National Science Foundation – Graduate Research Fellowship Program

Fellowship details

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Application Status
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Closed
Deadline
10/11/2024
Amount
3 years of support
Citizenship Requirements
U.S. Citizen
Contact

Overview

The National Science Foundation (NSF) offers fellowships to students in the early stages of pursuing a research based Master’s or Ph.D. degree. The Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) affords our nation’s research leaders of tomorrow exceptional funding with three years of graduate support worth thousands of dollars.

Eligible UCI graduate students who apply for the NSF GRFP may be eligible for a $500 award. Learn more about our incentive program here.

Award Information

Fellowship funding will be for a maximum of three years of financial support (in 12-month allocations starting fall of the award year) usable over a five-year fellowship period. The anticipated announcement date for the Fellowship awards is early April each year.

The Fellowship is portable and can be transferred to a different institution of higher education if a Fellow chooses to transfer to another institution after completion of the first Fellowship year. While the Fellowship is offered to the individual, the Fellowship funds are awarded to the institution at which a Fellow is enrolled and is considered the official NSF awardee institution. The awardee institution receives up to a $53,000 award per Fellow who uses the support in a fellowship year. The awardee institution is responsible for disbursement of fellowship funds to the Fellow. The Graduate Research Fellowship stipend is $37,000 for a 12-month tenure period, prorated in whole month increments of $3,083. The Cost of Education allowance provides payment in lieu of tuition and mandatory fees to the institution of $16,000 per year of fellowship support.

The NSF accords Honorable Mention to meritorious applicants who do not receive Fellowship offers. This is considered a significant national academic achievement.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident
  • Intend to enroll or be enrolled full-time in a research-based Master’s or doctoral degree program in an eligible Field of Study in STEM or STEM education (See Appendix and Section IV.3 for eligible Fields of Study
  • Never previously accepted a Graduate Research Fellowship
  • Declined any previously offered Graduate Research Fellowship by the acceptance deadline
  • Never previously applied to GRFP while enrolled in a graduate degree program
  • Never earned a doctoral or terminal degree in any field
  • Have completed no more than one academic year (according to institution’s academic calendar) while enrolled in a graduate degree program (non-degree coursework must be clearly identified in the transcript and does not count toward this limit)
  • Individuals holding joint Bachelor’s-Master’s degrees who did not apply while enrolled in the joint program, may apply as second-year graduate applicants if enrolled in an eligible doctoral program the beginning of the academic year immediately following the academic award year of the joint degree
  • Individuals with prior graduate enrollment who have: (i) completed more than one academic year in any graduate degree-granting program, (ii) earned a previous master’s degree of any kind (see guidance for joint Bachelor’s-Master’s degree-holders above), or (iii) earned a professional degree must meet the following requirements:
    • not enrolled in a graduate degree program at application deadline
    • two or more consecutive years past graduate degree enrollment or completion at the application deadline
  • Not be a current NSF employee.

Applications that do not meet eligibility requirements will not be reviewed.

Number of Times an Individual May Apply

  • Undergraduate seniors and Bachelor’s degree holders who have never enrolled in a graduate degree program have no restrictions on the number of times they can apply before enrolling in a degree-granting graduate program.
  • Currently enrolled graduate students who have completed no more than one academic year (according to institution’s academic calendar) while enrolled in a graduate degree program can apply only once. Non-degree coursework (clearly identified in a transcript) does not count toward the one academic year limit.
  • Individuals applying while enrolled in a joint Bachelor’s-Master’s degree program are considered graduate students who: i) must have completed three (3) years in the joint program, and; ii) are limited to one application to GRFP; they will not be eligible to apply again as doctoral students. For GRFP, joint Bachelor’s-Master’s degrees are defined as degrees concurrently pursued and awarded.
  • Individuals holding joint Bachelor’s-Master’s degrees, currently enrolled as first-year doctoral students, who (i) have not previously applied as graduate students and (ii) enrolled in the doctoral program the beginning of the academic year immediately following the academic award year of the joint degree, may only apply in the first year of the doctoral program.
  • 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 do not count toward the one-time graduate application limit.

Limit on Number of Applications per Applicant: 1

An eligible applicant may submit only one application per annual competition.

Field of Study, Degree Programs, and Proposed Research (complete list of eligible Major Fields of Study and their subfields listed in the appendix on this page)

Fellowships are awarded for graduate study leading to research-based Master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) or in STEM education, in eligible Fields of Study listed below:

  1. Chemistry
  2. Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering
  3. Engineering
  4. Geosciences
  5. Life Sciences
  6. Materials Research
  7. Mathematical Sciences
  8. Physics & Astronomy
  9. Psychology
  10. Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences
  11. STEM Education and Learning Research

Application Process

NSF GRFP Proposals are evaluated on two merit review criteria: Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts.

Intellectual Merit

  • Ability to plan and conduct research
  • Excellence when working both independently and on a team
  • Aptitude in interpreting and communicating research findings

Broader Impacts – Activities and projects that:

  • Integrate research and education
  • Communicate your methodology and findings to a diverse audience
  • Encourage diversity and enable full participation
  • Enhance global scientific and technical understanding
  • Benefit society

Contact

For more information about the NSF GRFP and resources available for UCI applicants, please contact:

Kayleigh Anderson-Natale
Director of Postdoc and Professional Development
949-824-5196

Resources At UC Irvine

Graduate Division and GPSRC Resources:

Looking for help getting started? Check out our NSF GRFP Fellowship Mentor consultation program! The Graduate and Postdoctoral Scholars Resource Center (GPSRC) offers fellowship mentorship support to graduate students applying to the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). All Fellowship Mentors have received NSF-GRFP awards and/or a honorable mention, and are trained to mentor you through the process of creating your own stellar application in a supportive environment.

Summer 2025 NSF GRFP Workshops
  • NSF GRFP Information Session: The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship is an excellent opportunity to get your research funded. Join us to discuss this excellent opportunity open to domestic first and second year STEM students who do not have a master’s degree.
  • NSF GRFP: Writing your Personal, Relevant Background and Future Goals Statement: Applying for the NSF GRFP? Join us to discuss the Personal, Relevant Background and Future Goals Statement and learn some strategies for writing an effective statement.
  • NSF GRFP: Writing your Research Plan: Applying for the NSF GRFP? Join us to go over the basics for composing an effective Research Plan.

The GPSRC is located at 3100 Gateway Student Center (The entire 3rd floor). The main stairs that take you to the third floor are at the back of the building, facing Aldrich Park. The elevator is next to the SOAR office. Click here for a map and directions from Ring Road.

Resources and Links

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