How Competitive Are Applied Physics vs. Physics Ph.D. Programs?

[HungryChemist]

Hello, I was wondering, if anybody know how competitive is the admission of applied physics ph.d program is compare to physics ph.d. I noticed many school has both departments but they won't let you apply to both! Any idea?

 

[complexPHILOSOPHY]

Hello, I was wondering, if anybody know how competitive is the admission of applied physics ph.d program is compare to physics ph.d. I noticed many school has both departments but they won't let you apply to both! Any idea?

I would think that it is highly contextual and dependent upon which department you wish to apply to and at what university the deparment is located in.

Are there any specific instances that you can illustrate?