NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

About this scholarship

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is the United States' oldest and most prestigious fellowship for graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, run by the National Science Foundation. It provides three years of financial support within a five-year fellowship period: a $37,000 annual stipend paid directly to the fellow, plus a $16,000 cost-of-education allowance paid to the institution to cover tuition and mandatory fees, giving fellows the freedom to pursue their own research at any accredited US graduate institution. About 2,000 new fellowships are awarded each year. Eligibility is specific: applicants must, at the time of application, be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident; only research-based master's and doctoral degrees in STEM or STEM education are supported (professional and clinical degrees are not). Eligible applicants include undergraduate seniors, bachelor's-degree holders with no graduate enrollment, students in joint bachelor's-master's programs with at least three undergraduate years completed, and first-year graduate students who have completed less than one academic year of their first graduate program. Applications are prepared and submitted exclusively through the GRFP Application Module on Research.gov, with field-specific deadlines in October.

Eligibility

• Be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident at the time of application
• Pursue a research-based master's or doctoral degree in STEM or STEM education
• Be an undergraduate senior, a bachelor's holder with no graduate enrollment, or an early first-year graduate student
• Not be a current NSF employee
• Submit the application through the GRFP module on Research.gov by the field deadline