Overview

Virtual Graduate Admissions Fair 2026

We’re excited to announce that the AAS plans to host its first-ever virtual graduate admissions fair on Wednesday, 16 September, 3:00–5:00 pm ET.  However, we can only make this work if there is sufficient interest from our community.

As astronomy graduate admissions become increasingly competitive each year, and programs face unexpected challenges at the state and national level, we’d like to offer a space to improve transparency between students and graduate programs. While our in-person graduate fairs at January AAS meetings are highly valued by the community and will continue, we think that hosting an earlier event in September will allow students better access to information when they need it most: before they apply.

This virtual event would allow your department/unit to showcase your graduate program to interested students, convey research and fellowship opportunities, and clarify deadlines and application requirements in real time. We anticipate dozens of participating departments and hundreds of students.

To confirm your department/unit’s interest, please use the form linked below to indicate your commitment by 10 July. Note that the registration fee for departments would be $500 and would cover the attendance of 4–5 departmental representatives.

 

Yes! We're thrilled to be part of this opportunity.

 

Why the registration fee for a virtual event? There are significant staff support and per-participant costs associated with the virtual platform for the fair. Registration fees from departments/units help to mitigate those costs while keeping the fair free for students to attend. We project that the AAS will operate this event at a financial loss despite the registration fee, and we accept this loss because we see this event as a valuable service to your departments/units and to our community’s undergraduates. However, we can’t make it work without sufficient interest from the community. Let us know if you're willing to join us!

Tentative Timeline:

• 10 July: Deadline for departments/units to confirm participation interest
• 10 July: Department/unit registration opens
• 17 July: Registration deadline for participating departments/units
• 30 July: Student registration opens
• Early September: Training and videos about how to participate become available
• 16 September (1:00 pm ET): Registration deadline for students
• 16 September (3:00 pm ET): Virtual Graduate Admission Fair begins