Graduate Applications and Admissions

In an average year, we will welcome five students, though the number does fluctuate significantly, driven by funding projections each year and the intrinsic statistical nature of admission offers and acceptances.

Admissions reviews are only conducted once per year, but students may be permitted to defer their start date until the following spring. On the application, the Fall term should be selected as the admit term unless prior approval has been obtained.

We endeavor to support our students with teaching or research assistantships; therefore, we do not require evidence of financial resources for Astronomy applicants. However, international students will need to submit funding documentation in order to obtain a visa (see bullet list above). This can be done after you are admitted.

No! Many of our graduate students arrive with degrees in physics, and some have come from mathematics or other science and engineering fields. Modern astronomy is often interdisciplinary. These students often thrive by bringing their additional expertise to their astronomical research. However, successful applicants must have completed (and done well in) intermediate and advanced undergraduate physics. Those arriving with less background in astronomy and astrophysics typically take our 400-level courses to fill in any gaps.

All astronomy applications are placed in a common pool before review, and admission decisions are not made by individual research groups. You should describe your research interests and name one or more potential advisors in your application, but you do not need to obtain commitments from them to advise or support you. Most students choose an advisor after they start the program, and working with more than one advisor over the course of the program is encouraged.

For several years now, the GRE Physics score has been optional.  If you believe it will strengthen your case, you are welcome to provide it, but note that we will not even look at it until after the initial round of screening has been completed, and it will only be used to help interpret your preparation in physics.  You should not refer to your score anywhere else in your application.  We generally place greater emphasis on your overall performance in physics courses than on any single test.

There is a set of proficiency exams that you may pass to demonstrate your knowledge of undergraduate-level astronomy. The exams are waived for students who can demonstrate prior coursework or choose to take our corresponding 400-level courses. There is also a written report and oral presentation to a thesis committee for Ph.D. candidacy, called the Preliminary Exam ("prelim"). We expect all admitted students to pass these milestones, so don’t panic.

We focus our application process on doctoral candidates.  Students may obtain a master's degree en route to the PhD, but only in exceptional circumstances do we admit students for a terminal master's.  Applicants should seek approval from the department before selecting the MS degree on the application.

Yes! Students from underrepresented minorities can apply to join the Summer Predoctoral Institute  (deadline April 2025). It is a great opportunity to get acclimated to campus and the department and make connections with your cohort. Please let us know if you apply to the SPI, and the department will support your application. Please do get in touch with our faculty about other research opportunities for pre-doctoral students!

We endeavor to provide TA or RA support and a stipend for the entire duration of study at Illinois Astronomy (based on student progress and funding availability). The department can also nominate admitted students for 3-year campus-wide fellowships. Additionally, we can nominate students for financial and mentoring support from the Sloan UCEM.

Yes, in some cases. Eligible domestic students applying through the Big Ten Academic Alliance FreeApp are not charged any application fee. For more information about possible fee waivers offered by the Graduate College, see the Graduate College website. Unfortunately, we cannot offer additional fee waivers.

Please also check the Prospective Student FAQ page, which is run as a student resource by the current graduate students!