National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program Application Guide
Everything You Need to Know About Applying for the NSF GRFP
I was awarded the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) fellowship in 2017 when I graduated undergrad, so I am familiar with the application process! Every year, some details of the application change, but generally, the application materials are the same. In this post, I’m sharing everything I learned while applying for the NSF GRFP and some advice for preparing your application materials.
What is the NSF GRFP?
The NSF GRFP is a prestigious five-year fellowship awarded to incoming graduate students or graduate students who have not completed more than one year in a graduate program. The NSF GRFP provides financial support and professional development opportunities to fellows so they can spend more time on their research.
What am I awarded with the NSF GRFP?
The NSF GRFP is a 5-year fellowship. You are an active fellow for 5 years; within those 5 years, 3 are financially supported while the other 2 are considered on “reserve.” The stipend is $37,000 annually, and a $16,000 cost of education allowance can be used toward research expenses and coverage of university fees.
What are the benefits of the NSF GRFP?
The financial benefits of the NSF GRFP are definitely one of the top benefits of the program. You are guaranteed three years of stipends and research funding! This includes tuition waivers and health insurance waivers. As an NSF fellow, I didn’t have to pay anything out of pocket for three years! This is an amazing perk because departments or PIs can not always guarantee graduate and teaching assistantships that provide stipends and tuition waivers. This alleviates a significant financial burden so you can focus more time and energy on research than worrying about finances. By having research funding, you can attend conferences and order supplies for your research without the constraints of relying on your PI or department. I typically used my research funds for conferences and on-campus shared research facility fees.
In addition to the financial benefits, you benefit from the award’s prestige. Having an NSF GRFP fellowship on your resume is beneficial for applying to other fellowships because it shows you can write winning grants and synthesize fundable research ideas.
How competitive is the NSF GRFP?
The NSF GRFP is very competitive; 10-15% of proposals are awarded. Over 10,000 applications are submitted every year, and only 2,500 are awarded.
Who is eligible for the NSF GRFP?
To be eligible for the NSF GRFP, you must either be an incoming Ph.D. or master’s student or have completed less than one year of graduate school (first-year graduate students). Only US citizens, nationals, or permanent residents may apply. The solicitation includes more details on eligibility and a questionnaire so you can easily check if you are eligible!
How do I apply for the NSF GRFP?
Interested applicants can apply to the NSF GRFP via the NSF GRFP webpage.
When is the deadline for the NSF GRFP?
The NSF GRFP deadline is usually in October. Deadlines are based on the research area, and deadlines for reference letters are submitted separately, typically after application packets are due.
What is required to apply for the NSF GRFP?
To apply for the NSF GRFP, you must submit the following materials:
- CV/online application
- Transcripts
- Reference Letters
- Personal Statement
- Research Proposal
Do I need to have a specific PI’s support to apply?
You do NOT have to have a mentor or PI selected to apply. This is your application, not anyone else. So, not having a current Ph.D. mentor or PI will not completely hurt your chances of winning. However, I had PI already selected, and I felt that this made my application process much easier because I had a clearer vision of how my research topic would fit into the group I was joining. And I could receive their feedback.
Additionally, this criterion is visible on the NSF website:
“How well qualified is the individual, team, or organization to conduct the proposed activities? Are there adequate resources available to the PI (either at the home organization or through collaborations) to carry out the proposed activities?”
If you do not have a PI selected, you should still discuss the resources you will need and whether your desired school has them available.
Do I need to be accepted into graduate school when I apply?
You do not need to be accepted into graduate school at the time of your application, but at the time of award acceptance, you must declare your university and degree.
How will my application be judged?
Your entire application packet will contribute to award decisions. That’s why having a clear research idea, strong letters of recommendation, and a strong academic background is important. Unfortunately, like any academic review process, it can be biased. Every year, many people criticize the NSF GRFP for awarding more grants to certain schools, emphasizing GPA or prior research experience, and for review comments that are simply unfair to the student.
However, the NSF uses a Merit Review Criteria, so there are clear reviewer guidelines that you can use to develop your application. The Merit Review Criteria include intellectual merit and broader impact. Both points must be clear throughout your application. NSF now requires each point to have its own heading and paragraphs in the proposal and personal statements. Here is some more information about these criteria:
NSF GRFP review criteria: Broader Impact
The broader impact is the easier of the two criteria to understand and write about in your proposal. It’s a thorough discussion of how your research is going to make an impact in your field and on society. Think: why is my research important? How is this research going to advance the field? Why should the public care about my research? How is this research going to benefit society? Hit on these points throughout the research proposal, especially the introduction, and in the designated Broader Impact section.
Writing about the broader impact is a little more challenging for the personal statement. In this case, you will write about how YOU will make a broader impact through the award. This is where you can discuss how the fellowship will advance your research goals and what you will do with the award. In this section, I discussed how I planned to mentor undergraduate students and share my work at conferences.
NSF GRFP review criteria: Intellectual Merit
Intellectual Merit is defined as the project’s “potential to advance knowledge.” In this section, you will discuss the scientific basis for your research project and how your project will contribute to the field. What science is going to be produced by your work? How does this fit into the broader field? Why would other scientists in your field care about this work? You need to define your work’s originality, creativity, and potentially transformative nature. You will discuss these points in the research proposal. In your personal statement, you also must discuss the Intellectual Merit. Here you are discussing how your research experience and academic background make you a qualified candidate to carry out the research.
When will I hear if I was awarded the NSF GRFP?
Usually, NSF GRFP awards are announced in the springtime. You will receive an email with either a yes or no. So, you don’t have to worry about being ghosted! And you will receive copies of the review panel comments, so in case you are rejected, you can review why they made that decision. This is helpful for students who are applying as undergraduates because you can reapply and use the feedback to improve your application.
General Tips for Applying to the NSF GRFP
- Read the solicitation and FAQs thoroughly to understand the application process’s scope and requirements. Print out the solicitation and reference it throughout writing!
- Have someone who isn’t a scientist read your application. Can they understand it?
- Don’t be overly technical in the proposal. You don’t need to list out every method in explicit detail. Share only enough that the reviewers know that you know how to execute the experiments and that your methods and technical background are valid.
- Start early! I recommend starting over the summer, like in July or August to give you enough time to revise and request recommendation letters.
- Revise revise revise
- Connect with your strongest mentors and supporters for letters of recommendation
- Connect with campus writing departments for feedback. Campus writing centers or grant support offices will be more than happy to help you with writing feedback. A grant support office will be able to provide more support with formatting and the submission process since they are familiar with NSF requirements.
- Focus the most on impact and significance. In your proposal, you’re trying to convince the reviewers why your research is more important than someone else. The impact and significance, or the why, of your research is the most important thing to highlight. How is your research going to make an impact on the field and in the broader research community and society? Again the Broader Impacts and Intellectual Merit sections.
- Pay attention to deadlines!
- Select Major Area of Study and Subfield wisely. The area of study does not have to match the degree you plan to earn for your graduate program. The area of study is your research scientific field. It’s important to select this carefully because this is what is going to determine your reviewers. NSF isn’t going to assign organic chemists to review mechanical engineering proposals. However, within the engineering field, a biomedical engineering project could overlap with another subfield like materials engineering. Select the subfield based on the best fit for your project, not just because it’s your degree. I was studying materials science, but my project was more biomedical engineering, so I selected biomedical engineering as my subfield.
- Share why they should invest in YOU. Show your personality!
- View example proposals
- Follow the formatting requirements carefully!
Tips for Writing the Research Proposal
In your research proposal, you’re trying to tell the “story” of your research project from idea to experiments to expected outcomes. I personally followed the following flow:
- Introduce the topic
- Identify the knowledge or innovation gap
- State your solution or proposed work
- Describe experiments and workflows
- Proposed expected results or conclusions that indicate project success
- Discuss broader impact
- Discuss intellectual merit
Don’t get overly technical in the methods. Be specific in the experimental design, but not so specific, like what you would see in a journal article. Be strategic with the use of figures. Only use figures if they add to the discussion. You want the proposal to flow easily as you read. When someone is done reading the proposal, they should understand what you’re going to do, why you’re going to do it, how you’re going to execute the work, and how this work is scientifically grounded.
Tips for Writing the Personal Statement
For the personal statement, you are trying to convince the reviewers of your potential to contribute to the scientific community. Think: what is it about me, my experience, and my goals that make me a strong candidate? This isn’t a cover letter! Make your personality shine through, show your passion. Connect your experiences and goals to the research project. Discuss how this fellowship is going to help you reach your goals. What are your goals? How do you want to contribute to science? What motivates you to do research? Why are you interested in the topic you’re proposing? In my personal statement, I followed the following structure. However, I applied before the changes made in 2018, so I did not have to separate the intellectual merit and broader impacts into sections.
- Introduction on myself and why I’ve been interested in science
- Research experience and how it fits into the scope of my project
- Academic and professional goals and why the fellowship will help me reach those goals
- Action items if awarded the NSF GRFP (eg. Community engagement, scientific dissemination)
- Summary and conclusion
I hope this guide on applying to the NSF GRFP was insightful! The application process is challenging, but if you’re awarded, it’s worth it! But even if you’re not awarded the fellowship, you still gain valuable experience in applying for grants. As a graduate student, there will be other opportunities to apply for funding.
