 March; first-year decisions are posted before the end of March; selected applicants may opt into the waitlist by 15 April; the deadline to accept is 1 May; final transcripts are due 1 July; AP and IB results by 15 July (UCSD code 004836). The pages do not mention an early application round.
• How you apply: through the University of California Application, with four personal insight questions chosen from eight, each limited to 350 words. The application fee and whether recommendation letters are needed are not stated on the pages read; not published, check the UC application site.
• Testing: UC San Diego does not consider SAT or ACT scores in admission or scholarship decisions; submitted scores may be used to satisfy minimum requirements or for course placement after enrolling.
• How applications are read (first-year review page): holistic review. Academic factors include your 10th and 11th grade A–G GPA (with extra weight for UC-approved honors, AP, IB and UC-transferable college courses), the rigor of courses beyond the minimum and your senior-year schedule; personal factors include leadership, motivation, initiative, creativity, academic enrichment, achievements and challenges overcome. UCSD says it receives more than 130,000 first-year applications each year.
• Minimums: grades of C or better in A–G courses and a GPA of 3.0 for California residents or 3.4 for non-residents (including international applicants). Competitive applicants exceed the minimums.

4. US applicants

• Fees (students first enrolled in 2026-27, per quarter): Student Services Fee $462 and tuition $4,734, plus a Nonresident Supplemental Tuition of $13,090 for non-residents, each in the fall, winter and spring quarters. Other quarterly fees on the page: Campus Activity Fee $96.77, University Center Fee $117.37, RIMAC Recreation Facility Fee $100, Canyonview Recreation Facility Fee $22, ICA Student Activity Fee $365.07, mandatory health insurance $1,065 (waivable), CAPS/mental health fee $38.63, student transportation fee $77.85 and PRESS newspaper fee $3.63; newly admitted students pay a one-time $225 enrollment services fee; each college charges $9 to $17 a quarter in college activity fees. The page gives no annual total and none is added here; see the University’s cost-of-attendance page. Under the UC Tuition Stability Plan, tuition is set for each incoming class and then stays flat for up to six years.
• Residents versus non-residents: the minimum GPA differs (3.0 versus 3.4). Students from other US states are not eligible for California financial aid, but UC helps out-of-state students obtain the federal aid they are eligible for.
• Aid: US citizens and permanent residents file the FAFSA; eligible California residents can apply for a Cal Grant; the California Dream Act application is for California residents who are not FAFSA-eligible and meet AB540 criteria. Specific scholarships were not read; not published here, see the University’s cost and aid pages.
• In-state priority or guaranteed admission: the pages read do not state a physics-specific preference or guarantee for California residents. The first-year review page mentions Eligibility in the Local Context (top 9% of a California high school class, as identified by UC); see UC for what it means.
• Testing: see section 3.

5. International applicants

• First-year or transfer: you are a first-year applicant if you have completed secondary education, hold a certificate that admits you to university in your home country and have never enrolled full-time at a college or university; otherwise you apply as a transfer. International applicants must meet the same first-year or transfer requirements as everyone else, plus those below. Report coursework as it appears on your records; do not convert grades yourself or pay for conversion.
• English: required if your native language is not English and your secondary education was in a country where the language of instruction is not English. Accepted: TOEFL internet-based 4.5 or better (new scale, effective January 2026; 83 for exams taken before January 2026); IELTS Academic 7; Duolingo English Test 115; AP English Language or English Literature 3, 4 or 5; IB English A Higher Level 5, 6 or 7, or Standard Level 6 or 7. The website lists no country-based exemptions.
• Secondary school requirement: you must complete secondary school with a “superior average” in academic subjects and hold a certificate equivalent to a US high school diploma; the page also says you must achieve excellent results on your final secondary school exams.
• GPA: non-residents, including international applicants, need a 3.4 in A–G courses.
• Funds and aid: the admissions office says international students are not eligible for federal or state financial aid and must prove sufficient funds to cover all estimated expenses to get a visa. The international page adds that it is extremely difficult for undergraduates whose parents are not California residents to qualify as residents for tuition purposes. First-time international students pay a one-time $200 visa administration fee.
• International scholarships: no scholarship specific to international students appears on the pages read; not published.

6. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the China entry on the international page does not say whether or how Gaokao results are used; this is not published. Contact admissions (admissionsreply@ucsd.edu, (858) 534-4831).
• Transcripts and school-leaving records: the China entry lists the Senior High School Graduation Certificate (the “Redbook”). It asks for original records in English from middle school and high school (grades 9–12); all grade 12 subjects must be completed and the graduation certificate earned; all grade 12 classes must be passed with a C or better and an overall 3.0 (or equivalent); transcripts must be sent directly from the school to UCSD or through Parchment, and notarized translation booklets are not accepted; if you also took an A-level program, see the UK entry. Admission is cleared only on review of: the lower middle school record (grade 9), the cumulative upper middle school record (grades 10–12; partial documents with addendums are not accepted) and a photocopy of the graduation certificate with all required stamps, authenticated and sent directly to UCSD with the upper middle school record.
• English: see section 5.

7. Honors, undergraduate research and outcomes

• Physics Honors Program: for majors who have completed all required lower-division physics courses and nine upper-division physics courses and have a GPA of at least 3.50 in the major. It requires at least eight units of Honors Thesis Research (PHYS 199H), an Honors Thesis, and a presentation at the Undergraduate Research Conference or an Undergraduate Seminar. Diploma designations: 3.50–3.67 “with Distinction”, 3.68–3.85 “with High Distinction”, 3.86–4.00 “with Highest Distinction”. The supervisor must be a physics professor; research may be done outside the department.
• Undergraduate research: the department’s research page says undergraduates work in laboratories from assisting a graduate student or postdoc to running their own project, sometimes leading to a publication; units come through special studies courses (PHYS 98, 99, 199, 199H); it points to summer REUs, the School of Physical Sciences’ SPURS program, campus summer research programs and a summer research scholarship, and to the campus undergraduate research conference. Eligibility and pay for those programs were not read.
• Department scholarships: the physics pages read do not mention a department-specific undergraduate scholarship; not published.
• Outcomes: the department’s education page says graduates should be able to pursue careers in graduate or professional schools, scientific roles in government or industry, teaching positions or related fields. No placement rate or salary data is printed.

8. Transfer students

• Basic transfer requirements (admissions transfer page): a 7-course pattern (2 English composition, 1 mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning, 4 from at least 2 of arts and humanities, physical and biological sciences, social and behavioral sciences; each 3 semester/4–5 quarter units, grade C or better); a minimum GPA of 2.4 for California residents and 2.8 for non-residents; at least 60 UC-transferable semester (90 quarter) units; junior-level transfers only; up to 70 semester units credited for lower-division work; more than 90% of transfers come from California community colleges, and UCSD has articulation agreements only with California community colleges. UCSD does not evaluate your coursework before admission, so check ASSIST. The application window for transfers is not shown in the visible text of the pages read; not published, check the UC application site.
• Physics transfer major preparation (effective fall 2025): physics transfer applicants must indicate physics on the UC application and complete, by the end of the spring term before the fall of admission, MATH 18 and MATH 20A, 20B, 20C with a minimum GPA of 3.0 in these screening courses. Recommended: MATH 20D, PHYS 2A, 2B, 2C, 2CL, 2D, 2DL and one programming course. AP, IB or A-Level credit can count toward the preparation but not toward its GPA. Admissions makes an initial review for admission; course equivalencies are decided by departments after you accept. UCSD also requires transfers to complete the PHYS 4 series after enrolling.
• Plans after arrival (department transfer page): MATH 18, 20A-B-C-D-E and PHYS 2A-B-C-D completed by the end of spring before transfer, or MATH 18, 20A-B-C plus PHYS 2A-B-C by the end of the summer, follow the standard plan; MATH 18, 20A-B-C plus zero, one or two of PHYS 2A-C follow a three-year alternate plan. Only calculus-based physics courses can earn equivalency; algebra-, geometry- or trigonometry-based courses are not equivalent to any PHYS 1, 2 or 4 course.
• Transfers admitted to a non-physics major: the department says FA26 transfer admits in another major may apply once to move to the BS (PY29) or BA (PY35) in physics. They must have finished the transfer major preparation; if they will not have completed PHYS 2A-B-C beforehand they skip the enrollment step, otherwise they must be enrolled (not waitlisted) in PHYS 4C and MATH 20E for fall of year 1 (unless MATH 20E is already done); and they must apply on the first day of instruction of their first fall term (the page says 24 September); late applications are not accepted. The page says the application is not competitive and all eligible applicants are approved. It also says that FA25-and-earlier transfer admits can no longer join or rejoin the physics major, and that a transfer admit who leaves physics cannot re-add it. These rules are written for FA26 transfers; whether they apply to fall 2027 is not published.
• Credit and time: for community college courses use ASSIST; courses without articulation need a petition to the physics department after admission, with approved equivalencies due by 1 August; transfers have six quarters (summers excluded) to finish.
• International transfers: English minimums as in section 5 (TOEFL 4.5 new scale / 83 old, IELTS 7, Duolingo 115); applicants whose high school or university taught in English can meet the requirement with grades of B or better in two transferable English composition courses; test scores must be no more than two years old.

Checklist

US applicants:

• Apply to UC San Diego (not to the department); UC application 1 October to 30 November; SAT/ACT not considered; A–G math 3 years (4 recommended), lab science 2 (3 recommended)
• Declare physics through the Major/Minor Tool after your first fall course; major requires the PHYS 4 series and MATH 18, 20A–E; follow the department plan

International applicants (including China):

• TOEFL 4.5 (new) / IELTS 7 / Duolingo 115; A–G GPA 3.4; report grades as on your records; Chinese applicants prepare English middle and high school records and the graduation certificate (“Redbook”)
• Gaokao use is not published; ask admissions; no federal or state aid; visa funds required

After entry:

• AP/IB physics never exempts a lab; honors needs a 3.50 GPA, nine upper-division physics courses and PHYS 199H

Transfer students:

• MATH 18 and 20A–C with a 3.0+; indicate physics on the UC application; 60 semester units; GPA 2.4 (resident) / 2.8 (non-resident)

Sources: UC San Diego, Physics: prospective students; Physics: freshman admissions; Physics: transfer admissions; Physics: continuing students; Physics: undergraduate education; Physics: major requirements and regulations; Physics: AP/IB/A-Levels; Physics: transfer credits; Physics: honors program; Physics: minor; Physics: undergraduate research; Admissions: first-year requirements; Admissions: first-year timeline; Admissions: first-year review; Admissions: international students; Admissions: transfer requirements; Admissions: transfer major preparation; Admissions: cost and aid; General Catalog: undergraduate admission; 2026-27 AP credit chart (PDF); 2026-27 undergraduate registration fees. Many department pages are written for fall 2026 (FA26) entrants; check UC San Diego for whether they apply to fall 2027. Fees are rates for students first enrolled in 2026-27.