NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) — Fellowship

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program supports early-career researchers pursuing research-based master’s or doctoral degrees in eligible STEM fields. The U.S. National Science Foundation selects individuals for their demonstrated potential to make significant research contributions.

Recipients study full-time at an eligible accredited nonprofit institution with a U.S. campus, including campuses in U.S. territories or possessions and Puerto Rico. There is no central placement: the award follows the Fellow and is administered by the eligible institution.

Benefits & funding

For each of three support years, NSF provides a $37,000 stipend to the Fellow and a $16,000 Cost of Education allowance to the institution in lieu of tuition and mandatory fees.
The three years of support are usable in 12-month allocations during a five-year Fellowship period.
The Fellowship is portable, and a Fellow may transfer institutions after completing the first Fellowship year.
The FY2027 solicitation estimates 1,500 awards, subject to available funds.

Eligibility

Applicants must be U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or permanent residents by both the applicable application deadline and award acceptance.
Eligible applicants are final-year bachelor’s students, bachelor’s degree holders with no prior graduate enrollment, final-undergraduate or first-graduate-year students in a joint bachelor’s-master’s program, or first-year students in their first graduate degree program with less than one academic year completed.
Applicants must pursue an eligible research-based, thesis-bearing master’s or doctoral degree in a listed STEM field; professional, primarily course-based, clinical, and other excluded programs or research areas are ineligible.
Fellows must begin full-time enrollment by fall 2027 at an accredited nonprofit graduate institution with a campus in the United States, its territories or possessions, or Puerto Rico.
Applicants may not have previously accepted an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and may not be current NSF employees.

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Application process

1
Create or use a Research.gov account and open the GRFP Application Module.
2
Select the Major Field of Study and subfield that most closely match the proposed graduate program and research plan; this selection determines the deadline and reviewer pool.
3
Complete the application with personal and education information, transcripts, proposed study details, a three-page Personal, Relevant Background, and Future Goals Statement, and a two-page Graduate Research Plan.
4
Enter at least three reference writers, ensure at least two letters arrive by October 16, 2026, and submit the complete application by the field-specific deadline at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Program timeline

FY2027 solicitation posted.
August 25, 2026
Reference letters due.
October 16, 2026, 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Life Sciences applications due.
October 19, 2026, 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Computer and Information Science and Engineering, Materials Research, Psychology, and Social Sciences applications due.
October 20, 2026, 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Engineering applications due.
October 22, 2026, 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Chemistry, Geosciences, Mathematical Sciences, and Physics and Astronomy applications due.
October 23, 2026, 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Fellowship and Honorable Mention decisions expected.
Early April 2027
Fellows begin eligible graduate enrollment; support allocations begin in the fall.
Fall 2027