The NSF GRF Program Solicitation contains the official eligibility guidelines for the upcoming competition. All applicants are expected to read the NSF GRF Program Solicitation and understand the eligibility guidelines.

Applicants are expected to self-certify that they are eligible to receive the Fellowship by taking Eligibility questionnaire.

To be eligible, an applicant must meet all of the following eligibility criteria by the application deadline:

• Must, at the time of submission, be a U.S. citizen, national, or a permanent resident (“green-card” holder)
• Must intend to enroll or be enrolled full-time in an eligible research-based master's or doctoral degree program in an eligible field of study in STEM, including STEM education (See Appendix and Section IV.3 for eligible Fields of Study);
• Never have previously accepted a Graduate Research Fellowship;
• Have declined any previously offered Graduate Research Fellowship by the deadline (if applicable);
• Have completed less than one academic year in a graduate degree program (according to the institution’s academic calendar; non-degree coursework must be clearly identified in the transcript and does not count toward this limit). This means individuals in the following statuses at the time of application are eligible:
  
  • Level 1: Undergraduate in the final (senior) year of a bachelor’s degree program
  • Level 1: Bachelor’s degree-holder with NO enrollment in a graduate degree program (non-degree graduate coursework allowed)
  • Level 2: Individual enrolled in a joint bachelor’s-master’s degree program with at least three undergraduate years completed
  • Level 2: First-year graduate student in their first graduate degree program with less than one academic year completed in the degree program (according to institution’s academic calendar)
• Individuals enrolled in joint bachelor’s-master’s degree programs are considered graduate students. For GRFP, joint bachelor’s-master’s degrees are defined as degrees concurrently pursued and awarded.
• Not be a current NSF employee.

The GRF Program Solicitation contains the official eligibility criteria for the GRFP competition. All applicants should read the program solicitation carefully before applying.

Click Here For The GRFP Eligibility Questionnaire

• senior
• graduate

• US Citizen
• Permanent Resident

See https://www.nsfgrfp.org/applicants/application-resources.html for complete application information and details. Applications are submitted online.

Application components include:

• Personal Information
• Level Selection
• Education, Work and Other Experience
• Proposed Field(s) of Study
• Reference Letter Information
• Personal, Relevant Background and Future Goals and Graduate Research Plan Statements

Number of Times an Individual May Apply
An eligible applicant can submit only one application per annual competition.

• Undergraduate seniors in bachelor’s degree programs and bachelor's degree holders with no prior enrollment in a graduate degree program have no restrictions on the number of times they can apply before enrolling in a graduate degree-granting program.
• Individuals enrolled in joint bachelor's-master's degree programs are considered graduate students and can apply only once.
• Individuals enrolled in graduate degree programs can apply only once, in the first year of their first graduate program.
  Additional detail about the GRFP Application Module can be found by reviewing the GRFP Application Module

Templates have been provided to assist you with formatting.

• GRFP Graduate Research Plan Template
• GRFP Personal Statement Template

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is the country’s oldest graduate fellowship program that directly supports graduate students in various STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields. The GRFP was established early in the foundation's history, to encourage the best basic research and ensure a comprehensive research program.

Since 1952, NSF has funded 43,000 Graduate Research Fellowships out of more than 500,000 applicants.  More than twenty of them have gone to become Nobel laureates.  In addition, the Graduate Research Fellowship Program has a high rate of doctorate degree completion, with more than 70 percent of students completing their doctorates within 11 years.

Contact GRFP Support:grfp@nsf.gov