Information for Prospective Graduate Applicants

Applications and Deadlines

Application to our program is via the UVA Graduate School of Arts and Sciences online admission application portal. Your application will be forwarded automatically to the Department's graduate program admissions committee.

Apply Here

Required Application Materials

Completed application forms
Transcripts of all college-level work
Two letters of recommendation
TOEFL scores, for applicants whose native language is not English

The Department does not accept, nor consider, the Physics or General GRE as part of our application process.

To receive full consideration, application materials should be complete in the Astronomy Department by January 15. Since processing by the Graduate School office takes some time, it is best to upload all materials to them well in advance of the 15 January deadline.

We generally are able to establish an admissions list and a waiting list by March 15, and normally you will have heard from us by then. The admissions process is usually completed by April 15.

Application Fees/Waivers

Students may qualify for a fee waiver under several categories. Details about these waiver categories are available on the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs website: https://gradoutreach.virginia.edu/application-fee-waiver.

In addition, international applicants from Least Developed Countries, as defined by the United Nations, will automatically receive a fee waiver through central admissions. A list of qualifying countries is attached and can also be found here: https://graduate.as.virginia.edu/requirements.

Communications

Correspondence concerning applications for our graduate program or requests for more information should be sent via email to astro-gradadmin@virginia.edu. The current co-Chairs of the Graduate Admissions Committee are Nitya Kallivayalil and Shazrene Mohamed, who can be reached via that email address.

Preparation for Graduate School

Students entering our program need a good background in undergraduate physics and astronomy, preferably a physics major or an astronomy major with a strong physics component. This is the best preparation for graduate school in astronomy.

The ability to perform independent research is at the core of every successful PhD candidate. As such, we carefully consider a student's research history and their ability to articulate their research. Good examples of this include posters and presentations at academic conferences, publications, and Honor's Theses, among others.

Learn More

This page is designed to give you as much information as possible about our program. You may also visit the following pages for more information about UVA as a whole:

Financial Aid

Financial support is available in the form of fellowships, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships, all of which are either awarded or administered by the Department. These are often awarded in combination. No separate application is required for these types of financial aid; any applicant is automatically considered for this aid as part of the normal application process. The deadline for consideration for this financial aid from the Astronomy Department is the normal January 15 application deadline.

At the present time, the department does not admit students without offering them full financial support.

The Department of Astronomy normally has full support available for about 4 - 6 students a year. "Full" support implies sufficient funds paid out during the academic year (September - May) to cover all tuition and fees and to provide an adequate after-tax stipend for living expenses. Summer support is typically provided either through a research assistantship from the student’s advisor or through a summer teaching appointment.