NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program

With one successful application, you could expand your career options, earn $159,000 towards your graduate education and realize your dreams of becoming an accomplished social scientist, psychologist, scientist, STEM educator or engineer.

What is the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program?

The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported STEM disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited US institutions. The five-year fellowship includes three years of financial support including an annual stipend of $37,000 and a cost of education allowance of $16,000 to the institution.

What are the benefits of a GRFP Fellowship?

  • Five-year fellowship period with three years of financial support
  • Annual stipend of $37,000
  • Cost-of-education allowance of $16,000 to the institution
  • No post-graduate study service requirement
  • Access to supplemental funding to sustain research while on medical deferral (e.g. family leave)

Who is eligible?

GRFP welcomes applications from individuals who are pursuing full-time research-based Master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or in STEM Education and who meet the eligibility requirements. You are eligible if one of the following applies to you at the time of application:

  • You are an undergraduate in your final (senior) year of a Bachelor’s degree program 
  • You are a Bachelor’s degree-holder with NO enrollment in a graduate degree program 
  • You are enrolled in an accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s degree program with at least three undergraduate years completed 
  • You are a first-year graduate student in your first graduate degree program with less than one academic year completed in the degree program

We want to help you prepare a competitive application.

The Graduate School and the Graduate Student Association are co-sponsoring a workshop on the NSF GRFP application process.

This in-person workshop will be held on Friday, September 19, 2025, from 12:15 - 1:15 p.m. in MIKC 107. Pizza will be served! 

The deadline for submitting the RSVP is 5 p.m. Wednesday, September 17.

RSVP for GRFP workshop now

Workshop overview

The workshop will provide an overview of the GRFP application process, as well as a panel discussion by faculty who have served as GRFP panel reviewers and University students who have recently received NSF GRFP awards. A synopsis of the program is provided at the end of this email. To be eligible to receive one of these awards, you must be a US citizen or permanent resident by the application deadline.  

By attending the workshop, you will also receive access to supporting materials, such as examples of successful applications and tips on strengthening both the intellectual merit and broader impacts components of your application. In addition, if you are able to provide a complete draft of your application, the Office of Research and Innovation will provide expert reviews of your application in time for you to make revisions prior to the application deadline.

Please give serious consideration to attending the workshop and submitting a NSF GRFP application. The reputation of the GRFP follows recipients and often helps them become life-long leaders that contribute significantly to both scientific innovation and teaching. Past fellows include numerous Nobel Prize winners, former U.S. Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu, Google founder, Sergey Brin and Freakonomics co-author, Steven Levitt.

More information about the GRFP and application process

The purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to help ensure the vitality and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing full-time research-based masters and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or in STEM education. The GRFP provides three years of support for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant research achievements in STEM or STEM education. NSF especially encourages women, members of underrepresented minority groups, persons with disabilities, veterans, and undergraduate seniors to apply. 

Application deadlines are listed on the NSF website.

Major fields of study

Note: Applications are reviewed based on the selection of a Major Field of Study. As an example, Chemistry is a Major Field of Study, and Chemical Catalysis is a subfield under Chemistry.

NSF GRFP website

See the University's 2025 Fellows

Jessica Buelow

Jessica Buelow

Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology doctoral student

Otis Clyne

Otis Clyne

Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology doctoral student

Ryan Pierce Coulter

Ryan Pierce Coulter

Mechanical Engineering doctoral student

Elena Cox

Elena Cox

Natural Resources & Environmental Science doctoral student

Lily Raymond

Lily Raymond

Mechanical Engineering doctoral student

Jordan Zabrecky

Jordan Zabrecky

Natural Resources and Environmental Science doctoral student

Sure, our GRFP fellows are contributing in big ways to their respective fields through their research, but they are also helping to educate and inspire the next generation of scholars. They teach labs and classes, present posters and papers, and mentor up-and-coming undergraduate and master's students.