Michael Schramm

University of Michigan

If you thought Ivy League schools had low admission percentages, you haven't seen anything yet. It turns out NASA’s astronaut class has an astronomically lower acceptance rate.

According to NASA, 18,300 people applied to its 2017 astronaut class — a program that selects eight to 14 individuals to become astronaut candidates. That makes this program 74 times harder to get into than Harvard, according to Business Insider.

“We have our work cut out for us with this many applications,” said Brian Kelly, director of Flight Operations at Johnson in the release. “But it’s heartening to know so many people recognize what a great opportunity this is to be part of NASA’s exciting mission. I look forward to meeting the men and women talented enough to rise to the top of what is always a pool of incredible applicants.”

So, what do those eight to 14 people do once they’re selected?

Candidates, say NASA, undergo two years of training that include spacecraft system training, spacewalking skills and Russian language. Following this, successful candidates will be given technical duties at Johnson Space Center before ultimately being assigned to one of four spacecrafts.

“We have our work cut out for us with this many applications,” Kelly continued in the release. “But it’s heartening to know so many people recognize what a great opportunity this is to be part of NASA’s exciting mission. I look forward to meeting the men and women talented enough to rise to the top of what is always a pool of incredible applicants.”



Michael Schramm is a USA TODAY College digital producer and a University of Michigan student.

This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.