National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships (NSF GRFP) recognize and support outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited U.S. institutions. Supported fields also include many social science disciplines, such as Psychology, International Relations, Economics, Sociology, Public Policy, and many more.
Fellows benefit from a generous three-year annual living stipend of along with an allowance for tuition and fees, opportunities for international research and professional development, and the freedom to conduct their own research at any accredited U.S. institution of graduate education they choose.
NSF Fellows are expected to become knowledge experts who can contribute significantly to research, teaching, and innovations in science and engineering. Applications will be reviewed by panels of disciplinary and interdisciplinary scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and other professional experts in graduate education. Each application is reviewed independently on the basis of merit using all available information in the completed application, paying special attention to both intellectual merit and broader impact review criteria.
A video presentation on details of the program, and the application process, is available and may be downloaded in PDF format. Please see the GRFP Solicitation NSF 20-587 for more details on the program.
ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible for the NSF GRFP, you must:
- be a US citizen, US national, or permanent resident;
- intend to pursue a research-based Master's or Ph.D. program in a GRFP-supported field;
- be enrolled in an eligible program at an accredited United States graduate institution, with a US campus, by fall following selection;
- be a graduating senior or first year graduate student (this more restrictive eligibility requirement was announced in 2025);
- As of September 2025, the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) application process was updated, and eligibility requirements have been amended. For full details, see the solicitation here