AAS Working Group Shares Status of 2026 Astronomy Graduate Admissions

Daniel R. Piacitelli
Rutgers University 
 

As graduate programs continue to be impacted by the current fiscal and policy climate, the AAS has convened a new Working Group on Graduate Admissions (WGGA) to monitor the status of astronomy graduate admissions and produce recommendations towards their improvement. This summer and fall, WGGA has surveyed over 150 astronomy and physics graduate programs. We have now released a list of astronomy graduate programs and their intended plans for graduate admissions this fall: 

US Astronomy Graduate Admissions, AY 2025-2026

This list is meant to serve as a useful resource for applicants, advisers, and the astronomy community as a whole, offering clarity and a central information source to help understand the current state of graduate admissions in our field during an unusual year.

While a number of programs currently plan to proceed without any major changes, others intend to aim for a smaller-than-usual class size or have chosen to cancel/suspend admissions for this year; some are also still “TBD.” Due to ongoing uncertainty regarding the federal budget and other key issues that impact graduate program enrollment and funding, this list will continue to evolve over the coming days and weeks.