Eligibility
To qualify for a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation, you must meet several eligibility requirements.
- You must be either a US citizen or permanent resident
- You must be Early-Career; this means that you must be either an undergraduate or graduate student
- You must be pursuing a research-based MS or PhD degree
- You cannot have previously accepted a Graduate Research Fellowship (if offered, you must have declined)
- You must have never previously applied to the GRFP while enrolled in a graduate degree program
There are several stages of your academic career in which you are eligible for a GRF.
- When you are a senior pursuing an undergraduate degree with no graduate study
- When you are in your first year of graduate study
- When you are in your second year of graduate study but have completed fewer than 12 months of graduate study by August of the year you apply
- When you have completed 12 or more months of graduate study if you are returning to graduate study after an interruption of two or more years
Your proposed research must be in an eligible field of study:
- Chemistry
- Computer and Information Science/Engineering
- Engineering
- Geosciences
- Life Sciences
- Materials Research
- Mathematical Sciences
- Physics and Astronomy
- Psychology
- Social Sciences
- STEM Education
Each year, certain fields are highlighted and new fields are occasionally added; be sure to read the current year’s solicitation for the most accurate information.
This video, created by the NSF, covers the above information.