NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is the oldest and most prestigious federal fellowship for graduate students in STEM fields. Established in 1952, the GRFP has supported over 60,000 fellows, including more than 40 Nobel laureates and numerous leaders in science, engineering, and technology. The program provides three years of financial support over a five-year fellowship period.

The GRFP awards approximately 2,000 new fellowships each year, making it by far the largest fellowship program for STEM graduate students in the United States. Each fellow receives an annual stipend of $37,000 and a $16,000 cost-of-education allowance paid to the institution. The fellowship is portable, meaning it can be used at any accredited US institution, and fellows can defer or suspend the fellowship to accommodate research needs, internships, or personal circumstances.

Beyond the financial support, the NSF GRFP is a career-defining credential. It signals that the federal government has identified the recipient as one of the most promising early-career researchers in their field. GRFP fellows gain access to professional development opportunities, INTERN supplements for non-academic research experiences, and the broader NSF community. The fellowship is particularly valuable because it provides unrestricted funding — fellows can pursue any research topic within NSF-supported fields.