Graduate Admissions

The fall 2024 deadline to apply for graduate admission to Nuclear Engineering's PhD program is December 15, 2023.  The application can be found on the Graduate Division Graduate Admissions website.

Applications for graduate admission will not be accepted after the department application deadline.  We will only consider applicants that have completed all required sections for admission into the program. Payment of the non-refundable application fee, or an approved application fee waiver is required when submitting the application.

U.S. citizens or permanent residents who can demonstrate financial need are eligible to apply for a waiver of the application fee. See guidelines for waivers.

Official Transcripts:

All applicants are required to upload unofficial transcripts or academic records for the initial application review.  Unofficial transcripts must include: the name of institution,  your name, all undergraduate coursework, grades, and proof of degree conferral (unless your undergraduate degree is still in progress).  If admitted, you will be required to submit official transcripts that include all college-level work by the Graduate Admissions Office.

International Transcripts:

International transcripts and degree certificates (if applicable) that are in a language other than English must include an official English translation uploaded with the transcript that was issued in the original language.  Translations should be prepared and issued by the authorized official from the school in which the student attended, or a certified ATA translator that can be verified on the ATA website. Specially prepared English versions are not acceptable in lieu of the records in the original language.

Letters of Recommendation:

Applicants must submit a minimum of three letters of recommendation using the online graduate admissions application.

Evidence of English Language Proficiency:

Evidence of English language proficiency is required of all applicants with a basic degree issued from a country in which the official, or national language is not English.  This includes U.S. citizens who have obtained their basic degree from an institution outside the U.S.

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is most easily available and most commonly used to demonstrate English language proficiency. Graduate Admissions will also accept scores from the academic module of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) in place of the TOEFL.  Standardized tests must have been taken within the past two years, regardless of the test used.

If you have completed at least one year of full-time academic course work in residence at a recognized U.S. institution with grades of B or better , you do not need to take a standardized test. Instead, you must upload an unofficial transcript from the recognized U.S. institution.

Applicants must authorize ETS to send official scores to Berkeley, using institution code 4833.

TOEFL: Minimum score of 90 for the Internet-based test (IBT).

IELTS: Minimum overall band score of 7 on the academic module test.

Additional information can be found on the Graduate Division Website.

GRE:

We strive to admit the strongest candidates to our graduate program. As a result, we evaluate each application on an individual basis, following a fair and inclusive process, which we are consistently improving upon. We will not require the GRE for the fall 2024 graduate admissions application.

Statements:

The Statement of Purpose is a short essay that is used to assess the knowledge, experience, motivation, intellectual maturity, and readiness of applicants to pursue graduate education at Berkeley. Limit this statement to a maximum of 2 pages (single or double spaced), and it should include the following:

• • Why you are interested in pursuing a degree in nuclear engineering;
  • What research area of nuclear engineering interests you the most (include names of one or two faculty whose research you are interested in);
  • Any previous research and academic experience that prepared/is preparing you to undertake this research;
  • Your graduate school and career goals;
  • How is Berkeley in general and Nuclear Engineering in particular are going to help you achieve those goals;
  • What aspects do you bring to the department.

The Personal History Statement is an opportunity for the review committee to learn about the unique qualities and perspectives you’ll bring to the program. This statement can include any personal reasons why you are deciding to study nuclear engineering, or situations that have influenced you to study nuclear engineering.  Applicants who can contribute to the overall diversity of the department or University, have overcome hardships or any barriers to higher education can include this information in the personal history statement. This section can also be used to explain low grades, test scores, or anything in the application that may require an explanation. Limit this statement to 1 page (single or double spaced).