Expert: Daniel Mazur - 10/13/2009

Question
Dear sir:

I am senthilnathan. I wish to pursue phd in astrophysics in abroad. Which country is best for phd in physics. Is GRE and TOEFL necessary for admission to  Phd program. How can i get scholarship for phd program.

Kindly clarify

Thanks
Regards
R.Senthilnathan

Answer
Hello Senthilnathan,

the TOEFL applies to English-speaking countries: United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, perhaps Ireland. The GRE applies only to the universities in the USA.

In the USA the GRE score is a standard part of your university application, application cannot pass without it. Normally TOEFL is also required with the application in the USA, although under special circumstances (like partnership program between your home school and the U.S. school) it may be postponed until after you arrive to the USA.

In other English-speaking countries you can expect the same use of the TOEFL score. GRE is not a standard outside the USA, so you must check in every country separately. In many countries you need not pass any exam for a PhD, instead you are interviewed as though for a job! This is because in the USA you can spend 2 years of your PhD by only doing coursework and not work (if you can support yourself financially), whereas in many other countries the PhD-student status is directly tied to an obligation to work and to a scholarship (usually called an "assistantship").

In the USA to get an assistantship you first need to apply for it at the same time, when you are sending in your application for the PhD program. NOTE that there are two different deadlines for student applications WITH and WITHOUT requests for scholarships! For the Fall 2010 semester, the application deadline WITH scholarship requests is around 1st January 2010 (plus or minus one month), so you cannot loose any time, if that is your plan. Applications WITHOUT scholarships have a deadline around May 2010, but that is less interesting. If you decide to apply in the USA, be advised that it takes one whole month (!) for the GRE and TOEFL scores to be delivered to you. This means that you must take the tests at least six weeks before the deadline! To start in next fall you will need to hurry up.

There is no way of telling which country is best for PhD in Physics, there is no best country. There are prestigious universities in several countries, whose degree will give you somewhat better salaries in later life, but in my opinion it is far more important to be able to do your PhD research on a subject that really interests you. For this you (personally) must go through the degree programs of many universities in many countries and make up your mind. There is not an easier way.

Good luck!
Daniel