What this program funds
The Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) funds people, not projects. Fellows receive a multi-year stipend and tuition support to pursue a research-based master's or doctoral degree in an NSF-supported field at any accredited U.S. institution — the fellowship travels with you. Because NSF is investing in your potential as a researcher, the application is evaluated as much on your trajectory and broader impacts as on the specific research plan you propose (which you are not bound to follow).
Eligibility in plain English
- You are a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident.
- You intend to pursue (or are early in) a research-based master's or PhD in an NSF-supported field — most science, engineering, and social-science disciplines; clinical practice degrees and MBA/JD-style programs are out.
- You apply either before starting graduate school (typically as a senior or post-bacc) or early in your graduate program. In recent cycles, enrolled graduate students could apply only once, in either their first or second year.
- You do not already hold a doctorate.
- Rules on prior graduate study and application limits have shifted between cycles — confirm with your fellowships office and the current solicitation.
What you'll need to submit
- Personal, Relevant Background and Future Goals Statement (3 pages) — your trajectory, motivation, and broader impacts, with intellectual merit addressed explicitly.
- Graduate Research Plan Statement (2 pages) — a concrete, feasible research proposal, again addressing both merit criteria explicitly.
- Three reference letters — due on a separate (slightly later) deadline; letters are a scored, load-bearing part of the package.
- Transcripts from all institutions attended.
- Education and work history, plus your declared primary field of study.
Tips for this mechanism
- Address both review criteria, by name, in both statements. Panels score intellectual merit and broader impacts on each document. Applications that bury broader impacts in a closing paragraph get flagged; many strong applicants use explicit headings.
- Choose your primary field of study strategically. It determines which panel reads your application. If your work sits between fields, pick the panel whose reviewers will value it, not just the closest label.
- If you're already in grad school, spend your one shot deliberately. An undergraduate application doesn't burn it. Decide with your advisor whether year one (fresher story) or year two (more results) is stronger.
- Brief your letter writers. GRFP letters that speak to both criteria and rank you against peers carry real weight; generic praise reads flat. Ask early — the letter deadline sneaks up right after yours.
Related programs
- DoD NDSEG Fellowship (national-security-relevant STEM fields)
- DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (CSGF)
- NASA FINESST (graduate research aligned with NASA science divisions)
- NSF doctoral dissertation research improvement grants in some directorates (advisor-submitted, for students already past the proposal stage)