NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
A Brief Introduction
This fellowship from the National Science Foundation was established to recruit and support U.S. citizens who demonstrate the potential to make significant contributions in STEM.
Quick Overview
The purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to help ensure the quality, vitality, and diversity of the scientific engineering workforce of the United States. A goal of the program is to broaden participation of the full spectrum of diverse talents in STEM. The five-year fellowship provides three years of financial support, including an annual stipend of $37,000. NSF has an at-a-glance infographic here.
Informational sessions will not be scheduled before the new solicitation is published.
why?
The NSF GRFP is a prestigious five-year fellowship that provides three years of financial support with an annual stipend of $37,000 [concurrent TA/RA appointments are permitted]. The grant is housed in the Graduate College and we ensure that fellows incur no costs in those three years AND have opportunities to seek additional funds for conference travel and research supplies/materials (including hardware and software). Benn Williams works with fellows who seek an NSF-remunerated, non-academic internship through NSF’s INTERN program, when it is funded.
who?
We await the new solicitation. Last year’s information:
The NSF encourages applications from undergraduate seniors and Bachelor’s degree-holders interested in pursuing research-based graduate study in STEM. Those who have completed no more than one academic year in a graduate program in eligible STEM fields and degree programs are also encouraged to apply. The competition is only open to U.S. citizens, nationals, and permanent residents.
Let’s be honest: the criteria are a bit tricky to comprehend.
timeline
September – November: Work with scientific mentor and Graduate College staff, if available.
Graduate College info session: October 10th, noon-1 pm.
National deadlines:
Application Deadline(s) (received by 5 p.m. local time of applicant’s mailing address):
Reference letters are due Friday, November 7 at 4:00 p.m. Central Time. Reference letters must be submitted through the NSF Reference Letter System in (https://www.research.gov/grfp/Login.do).
Application deadlines:
November 10, 2025: Life Sciences
November 12, 2025: Computer and Information Science and Engineering; Materials Research; Psychology; Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences; STEM Education and Learning
November 13, 2025: Engineering
November 14, 2025: Chemistry; Geosciences; Mathematical Sciences; Physics and Astronomy
In-Depth
In the “accordion” below, you will find more in-depth information about the NSF GRFP.
Details
award
Historically, NSF supports approximately 2,500 new Graduate Research Fellowships per fiscal year. The 2024-25 competition had 1500 recipients. Up to 3,000 are projected for the 2025-26 competition.
Historically: The fellowship funding is for a maximum of three years of financial support (in 12-month allocations, starting in fall) usable over a five-year fellowship period. There is no post-graduate study nor service requirement. The annual solicitation is published in June-July, the deadlines are in October (they vary by discipline), and the announcement of recipients and honorable mentions is in early April.
The Fellowship is “portable.” It can be transferred to a different institution of higher education if a Fellow chooses to transfer to another institution before or after completion of the first Fellowship year.
The fellowship funds are managed by the institution. The Graduate Research Fellowship stipend is $37,000 for a 12-month tenure period paid in monthly increments of $3,083. The Cost of Education (COE) allowance provides the institution payment in lieu of tuition and mandatory fees and is $16,000 per year of fellowship support (to be used at the institution’s discretion). Concurrent TA/RA appointments are permitted with the fellowship. Students decide annually whether to be “on tenure” or “on reserve” for the subsequent academic year. There is no stipend nor COE while a fellow is on reserve.
Fellows with disabilities may apply for assistance after consulting the instructions in the document NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Administrative Guide for Fellows and Coordinating Officials.
Fellows can apply for supplemental funding to sustain research while on medical deferral (e.g., family leave).
Fellows are eligible to apply for non-academic INTERN supplements following guidance specific to GRFP. (When funding is available.)
Review the full details in the NSF award solicitation (below).
Eligibility details
On April 18, 2025, NSF director Sethuraman Panchanathan wrote:
“NSF uses two statutory criteria to ensure that every award has the potential to advance new knowledge (Intellectual Merit) with maximum impact on the Nation and its people (Broader Impacts). NSF investments unleash groundbreaking discoveries, translational solutions and expand participation in STEM. These efforts strengthen our domestic workforce to fuel economic prosperity, national security, and global S&E competitiveness.
The principles of merit, competition, equal opportunity, and excellence are the bedrock of the NSF mission. NSF continues to review all projects using Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts criteria.
NSF’s broadening participation activities, including activities undertaken in fulfillment of the Broader Impacts criterion, and research on broadening participation, must aim to create opportunities for all Americans everywhere.
These efforts should not preference some groups at the expense of others, or directly/indirectly exclude individuals or groups. Research projects with more narrow impact limited to subgroups of people based on protected class or characteristics do not effectuate NSF priorities.
NSF will continue to support research with the goal of understanding or addressing participation in STEM, in accordance with all applicable statutes and mandates, with the core goal of creating opportunities for all Americans.
NSF will continue to support basic and use-inspired research in S&E fields that focus on protected characteristics when doing so is intrinsic to the research question and is aligned with Agency priorities.” [Emphasis added, cf. https://www.nsf.gov/updates-on-priorities]
General
Eligibility for the NSF GRFP, includes the following:
Citizenship: Applicants must be a US citizen, US national, or permanent resident.
Degree: Intend to pursue a research-based Master’s or Ph.D. program in a GRFP-supported field. Must be enrolled in an eligible program at an accredited United States graduate institution [e.g., UIC], by fall following selection. Applicants should be at an early stage of their graduate career. Applicants are eligible to apply:
- as current undergraduates, or Bachelor’s degree holders who have never enrolled in a degree-granting graduate program, and who will be prepared to attend graduate school in fall of the award year;
- as current graduate students who have not completed more than one academic year (according to institution’s academic calendar) of any degree-granting graduate program.
Additional Requirements: Graduate students are limited to only one application to the GRFP submitted in the first year of graduate school. Applicants must not be a current NSF employee.
Review the NSF website for the full details on eligibility requirements.
Fields of Study
Students in an eligible Field of Study in STEM or STEM education. The broad categories are: life sciences, computer and information science and engineering, psychology, materials research, social sciences, STEM education and learning research, engineering, chemistry, geosciences, mathematical sciences, physics and astronomy.
Review the Appendix and Section IV.3 for a detailed list of eligible Fields of Study.
Research and fields of study that focus on clinical practice and behavioral changes are ineligible. See the solicitation for more information.
App
From the 2025-26 competition:
Applications are submitted via research.gov.
The maximum length of the Personal, Relevant Background and Future Goals Statement is three (3) pages (PDF). The maximum length of the Graduate Research Plan Statement is two (2) pages (PDF). These page limits include all references, citations, charts, figures, images, and lists of publications and presentations. Applicants must certify that the two statements (Personal, Relevant Background and Future Goals Statement, and Graduate Research Plan Statement) in the application are their own original work.
Transcripts: In the application, applicants must list their undergraduate institution, and all graduate institutions attended with a start date prior to the fall term in which the application is submitted. Transcripts are required for all degree-granting programs listed. Transcripts may be included for all other institutions listed in the Education section. If the applicant started at the current institution in the fall of the application year and the institution does not provide unofficial or official transcripts prior to completion of the first term, the applicant may submit a class schedule/enrollment verification form in place of a transcript. At least one transcript must be included for the application to be accepted by the GRFP Application Module.
Reference Letters: A minimum of two reference letters must be received from non-family members by the application deadline. Applications without two references will not be reviewed. Reference writers cannot be family members of the applicant. Applicants are required to provide the name and contact information for three (3) reference writers from non-family members. Up to five (5) potential reference letter writers can be provided. [Tip: Include five in case one letter writer has an emergency or technical issues – life happens! Be prepared.]
Applicants should use the “Application Completion Status” feature in the GRFP Application Module to ensure all application materials, including reference letters, have been received by NSF before the deadlines. For technical support, call the NSF Help Desk at 1-800-381-153.
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 limit.
Merit Review Criteria
Applications are reviewed by disciplinary and interdisciplinary scientists and engineers and other professional graduate education experts. Reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with oversight of the review process. Care is taken to ensure that reviewers have no conflicts of interest with the applicants. Applications are reviewed in broad areas of related disciplines based on the applicant’s selection of a Field of Study. Selection of a Major Field of Study determines the application deadline and the broad disciplinary expertise of the reviewers. Applicants are advised to select the Major Field of Study and associated subfield in the GRFP Application Module (see Fields of Study and associated subfields in Appendix) most closely aligned with the proposed graduate program of study and research plan.
Each application will be reviewed independently in accordance with the NSF Merit Review Criteria using all available information in the completed application. In considering applications, reviewers are instructed to address the two Merit Review Criteria as approved by the National Science Board – Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts. Applicants must include separate sections, under individual separate headings, on “Intellectual Merit” and “Broader Impacts” in each of their Personal and Research Plan statements in order to provide reviewers with the information necessary to evaluate the application with respect to both Criteria as detailed below. Both the Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts criteria are to be given full consideration during the review and decision-making processes; each criterion is necessary but neither, by itself, is sufficient. Therefore, applicants must fully address both criteria.
- Intellectual Merit: The Intellectual Merit criterion encompasses the potential to advance knowledge; and
- Broader Impacts: The Broader Impacts criterion encompasses the potential to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes.
Intellectual Merit Factors
Factors reviewers will consider in assessing the potential Intellectual Merit of the application and the applicant’s potential to advance knowledge and understanding in one or more fields may include (but are not limited to):
- The applicant’s ability to:
- Plan and conduct research
- Work independently
- Work as a part of a team
- Interpret and communicate research (e.g., through publications, or presentations)
- Take initiative
- Think creatively
- Solve problems
- Persist and overcome challenges
- The applicant’s demonstrated intellectual ability (as indicated by grades, coursework, awards, etc.)
Broader Impacts Factors
Factors reviewers will consider in assessing the potential Broader Impacts of the application and the applicant’s potential to benefit society and achieve specific, desired societal outcomes may include (but are not limited to) the likelihood that the applicant’s activities will:
- Increase participation in STEM
- Improve STEM education in schools through outreach and mentoring
- Increase public scientific literacy and public engagement with STEM through community outreach
- Increase collaboration among academia, industry, and other types of organizations
- Improve education and educator development – at any level – in STEM
- Improve the well-being of individuals in society
- Develop a globally competitive STEM workforce
- Improve national security
- Increase the economic competitiveness of the U.S.
- Enhance infrastructure for research and education.
For the 2025-26 competition (updated):
Application Deadline(s): By 5 p.m. local time of applicant’s mailing address on the appointed day.
- November 10, 2025: Life Sciences
- November 12, 2025: Computer and Information Science and Engineering; Materials Research; Psychology; Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences, STEM Education and Learning
- November 13, 2025: Engineering
- November 14, 2025: Chemistry; Geosciences, Mathematical Sciences; Physics and Astronomy
Updated NSF Priorities
Diction in Grant Writing
2025 Solicitation
NSF Web Page - Simplified
NSF Web-Detailed
Informational Slides
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NSF and UIC Slides