Last modified: April 3, 2025
Department: Planetary Science Program
Display Category: USA-Canada Medium
Field Studied: Astrobiology,
Atmospheres,
Climate,
Exoplanets,
Geobiology,
Geochemistry,
Geology,
Geophysics,
Icy Satellites,
Instrumentation,
Interiors,
Jupiter,
Magnetospheres,
Mars,
Mercury,
Moon,
Neptune,
Ocean Worlds (Titan, Enceladus, Europa),
Optical Astronomy,
Planet Formation,
Planetary Dynamics,
Planetary Evolution,
Planetary Science,
Pluto/KBOs,
Remote Sensing,
Saturn,
Surfaces,
Uranus,
Venus,
Volcanology
URL: https://earth.stanford.edu/planetary-science
State/Province: California
Country: USA
Degrees Offered: MS, PhD
Minimum GPA: None noted
General GRE Required: No
Subject GRE Required: None
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 16
Planetary Researchers: 16
Students: 36
Admission Percentage:
Nearby Research Institutions: NASA Ames Research Center, SLAC National Accelerator Lab, Stanford Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, SETI Institute
Funding: Varies by department
Fall Application Deadline: 06 Dec
Spring Application Deadline: N/A
Admissions URL: https://epsci.stanford.edu/academics-admissions/graduate-program
Notes: This program spans several departments; see department links on Admissions URL link to get admissions specifics
Last modified: April 2, 2025
Department: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Display Category: USA-Canada Medium
Field Studied: Atmospheres,
Brown Dwarfs,
Exoplanets,
Interiors,
Optical Astronomy,
Planet Formation
URL: https://www.astro.ucsc.edu/index.html
State/Province: CA
Country: USA
Degrees Offered: PhD
Minimum GPA: None noted
General GRE Required: No
Subject GRE Required: None
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 20
Planetary Researchers: 7
Students: 44
Admission Percentage:
Nearby Research Institutions:
Funding: RA/TA and fellowships exist; Students are strongly encouraged to secure independent support during their entire academic career.
Fall Application Deadline: 12 Dec
Spring Application Deadline: N/A
Admissions URL: https://www.astro.ucsc.edu/academics/graduates/new_prospective/index.html
Notes:
Department/Program: Physics & Astronomy
URL: http://reu.byu.edu/
State/Province: UT
Country: USA
Application Deadline: 12 Feb
Notes:
Department/Program: Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates
URL: https://www.seti.org/seti-educators/reu
State/Province: CA
Country: USA
Application Deadline: 1 Feb
Notes:
Department/Program: Institute for Astronomy
URL: http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/reu/
State/Province: HI
Country: USA
Application Deadline: 1 Feb
Notes:
Department/Program: Astronomy & Planetary Science
URL: http://www.astro.nau.edu/~reu/
State/Province: AZ
Country: USA
Application Deadline: 1 Feb
Notes: See https://nau.edu/astronomy-and-planetary-science for department details
Last modified: April 1, 2025
Department: Physics and Astronomy
Display Category: USA-Canada Medium
Field Studied: Brown Dwarfs,
Comets,
Exoplanets,
Geology,
Infrared Astronomy,
Kuiper Belt Objects,
Ocean Worlds (Titan, Enceladus, Europa),
Optical Astronomy,
Planet Formation,
Planetary Dynamics,
Pluto/KBOs
URL: https://www.physics.byu.edu/
State/Province: UT
Country: USA
Degrees Offered: MS, PhD
Minimum GPA: 3.0
General GRE Required: Recommended
Subject GRE Required: Physics, may be waived for MS degree—contact department for details
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 47
Planetary Researchers: 3
Students: ~50
Admission Percentage: 40% (entire program)
Nearby Research Institutions:
Funding: Guaranteed TA funding
Fall Application Deadline: 15 Jan
Spring Application Deadline: N/A
Admissions URL: https://gradstudies.prod.brigham-young.psdops.com/admissions/applying
Notes: BYU welcomes students of all faith. Each student that attends BYU agrees to abide by the honor code and the dress and grooming standards. These expectations can be found at the admissions URL address and prospective applicants should read these requirements when considering whether or not to apply to BYU.
Last modified: April 2, 2025
Department: Astronomy
Display Category: USA-Canada Large
Field Studied: Asteroids,
Comets,
Dust,
Exoplanets,
Infrared Astronomy,
Instrumentation,
Meteorites,
Moon,
Optical Astronomy,
Planet Formation,
Planetary Dynamics,
Planetary Evolution,
Pluto/KBOs,
Radio Astronomy,
Remote Sensing,
Rings,
Small Bodies,
Space Plasma Physics,
Surfaces,
X-Ray Astronomy
URL: http://www.astro.umd.edu/
State/Province: MD
Country: USA
Degrees Offered: PhD
Minimum GPA: 3
General GRE Required: Optional
Subject GRE Required: Physics (optional)
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 19
Planetary Researchers: 3
Students: 37
Admission Percentage: ~5%
Nearby Research Institutions: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Johns Hopkins University, Carnegie Institution, US Naval Observatory, Space Telescope Science Institute
Funding: The department provides full funding (with tuition waivers) for up to six years while students maintain adequate progress toward degree completion.
Fall Application Deadline: 15 Dec
Spring Application Deadline: N/A
Admissions URL: https://www.astro.umd.edu/graduate/admissions.html
Notes:
Last modified: April 2, 2025
Department: Institute for Astronomy
Display Category: USA-Canada Large
Field Studied: Asteroids,
Astrobiology,
Brown Dwarfs,
Comets,
Exoplanets,
Infrared Astronomy,
Instrumentation,
Optical Astronomy,
Pluto/KBOs,
Small Bodies
URL: https://gradprog.ifa.hawaii.edu/
State/Province: HI
Country: USA
Degrees Offered: MS, PhD
Minimum GPA: 3.0
General GRE Required: Optional
Subject GRE Required: Optional
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 40
Planetary Researchers: 14
Students: 39
Admission Percentage:
Nearby Research Institutions: The Mauna Kea Observatories (IRTF, CFHT, Gemini, Keck, JCMT, Subaru, SMA, UH88, and UKIRT) are located on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Funding: Guaranteed through RAs and TAs
Fall Application Deadline: 1 Dec
Spring Application Deadline: N/A
Admissions URL: https://gradprog.ifa.hawaii.edu/how-to-apply/
Notes: 2 recommendations are mandatory, 3 are preferred
Last modified: April 3, 2025
Department: Planetary Sciences Group
Display Category: USA-Canada Large
Field Studied: Asteroids,
Astrobiology,
Atmospheres,
Brown Dwarfs,
Comets,
Dust,
Exoplanets,
In-Situ Resource Utilization,
Infrared Astronomy,
Kuiper Belt Objects,
Mars,
Meteorites,
Moon,
Optical Astronomy,
Planet Formation,
Planetary Evolution,
Planetary Science,
Remote Sensing,
Rings,
Small Bodies,
Space Plasma Physics,
Space Science,
Spacecraft Development,
Surfaces
URL: http://planets.ucf.edu/
State/Province: FL
Country: USA
Degrees Offered: MS, PhD
Minimum GPA: 3.0
General GRE Required: No
Subject GRE Required: None
Recommendations: 3
Faculty: 13
Planetary Researchers: 13
Students: 33
Admission Percentage:
Nearby Research Institutions: UCF Florida Space Institute, UCF CREOL, NASA Kennedy Space Center
Funding: Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loan
Fall Application Deadline: 01 Dec (domestic priority and all international), 01 Jul (domestic)
Spring Application Deadline: 01 Jul (international), 01 Dec (domestic)
Admissions URL: https://graduate.ucf.edu/admissions/
Notes:
