NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program

About

The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) provides three-year graduate research fellowships in science, mathematics and engineering, including Women in Engineering and Computer and Information Science awards. Fellowships are awarded for graduate study leading to research-based master’s or doctoral degrees in the mathematical, physical, biological, behavioral and social sciences; engineering; the history of science and the philosophy of science; and for research-based Ph.D. degrees in science education.

The NSF highly encourages minority students to apply. Fellowships are intended for individuals in the early stages of their graduate study at any appropriate, accredited, non-profit U.S. institution or appropriate international institution of higher education offering advanced degrees in science, mathematics, or engineering is considered eligible.

Writing for the GRFP

Students seeking assistance preparing proposals should reach out to Elizabeth George, Associate Director of Graduate Fellowships & Awards at elizabeth.george@georgetown.edu.

Special Sessions: Open-Writing with Individual Assistance from Writing Center Tutors
The Writing Center offers appointments with tutors who are grant-writing specialists (designated in the tutor’s bio which pops up when you schedule an appointment); you can also sign up for any other open slot, since all tutors should be prepared to help with both your personal statement and your research statement. Follow the below link to setup an account and schedule an appointment: http://writingcenter.georgetown.edu/.

Award

• Three (3) years of stipend, currently $37,000 per year, disbursed over a five-year period while student is on “active” tenure.
• $16,000 cost-of-education allowance to the home institution per year of “active” tenure.
• Opportunities for international research through GROW and federal internships through GRIP
• Supercomputing resources through XSEDE

Student Eligibility

• U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents
• Undergraduate seniors and bachelor’s degree holders may apply before enrolling in a degree-granting graduate program.
• Graduate students enrolled in a degree-granting graduate program are limited to only one application to the GRFP, submitted in the first year or at the beginning of the second year of their degree program.
• Individuals pursuing a master’s degree simultaneously with the bachelor’s degree (joint bachelor’s-master’s degree) must have completed three (3) years in the joint program and are limited to one application to GRFP; they will not be eligible to apply again as a doctoral degree student.
• Individuals holding joint bachelor’s-master’s degrees currently enrolled as first-year doctoral students, who have not previously applied as graduate students and enrolled in the doctoral program the semester following award of the joint degree, may apply as first-year doctoral students only.
• There is a limited opportunity for returning graduate students to apply for a graduate research fellowship. Individuals who have (i) completed more than one academic year in a degree-granting program, (ii) earned a previous master’s degree of any kind (including bachelor’s-master’s degree), or (iii) earned a professional degree (e.g., law, medicine) are eligible only if:
  • 1) they have had a continuous interruption in graduate study of at least two consecutive years immediately prior to the application deadline; and
  • 2) are not enrolled in a degree-granting graduate program at the application deadline. ​​
• Applications withdrawn by November 15 of the application year do not count toward the one-time graduate application limit. Applications withdrawn after November 15 count toward this one-time limit.
• Applications not reviewed by NSF (returned without review) do not count toward the one-time graduate application limit
• Fellowships cannot be held or combined concurrently with other federal or government-funded fellowships (e.g., Boren, Fulbright, Fulbright-Hays, SMART, etc.)

Eligible Fields of Study

• Chemistry
• Computer & Information Science & Engineering
• Engineering
• Geosciences
• Life Sciences
• Materials Research
• Mathematical Sciences
• Physics & Astronomy
• Psychology – except clinical or counseling
• Social Sciences
• STEM Education & Learning Research
• Other: see full list of fields in the Appendix of the 2025 program solicitation

Ineligible Fields of Study

• M.D./Ph.D., J.D./Ph.D. and other joint professional degree-science programs
• Medical, dental, law, and public health programs
• MBA, MPH, MSW, J.D., M.D., DDS and other practice-oriented professional degree programs
• Clinical study of any kind, including patient-centered research or research with disease-related goals. Eligible exceptions:
  • Bioengineering research with diagnosis or treatment specific goals which apply engineering principles to problems in biology and medicine;
  • Bioengineering research to aid persons with disabilities
• Other ineligible fields of study: consult Appendix of the 2025 program solicitation

Application Information

• Official NSF 2025 program solicitation 
• Research.gov: Application and Help Desk
• NSFGRF Operations Center website for guidance and general inquiries

Application Materials & Evaluation

The Research.gov application consists of the following:

• Personal, Relevant Background, and Future Goals Statement (3-page maximum)*
• Graduate Research Statement (2-page maximum)*
• Undergraduate and Graduate (if applicable) Transcripts
• Three (3) Letters of Reference (uploaded separately to research.gov by selected referees)

*Applications, and specifically the two statements, will be evaluated according to the NSF’s stated “Broader Impacts” and “Intellectual Merit” criteria. Familiarity with these criteria is strongly encouraged. Applicants are advised to read the 2025 program solicitation and to attend the information sessions and the grant-writing workshop series offered in the Fall. Early consultation with advisors, letter writers, and Elizabeth George (Coordinating Official), and review of the below Applicant Resources strongly advised.

Deadlines

The application must be submitted in Research.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. local time, as determined by applicant’s mailing address.

Application Deadlines:

• October 15, 2024: Chemistry, Geosciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physics and Astronomy
• October 16, 2024: Life Sciences
• October 17, 2024: Engineering
• October 18, 2024: Computer and Information Science and Engineering, Materials Research, Psychology, Social Sciences, STEM Education and Learning

Applicant Resources

Resources Provided by the Graduate School

• NSF GRFP Information Session: Program Overview — Prof. William Hahn, September 2020

Resources Provided or Endorsed by the NSF

• NSFGRFP.org, the application processing center, is a great resource for applicants and referees
• Video: Applying to the NSF GRFP – NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program

Resources Provided by Other Institutions or Former Fellows

• Video: Applying to the NSF GRF Program (2020) – Provided by NSF GRF Program Directors — forthcoming!
• NSF-GRFP Insights: Application Resources for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program – Courtesy of Dr. Robin Walker and the University of Missouri
• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program – Neale Fox
• Advice for Applying for Graduate Science Fellowships – Philip Guo
• Advice for NSF-GRF Applications – Mallory P. Ladd
• Helping Students to Tell Their Stories – James M. Lang
• Leave Dr. Seuss Out of It – Female Science Professor
• How to Win a Graduate Fellowship – Michael Kiparsky
• Where Storytelling Meets Science – Lesley McCollum and Michelle Lavery
• Video: 5 Tips for Writing a Winning NSF GRF Proposal – by Ritu Raman
• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship – Alex Hunter Lang

“Breaking News” & Other Live Guidance on Social Media

• NSF GRFP on Facebook
• NSF GRFP on LinkedIn
• NSF GRFP on X/Twitter

​Questions?

Please contact Elizabeth George (Elizabeth.George@georgetown.edu), Georgetown’s NSF GRF Coordinating Official.

Current Fellows