BS Physics at GWU: Fees 2026 Dates & Requirements

George Washington University (GW) Bachelor of Science (BS) in Physics is a four-year, full-time, classroom-based degree at Foggy Bottom in Washington, DC. Applicants need a completed secondary-school credential and rigorous preparation, while GW publishes no minimum grade average. Fall 2027 tuition is unpublished; 2026-27 tuition was US$72,000 (INR 68.52 Lakhs), as a prior-cycle reference.

The degree combines advanced physics, mathematics and computing with laboratory work, a capstone and required research in biophysics, nuclear physics or astrophysics. It suits applicants seeking technical practice or postgraduate study, although the tightly sequenced quantitative curriculum demands early course planning.

• The BS carries more physics, mathematics and computer science than GW’s Physics BA.
• Every student completes a three-credit research course and a writing-intensive physics capstone.
• The science, technology, engineering and mathematics designation can support extended United States work permission when every immigration condition is satisfied.

Also Check: George Washington University admission requirements

George Washington University Physics Fees and Living Costs 2027

Fall 2027 tuition and cost-of-attendance figures remain unpublished. The latest readable university schedule covers 2026-27, so every amount below is a prior-cycle planning reference rather than a Fall 2027 quote.

For 2026-27 entrants, full-time tuition was US$72,000 (INR 68.52 Lakhs) for 12 to 18 credits in each fall and spring semester. Physics belongs to Columbian College, so the main-campus undergraduate rate applies. Exceeding 18 credits cost US$2,400 (INR 2.28 Lakhs) per additional credit.

Prior-cycle fee context: These official 2026-27 charges apply to a new main-campus undergraduate, while the application fee and deposit are separate admission-stage payments.

Source: GW undergraduate tuition, cost-of-attendance and enrollment-deposit schedules, checked 27 October 2026.

All INR conversions in the article use a conversion rate of US$ 1 = INR 95.1675 as of 27 October 2026. Rates fluctuate daily, verify before applying.

The enrollment deposit does not appear inside GW’s published cost-of-attendance total, while the application fee is paid before admission. Indian families should keep both outside the academic-year budget until GW confirms how the deposit appears on the student account.

Cost of Living in Washington, DC for Physics Students

GW estimated nine-month living and indirect costs for 2026-27 entrants, including housing, food, books, personal expenses and transportation. The monthly figures divide each annual allowance by nine, so they are calculated planning equivalents rather than university-published monthly prices.

The 2026-27 prior-cycle planning illustration was US$95,155 (INR 90.56 Lakhs). GW calculated it from US$72,000 (INR 68.52 Lakhs) tuition, US$770 (INR 73,279) university charges and US$22,385 (INR 21.30 Lakhs) in living and indirect allowances.

First-year students normally live on campus, so replacing the housing figure with a cheaper private estimate would misstate GW’s official first-year budget. Tuition, fees and university housing charges are due on each semester’s first day.

Read More: George Washington University courses and fees

Key insight: The latest official annual budget reached US$95,155 (INR 90.56 Lakhs), so funding must work without treating an unpublished scholarship as guaranteed.

George Washington University Physics Admission 2027

Fall 2027 first-year admission is holistic and test-optional for most applicants. GW requires a completed secondary-school credential and official academic records, but publishes no minimum grade average for Physics.

Physics students enter through GW’s university process rather than a separate departmental selection. However, the major begins with calculus, university physics and programming, so advanced mathematics and laboratory preparation directly affect academic readiness.

Admission evidence for Fall 2027: GW assesses the school record in its educational context, while the latest published test profile remains a benchmark rather than a cutoff.

For Indian applicants, GW makes the official equivalency decision from the submitted school record and national examination results. Because no Physics-specific percentage threshold exists, a generic GPA conversion would create a false requirement.

The BS requires 26 introductory credits and 46 advanced credits before its electives. This sequence makes calculus fluency, experimental discipline and basic programming more decision-useful than treating an optional test score as sufficient preparation.

English Language Proficiency

Applicants whose first language is not English must submit an approved test or receive a portal waiver. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is one accepted route. GW identifies its revised scale for tests after 26 January 2026, so applicants should not self-convert scores.

Other routes include the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic. The table distinguishes their admission minimums from the higher English-course exemption thresholds.

Current English requirement: Each listed score is an admission minimum, while a higher English for Academic Purposes threshold can remove a first-year language-course recommendation.

• Choose IELTS, PTE Academic or Duolingo when a familiar scale makes score planning clearer than the revised TOEFL scale.
• Request the school-English waiver promptly because GW requires an approved waiver or official score by the application deadline.
• Applicants near the minimum should budget time for possible first-year English coursework because meeting the admission score does not guarantee exemption.

Check Out: United States study requirements for Indian students

Tip for Indian students: GW publishes no minimum grade average, but the calculus-heavy Physics BS makes advanced mathematics and laboratory preparation more useful than an optional test alone.

George Washington University Physics Application 2027

Fall 2027 applicants can choose binding Early Decision I, binding Early Decision II or non-binding Regular Decision. GW also offers Spring 2028 first-year entry, although Physics students should confirm course sequencing before choosing that intake.

GW publishes calendar deadlines and notification windows without a portal time or source timezone. Indian applicants should therefore finish submission on the preceding Indian Standard Time calendar day.

Forward application schedule: Every currently published first-year intake and stage appears below, with the university’s notification timing preserved.

The choice between Early Decision and Regular Decision carries a financial consequence because 2027-28 tuition is unpublished. Early Decision works only when the family can accept GW without comparing offers and can fund attendance without assuming a merit award.

Documents and Submission Strategy

A complete file includes the application, personal essay, official secondary-school record, one counselor or academic-teacher recommendation and English evidence where required. The application fee is US$80 (INR 7,613), although eligible applicants can request a waiver.

Physics requires no separate portfolio or departmental interview. However, the essay can connect mathematical preparation, experimental questions and sustained project work to the programme’s computational physics, laboratories and research choices.

• Ask the recommender to discuss quantitative persistence and laboratory habits because the curriculum begins with calculus, physics and programming.
• Submit English scores or the portal waiver before the chosen deadline because GW will not review an incomplete international application.
• Use Regular Decision when scholarship comparison matters because international students cannot receive GW’s general need-based assistance.
• After admission, reserve US$800 (INR 76,134) for the deposit and provide financial proof before GW issues immigration documents.

Applicants can complete the official international application process through GW’s linked application platforms. The live page also confirms materials, English rules and current stage dates.

Application tip: Regular Decision preserves comparison flexibility at the same 05 January 2027 deadline as Early Decision II, which matters while Fall 2027 tuition remains unpublished.

George Washington University Physics Scholarships 2027

International first-year applicants can compete for GW merit scholarships, but they cannot receive the university’s general need-based aid. Most awards require no separate form, while activity-based or partner awards impose additional conditions.

The awards below are current published opportunities, with Fall 2027 timing shown where the live application schedule supports it. Full-tuition awards remain unconverted because 2027-28 tuition is unpublished.

The College Scholarship Service (CSS) Profile documents finances for two conditional routes. It does not make international applicants eligible for GW’s general need-based aid. For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) is the robotics partner behind another award. That award requires prior team participation and a separate form.

The You Are Welcome Here Scholarship has the clearest full-tuition impact, yet only two awards are offered each year. Its intercultural project should show a credible campus action rather than repeat the Physics application essay.

Presidential consideration is automatic, but GW discloses neither a fixed value nor a minimum academic profile. Applicants should treat this award as uncertain until it appears in the admission letter.

• Finish the main admission file by 05 January 2027 when pursuing the FIRST Robotics Scholarship or Regular Decision.
• Prepare the CSS Profile before 31 January 2027 for the You Are Welcome Here or conditional Davis United World College route.
• Document FIRST participation or United World College status because each restricted award requires evidence beyond grades.
• Retain a full-cost funding plan because international applicants lack general GW need-based assistance.

Review the official international scholarship conditions before preparing the CSS Profile or separate response. The page identifies renewal conditions, award restrictions and required financial documents.

Read More: Scholarships in the United States after Class 12

Scholarship reality: Only the US$15,000 (INR 14.28 Lakhs) FIRST minimum is a fixed published amount here, while broader international awards remain competitive or conditional.

George Washington University Physics Salary 2027

GW publishes no Physics BS cohort salary, offer rate or placement rate. The closest official evidence combines department alumni destinations with university-wide Class of 2025 outcomes and a national physicist wage benchmark.

The programme prepares students for practising-physicist work or graduate education through computing, laboratories, advanced theory and research. Applicants should therefore judge outcomes across technical employment and postgraduate progression rather than expect one uniform role.

University-wide outcome scope: GW’s Class of 2025 first-destination profile covered 90% of 2,332 graduates and measured status within six months.

The Physics Department names recent undergraduate alumni destinations across technology, health, defence, finance and government, but publishes no counts. It also lists Clemson, Harvard, Rutgers and Colorado among graduate-school destinations.

Salary Evidence and Academic Return

GW reported that 32% of salary respondents across the Class of 2025 earned at least US$80,000 (INR 76.13 Lakhs). That figure is neither a Physics starting salary nor evidence about the subject’s response count.

Salary evidence by scope: The first row is a GW university-wide outcome, while the second is a national benchmark for established physicists across experience levels.

Source: GW Class of 2025 first-destination profile and United States Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 occupation data.

The physicist median cannot support a payback calculation because it is not a GW graduate salary or entry-level result. Federal occupational guidance also identifies a doctoral degree as typical preparation for research and academic physicist roles.

Physics BS Return on Investment

The return on investment (ROI) starts with a 2026-27 annual budget of US$95,155 (INR 90.56 Lakhs), before later-year price changes or postgraduate costs. That scale makes research access, scholarship certainty and career route central to the academic return.

• The required research course creates evidence for funded postgraduate applications, so compare faculty projects before accepting the private-university cost.
• The 29.2% university-wide further-study share supports planning context, but applicants should secure Physics-specific references and research rather than infer subject outcomes.
• The possible 36-month science-designated work window can extend job-search time, so build computation, instrumentation and data-analysis evidence alongside theoretical study.
• India-return value cannot use the US$172,250 (INR 1.64 Crore) benchmark, so compare Indian research, analytics and technical roles separately.

Gross salaries differ from take-home pay after federal, state and local taxes. Model the exact work location and filing status with current government calculators before treating a market benchmark as disposable income.

ROI reality: The Physics BS is financially defensible when required research supports a funded postgraduate or technical route. The national physicist median is not a bachelor-level promise.

United States Visa for GW Physics Students 2027

Admitted Indian students normally use the F-1 student classification after receiving GW’s Form I-20 and documenting one-year funding. The official student visa process permits visa issuance up to 365 days before study begins. Entry remains limited to 30 days before the programme start date.

• The visa application costs US$185 (INR 17,606) and the I-901 Student and Exchange Visitor Information System fee costs US$350 (INR 33,309), totalling US$535 (INR 50,915).
• Standard Optional Practical Training permits 12 months, while eligible science-designated graduates may add 24 months with a related role and qualifying employer.
• An H-1B employer must pay the higher applicable actual or prevailing wage, so no single national salary threshold controls sponsorship.
• An F-2 spouse or unmarried child under 21 may accompany the student, but dependants cannot work and study creates no automatic permanent-residence timeline.

Read More: Post-study work options in the United States

Visa reality: The science designation can create a potential 36-month practical-training window, but the I-20 code, related employment and employer compliance determine eligibility.

George Washington University Physics Ranking 2027

GW placed in the 251 to 300 global band for Physical Sciences in the 2026 Times Higher Education subject ranking. It also shared 62nd place among United States institutions in that field.

The subject scope includes physics, astronomy, chemistry, mathematics, statistics and earth sciences. Therefore, the result describes GW’s wider research environment rather than the Physics BS, its teaching quality or graduate employment.

Published subject-ranking context: The ranking edition and scope differ from the Fall 2027 entry year used throughout this article.

The ranking can support a research-environment comparison, but it cannot replace direct checks of faculty interests, laboratory access and advanced-course availability. Those programme-level factors matter more because every Physics BS student completes research.

Check Out: George Washington University rankings

Honest take: The 251 to 300 Physical Sciences band gives broad research context, while the required research course and advanced sequence offer more direct selection evidence.