Graduate Admissions

General Information for applying to UW Astronomy Graduate Program for admission Fall 2025 

 

Applications open Nov 1, 2024 and close Dec 9, 2024. Must be submitted using the application available on the UW graduate school website link.

 

Some basic things to note while preparing application:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Astronomy, Physics or related field is required.

  • Academic record must meet UW graduate school minimum admission requirements link

  • GRE scores are optional, may be submitted if desired.

  • The application will ask for information on upper division physics and astronomy courses. Be prepared to enter information regarding course content.  

  • We are looking for students in four specific research areas this year (see below for descriptions).  You will be allowed to choose a maximum of two areas for consideration in the application. The statement of purpose submitted via the application should include discussion of your preparation for participating in the chosen research area(s).

  • The application will ask for a two page statement of purpose.  Please use this essay to address the reasons why you wish to pursue a graduate program in Astronomy at the University of Washington, including details about your selected Area(s) of Interest.  It should also describe any exceptional experiences and achievements that might help support and strengthen your application. 

  • You will also be asked to upload a CV/Resume.  This may include a research section with links to materials such as talks, posters, papers, etc.  Be sure to identify which portion of the research project was your contribution.

This year, we are looking for students in the following four research areas:

 

High redshift galaxies: using multiwavelength observations to characterize the baryonic makeup of massive galaxies in the high-redshift Universe  

Near-field cosmology: computational and observational studies of galaxies and dark matter in the local universe

Solar System minor planets: Developing and deploying optimized asteroid discovery algorithms to NASA's Planetary Defense observing system. Also, investigating the Trojan populations of the Solar System from simulations and using early Rubin data.  Both projects have strong Rubin/LSST connections, and focus on survey science and potential applications of AI

Astronomical instrumentation: both space-based (ultraviolet imaging) and ground-based (fiber spectroscopy)

 

Deadlines

All materials for each applicant (other than fees) are collected by UW Graduate admissions and must be complete to be considered.   The deadline for completion of the application for entrance in Fall 2025 is December 9th at 11:59PM PST. All application materials must be received by this date.

Applicants requesting an application fee waiver must complete their applications and submit their request by December 1. Please visit the official application page for details on qualifications and requirements for a fee waiver. 

 

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The University of Washington reaffirms its policy of equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, or status as a disabled veteran or Vietnam era veteran in accordance with University policy and applicable federal and state statutes and regulations.

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