If you were admitted to UC San Diego prior to FA25, you cannot add (or re-add) a major within the Physics Department during the undergraduate years. 

If you are an FA25 transsfer admit, you may be eligible to apply to a physics major. Please continue reading for more information.

The UC San Diego Physics Department offers the following degrees:

• B.S. in Physics (PY29)

• B.A. in Physics (PY35)

If you are an incoming transfer admitted to UC San Diego in a major outside of the Physics department and wish to declare one of the two majors above, you will have up to ONE opportunity to do apply.  Please carefully follow the steps below. All requirements must be met and applications must be submitted on a specific date. Late applications will not be accepted.

1. Verify you completed the required Transfer Major Preparation coursework by the Spring term ahead of your Fall admission to UC San Diego.

Required Transfer Major Prep for FA25 Admits:

• MATH 18

• MATH 20A, 20B, 20C

Note: Completion of PHYS 2A-B-C no later than the summer before your first fall term at UC San Diego is strongly advised to ensure a 2-year time-to-degree.

If you completed math and/or physics courses outside of UC San Diego and they do not already have approved equivalencies, you must submit course equivalency requests immediately. We cannot consider requests to add physics as a major from students with pending equivalencies.

2. Meet Enrollment Requirements for Fall of Year 1 at UCSD

(If you WILL NOT have prior completion of PHYS 2A-B-C, skip this step and proceed to step 3.)

Get enrolled (not waitlisted) in the following courses for Fall of year 1 before submitting your application:

• PHYS 4C

• MATH 20E (unless already completed)

Waitlisted status does not meet the requirement.

3. Apply on the First Day of Your Very First Fall Enrollment Appointment at UC San Diego

Check WebReg for the date and time of your first enrollment appointment for your first fall term at UC San Diego.

Applications will be accepted only on that day—the first day of your first fall enrollment appointment for your first year at UC San Diego.

On that day, you must complete one of the following:

Option A:

Submit a request to declare PY29 (B.S. in Physics) or PY35 (B.A. in Physics) using the Major/Minor tool in TritonLink.

Option B:

If pursuing a double major, follow our Instructions for Filling Out & Submitting the Double Major Packet through the Physics Document Submission portal.

Late and/or incomplete applications cannot be considered. Proceed to the "What You Should Do Now" information, below, to ensure you are prepared to apply.

What You Should Do Now

• Check your enrollment appointment informaton on Tritonlink and note the date you will need to apply (each student has a unique enrollment appointment, so you may be applying on a different date than another student). Set a reminder on your phone about the deadline so you don't miss it!

• Review your coursework and confirm completion of all required transfer major preparation

• Submit course equivalency requests immediately (if applicable)

• Plan your Fall 2025 schedule to ensure enrollment in required courses

• For students proposing a double major: draft your double major packet following the instructions at the link above so you will be ready to submit your completed double major packet on the first day of your first enrollment appointment for your first fall term at UC San Diego. 

Reminder: Late applications will not be considered. Please ensure you have completed all necessary steps to apply on time, including securing course equivalencies and seeking any needed assistance with enrollment and/or drafting your double major packet.

For any questions about eligibility, required coursework, or the application process, please contact the Physics Department using the "Ask a Question" feature in the Virtual Advising Center as early as possible.

Keep in mind that the application is NOT competitive. All eligible applicants will be approved.

If you are a transfer admit to UCSD in a physics major and you change to a major outside of Physics, you cannot re-add a Physics major. 

Transfer Physics Majors Proposing a double major must remain in Physics and add the other major via the Double Major Packet.  If your proposed double major is a selective major, you will need to apply and be admitted into that selective major before declaring a double major. DO NOT click “accept” on the offer to join the selective major once admitted. Instead, you MUST keep PHYSICS as your primary major and add the selective major via the Double Major Packet. Click here to learn more about applying to a selective major.

Please proceed to the Physics Advising Information webpage for advising options. 

Incoming physics transfers received welcome messaging with important introductory actions they are required to take to prepare for fall quater enrollment and overall qtr-by-qtr planning and an invite to the first big event of their UCSD career-- Incoming Physics Major Orientation! 

Meet members of the Department, learn about advising, curriculum, and discover opportunities and resources available to you.

Date: Monday, September 22

Time: 9:00–11:00 AM

Location: Center Hall, Room 115 (campus map)

Physics majors must follow either one of our standard plans* or one of our alternate plans (physics majors cannot create/follow a plan they draft/create for themselves).

Most major requirements are offered only once per year and are tied together by very strictly enforced prereqs. Therefore, students must enroll exactly as prescribed on our plans. The plan the physics major is eligible for is based on coursework completed by a particular time:

MATH 18, 20A-B-C-D-E + PHYS 2A-B-C-D completed by the end of Spring 2025:  Follow the standard transfer plan* or follow the distributed instructions to take the Physics Diagnostic to qualify to skip PHYS 4 and follow years 3 and 4 on the standard freshman plan* for completing the major requirements.

MATH 18, 20A-B-C + PHYS 2A-B-C completed by the end of Summer 2025: Follow the standard transfer plan*.

MATH 18, 20A-B-C + zero, one, or two from PHYS 2A-B-C completed by the end of Summer 2025: Follow a 3-year alternate plan.

*Incoming FA25 transfer admits to PY26, PY32, PY33, and PY34 who are seeking a standard plan should refer to the ones posted for 2024-2025 (see your VAC for more details). 

Transfer Major Preparation is being implemented in an attempt to ensure academic preparedness, success, and timely graduation. Transfer Major Preparation will impact any transfer student who is interested in pursuing a Physics major at UC San Diego.

Transfer students must complete required Transfer Major Preparation coursework, or the equivalent of the courses listed, to be considered for admission into any of the physics majors offered at UC San Diego.

Transfer students who complete required Transfer Major Preparation coursework and recommended transfer major prepartion coursework will have more flexible course scheduling during their time at UC San Diego and will be able to complete more advanced coursework earlier. 

Transfer Major Preparation coursework may differ from the lower-division requirements for each major. All required Transfer Major Preparation coursework must be complete for consideration of admission into a Physics major offered by UC San Diego, whether the coursework is required for the major or not. Whenever possible, prospective transfer students should also complete the recommended Transfer Major Preparation coursework for their preferred physics major prior to matriculation to UC San Diego in order to assist with time to degree. If admitted to a physics major, students are responsible for completing all lower-division major requirements for their individual physics major.

Required (effective FA25):

• MATH 18, 20A, 20B, 20C
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 in screening course

Recommended (effective FA25):

• PHYS 2A, 2B, 2C, 2CL, 2D, 2DL, MATH 20D, and one programming course

The UC San Diego Office of Admissions and Relations with Schools conducts an initial review of Transfer Major Preparation courses for the purpose of admission into a Physics major. All course equivalencies will be determined and evaluated (if needed) by the respective UC San Diego departments after a student has accepted an offer of admission. If after evaluation, course equivalent credit is not granted, the student will be required to complete the deficient coursework to satisfy any Transfer Major Preparation courses that are also major requirements.

Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or A-Level credit may count toward fulfillment of Transfer Major Preparation coursework but will not be factored into the Transfer Major Preparation GPA.

For further information regarding transfer admission to UC San Diego, please see Transfer Admission.

California community college students should utilize ASSIST to identify how their coursework will transfer to UC San Diego. Please note the following: 1) when reviewing ASSIST, make sure to access the agreement for the academic year in which the course(s) were completed, 2) although courses may be UC transferable this does NOT guarantee they are equivalent to the courses required for Transfer Major Preparation and 3) many of the ASSIST agreements are series equivalencies, not course-for-course equivalencies. Completing only part of a series at the community college could yield no course equivalency at UC San Diego.

At the time of application, the UC San Diego Office of Admissions and Relations with Schools will make a preliminary determination whether Transfer Major Preparation courses are complete for the purposes of admission into one of the physics majors offered by UC San Diego.

The UC San Diego Office of Admissions and Relations with Schools will evaluate completed and work in progress coursework through the Spring quarter/semester prior to admission to determine if transfer major preparation requirements can be met. Summer coursework planned just prior to admission will not be considered.

Advanced Placement (AP) and/or International Baccalaureate (IB) may count toward fulfillment of Transfer Major Preparation coursework but will not be factored into the Transfer Major Preparation GPA.

Students who are unable to major in physics, may consider declaring a Minor in Physics.

Admitted transfer physics majors complete the same lower-division and upper-division major requirements as admitted freshman physics majors (see catalog). Transfer plans for completing major requirements can be found here.

Absolutely! We invite you to contact the Physics Advising Team!