Admission Policy

The number of applicants is larger than the number of available places and we are unable to invite all those who apply. Applications are due January 31 each year. The invitations will be sent in mid-March, and a waiting list will be established. An effort will be made to select a diverse group from a number of fields of physics and representing a variety of institutions. Special consideration is given to physicists who have never participated or have not participated recently. In addition to academic physicists, physicists actively engaged in research in industrial or government laboratories are invited to apply. While there are no experimental facilities available, experimentalists are encouraged to participate in the Center's program.

Aspen is not a summer school, and we do not admit graduate students unless they are contributing to the field at the level of an active researcher; i.e., they must compete with other applicants on the basis of their research accomplishments.

Participation in a workshop is not required for admittance. Individuals in small working groups or not in workshops are both favorably considered by the Admissions' Committee.

You may apply for multiple workshops. Late applications have the lowest priority, and may not be considered at all, depending on the available space.

Flexibility

It is very important that we know how flexible your summer schedule is. Our office facilities are limited, and we are able to accommodate as many participants as we do only by making judicious use of this flexibility to even out the number of participants over the summer. Too rigid a schedule often reduces the chance of receiving an invitation. The pressure on our facilities is greatest in July and August, and least at the beginning and end of the summer program.

Desk Space

You must submit an application if you want desk space at the Center, even if you expect to have your own housing. We do not admit, provide desk space for, or grant dislocation allowances to physicists who just "show up".

Companions

We cannot supply office space for companions who have not applied for and been admitted to the physics or astrophysics program. Companions working on other projects should expect to work at home. If both members of a couple plan to participate in the physics-astrophysics programs, each must fill out an application form. On it, please indicate if you are applying jointly (both attend or neither attend) or independently.

Length of Stay

The Center requires that theorists commit for a minimum stay of two weeks, and a longer stay is preferred.   A one-week stay is allowed for experimentalists.  The purpose of this policy is to maintain the special character of the Aspen Center for Physics as a place for extended discussion and collaborative research of a type not generally possible at shorter workshops and conferences. Participants are encouraged to apply for a stay of three or four weeks. However, the length of stay granted will depend on the number of applicants and the space available. Stays of less than three weeks are strongly discouraged. Stays longer than four weeks are not common, and are generally possible only at the beginning or the end of the summer program.

Working Groups

Small groups of physicists working together on research problems are a unique and integral part of the Aspen Summer Program. The Admissions Committee will make an effort to accommodate small working groups of three to six physicists who desire to have overlapping stays in order to pursue a well-defined project. Preference will be given to working groups not associated with the formal workshops. The leader of a proposed working group should submit a one paragraph description of the project, the list of working group members, and the proposed time periods --- flexibility helps! Working groups are more likely to be accommodated early or late in the summer program.

Change of Plans

If you cancel after accepting our invitation, we will make every effort to fill your place from our waiting list. Should we be unable to fill your place, the Center's general cancellation policy is as follows: the housing deposit and registration fee are non-refundable unless cancellation notice is received prior to May 1.

Arrival and Departure

Arrival days are always Sundays after 5:00 pm, and departure days are Sundays before 10:00 am.