To be admitted to graduate study in Physics and Astronomy at the University of Georgia, a student must have earned a bachelor's degree in physics, astronomy, or a related field and should have a distinguished undergraduate record. Applications for admission to the M.S. or Ph.D. programs must be done electronically over the World Wide Web (click here for the link); paper applications are no longer accepted. Applications for graduate admission and assistantships are accepted mostly in the fall semester because of the structure of our core curriculum. It is only in rare instances that an applicant is admitted to begin in the spring semester. The completed application package must include official transcript (official academic records and certified English translations, if applicable, for international applicants) from each institution of higher education attended. For the initial review, electronic scans are OK, but to be officially admitted, official transcripts have to be submitted to the graduate school later on. three letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation are now done via the internet, so these will automatically be correctly directed. The essay should also be submitted online. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (the GRE subject test score: not a requirement but recommended to submit.) A brief essay: describing the applicant's background, interests, goals, aspirations, is required of all applicants. For international students from non-English speaking countries, TOEFL score. The minimum score is 80 total (20 speaking). The GRE and TOEFL scores and the transcripts should be reported to the Office of Graduate Admissions, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602. For the initial review process, your uploaded test scores (GRE and TOEFL) to the UGA webpage are sufficient. However, to be officially admitted, you need to provide official test scores. Minimum IELTS score requirement: overall band-width of 6.5, with no single band (score) below 6.0