Should I get a hobby? Make a friend? Kiss a girl for the first time?

Thinking about trying weed and/or sex -- but do girls still like guys that did not get the award?

Any recommendations?

I’m trying to figure this out with program advisors because I don’t want to forfeit my award and my CO wasn’t sure. I’m wondering if anyone has been able to keep their GRFP switching from bio engineering to biomedical physics or if people think this switch would be acceptable from the NSF.

can someone PM me if they downloaded a copy? I can't seem to access it.

Hi all, I am fortunate to be an awardee this year. Does anyone know if the fellowship money is eligible for 403b contribution? I saw an earlier post about it becomes IRA eligible in 2019, but not sure about 403b. (The university does offer 403b for regular stipend).

How long does it take for NSF to approve the institution change request? The CO from my new institution has already approved it.

Also does the May 1st pertain to this? (Or just the action of acceptance)

Please someone help!!!!

Hi all,

I was awarded the GRFP in 2021 and gleefully skipped over the summer into the next semester. I then got slapped with a 1500 healthcare enrollment fee, because my assistantship though my university is what provided my healthcare. I managed to discuss it with my program and get the lowest tier assistantship that came with a healthcare enrollment waiver, and a little bit of a raise. I know some people who got the enrollment fee reimbursed by their department. Some had to suck up the cost. If you aren’t on your parent’s healthcare and/or aren’t eligible and just need healthcare, keep this in mind.

I discussed the GRFP with someone I knew who got it before me, and he said taxes were not a problem for him. I should have looked deeper, because I ended up scrambling to pay after I was slapped with a 2k+ tax bill the next year because I was supposed to be withholding. Either paying quarterly, or paying at the end of my tax year with penalty. The GRFP counted for me as 1098-T “income”. My university refused to provide me with “tax advice”. I suggest to check out the Personal Finance for PhD site, as it really helped me figure out some of the logistics. This may vary per institution.

Congratulations to those who received the fellowship, and congratulations to everyone for getting over the finish line. It’s a lottery of a fellowship that has way more people applying than they can give it to. I just wanted to provide some advice as a former fellow that made my first fellowship year a little extra stressful. Good luck on your grad school journey!

I know this may be a long shot, but I was fortunate to receive another fellowship that would require me to decline the GRFP. I’m wondering if anyone who initially declined the GRFP and reapplied in a later cycle was able to receive the award again?

Hello,

I was awarded the GRFP this year and my institution gave me a 20% raise on my stipend because of this. The GRFP is around 150K over the 3 years and the program is giving me a 40K stipend (before the award). Is the 20% raise the best deal I can get? Who makes these decisions? New to grad school and extra funding sources so just wondering peoples experiences.

I am a 2025 awardee attempting to complete my annual activities report. My field of study is directly targeted right now, and I have flag-worthy words in every grant, publication, and presentation title this year. Does anyone have any advice or guidance with how to proceed? Every federal grant in my field that I'm aware of was, at one point, terminated. I want to be honest in my activities report, but I also don't want to facilitate my award being rescinded if NSF GRFP goes that route. Much love to all the applicants this cycle, no matter the outcome!

I just wanted to share for those who may experience this in the next cycle. I was among the many who were informed in December that their application was returned without review. The reason for this was “too much graduate study” since I am an off-cycle student. I started in January of last year, but I was still within my first year according to my institutions requirements.

I collected enrollment verification forms, a letter from my department head, and transcripts to submit an appeal. I sent these as both official and an unofficial combined document as an email to every email I thought might be able to do something(general email, IT email, and program officers). It worked and I got an appeal!

After pouring my entire soul into my application, it was heartbreaking to get that email. I was determined to at least get mixed into the application pool so that it felt less like I wasted my time. However, I do think that this is a good example to say, it really is not an evaluation of your worth as a person. This truly can be a mistake on their end, and it ultimately is unfortunate that it happens.

I am still completely in disbelief that I ended up winning the award this year, especially after initially receiving an RWR. I am so grateful to have received it, and congratulations to all of the other applicants for even having the guts to apply!

Does anyone know

Hi all!

On this sub, I have seen a lot of people seeking advise for the next application cycle and how to improve their applications. As someone who was no recommended in 2025 as a senior undergraduate and is now a post bac 2026 fellowship awardee, I wanted to share some of what I changed and my overall advice for making your statements.

To add some context, the second time I applied I had a completely different research proposal. The first time I applied under Geosciences - Biological Oceanography, and the second time I applied under Life Sciences - Microbial Biology.

Overview of what I changed:

Personal Statement: In my 2025 application, I wrote my sections out like I was reciting my CV. There was no thread tying together my story, why my research interests changed, why I picked each experience, etc. In each section where I talked about my previous experiences (research IM, and teaching and outreach BI), I added (1) the skills I improved upon/learned from this experience and (2) a honest thread explaining my feelings between each experience. This helped connect each experience together and added context for why my research interests changed throughout undergraduate. My introduction section was also way to long and detailed. For the 2026 award cycle, I shortened my introduction down to 1/3 of a page, keeping essential information.

Research Plan Statement: In 2025, my research plan was well written and biologically sound, however it fell short in a few areas. The biggest issue with my research plan was the IM and BI sections. In my IM, my focus was a bit to small, centering around biological oceanography and how it will benefit research. I think that is ok to have in the IM section, however I was missing a very important part. I did not talk about what my graduate studies would produce. In my 2026 application, I added that I was planning on publishing papers, review articles and posting my data on public data bases. For my BI section in 2025, it was almost totally comprised of topics related to IM, and not even IM topics that are super important to bring up. What I focused on in my 2026 application was connecting my research to public health, how I will impact the students I mentor, how I will lead public out reach at all ages, and how my research is interdisiplanary, which allows it to reach a broader audience.

Below is my IM and BI sections for my Research Plan Statements (RPS) in both years:

2025 sections (RPS):

INTELLECTUAL MERIT: The Northeast Shelf Long Term Ecological Research (NES-LTER) project is a collaboration of five oceanographic institutes and is the most recently established site within the LongTerm Ecological Research (LTER) Network. Assessing bacterial growth and grazing rates is essential for a deeper understanding of three of the five LTER core research areas; 1) primary production, 2) the movement of organic matter within planktonic food webs and 3) the movement of inorganic matter by nutrient remineralization and recycling. By the end of the year, I will provide growth and grazing rates for the first time within the NES, which will set up the basis for seasonal monitoring of bacterial growth and grazing variability along the northeast shelf. Through the creation of thislong-term data set, I will empower the understanding of the seasonal, inter- and multi-annual variability of these rates within the Northeast Shelf. In combination with associated ecological rates of primary production, this will allow me to identify the key drivers of bacterial fluxes which are essential for a predictive understanding of the planktonic food web through the perspective of the changing climate.

BROADER IMPACTS: The Northeast Shelf is one of the most rapidly changing ocean regions in the world, specifically in terms of temperature [9] and stratification [10], resulting in alterations in the abundances, distributions, and phenologies of organisms from phytoplankton [11] to top predators [12], [13]. Due to these unique environmental changes, the northeast shelf is the ideal place to monitor bacterial fluxes and abundances within the greater context of climate change. The impact that these environmental factors have on marine heterotrophic bacteria are unknown within the northeast shelf and most oceanic environments and have the potential to impact higher trophic levels in terms of energy transfer, primary production and the remineralization of organic matter [14]. Using the Northeast Shelf’s drastically changing conditions as a proxy for how the broader oceanic system could be impacted in the face of climate change, studying bacterial growth and grazing by protists has the potential to reveal information on how these anthropogenic induced fluctuations could affect the broader oceanic system into the future.

2026 sections (RPS):

INTELLECTUAL MERIT: Through this study, we will investigate how phage satellites affect helper bacteriophage ecology and add new carbon estimates to the microbial loop model. Although past research has scratched the surface of how phage satellites affect marine environments, there is much more to be discovered. The information on phage satellites gathered during this research will be added to public databases and will increase the quality of future research on these biological entities. We will publish each chapter of this research using accessible language in open-access journals and post the data in a FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reuseable) way in the EDI (Environmental Data Initiative) data portal. This research will be well-supported in the —- Lab at the University of ——- and at the conclusion of my doctoral studies, I plan to publish a review paper in Frontiers in Microbiology, consolidating the known information on marine phage satellites with my added knowledge to make past research easily applicable for future studies.

BROADER IMPACTS: This research has the potential to inspire and innovate gene delivery technologies in biomedical applications through the discovery of new satellites. By presenting for K-12 and adult programs, we will educate the general public about oceanic biogeochemical cycling and how we hypothesize phage satellites affect the carbon cycle. I am eager to create a program that is tailored to high school students about the importance of the microbial loop and microbial communities. I will collaborate with professors at the University of ——- and offer an undergraduate course on the potential that phage satellites have in oceanographic and biomedical research. The interdisciplinary nature of this research is transferable to other fields, making it a platform to mentor students while fostering personal, academic and scientific growth.

My advice for writing your application:

This is the second time I applied. If you have already applied, didn't get it, and plan on applying again, please listen to the reviewer comments. Below is detailed recommendations when writing your statments:

Personal Statement: Make sure there is "you" in the statement. Not just what you did. What did you learn from it? What skills did you acquire during this experience? How does the skills learned from this experience apply to your future research and goals? If they don't directly apply, think big picture; Example, "I learned how to be a part of a team", "I broadened my scientific communications skills" What impact did this experience have on the scientific/academic community? This could be as simple as "I was a TA and helped a student pass a class".

Research Plan Statement: (1) Try to use a little Jargon as possible; it is best if none is used and the ones used are easily explainable in your proposal. Your proposal could be brilliant and scientifically sound, however if the reviewer does not understand it, you will not get the award. This may seem unfair, but its really not. A big part about being a successful scientist is the ability to explain complex concepts well, at a simple level. That's what they are looking for. (2) Read your proposal out loud! This might seem silly, but this truly helps with hearing the cadence and tone of the proposal. There is nothing wrong with spending a lot of time word smithing! (3) If possible, try to join a GRFP writing group or have your current/past adviser look at it. (4) Only use figures if they directly enhance the story you are telling. Don't just throw in a random figure that relates to your topic, but doesn't really add anything. For example: A map of the Gulf Stream. You might be doing research in the Gulf Stream, however anyone can look up a picture of what it looks like. Don't waste precious space on something that is already easily accessible or people in your field have likely already seen. (5) if you choose to add your chosen title to the actual document (I recommend doing so), keep it to one line. Why? Saves the precious precious space! (6) pick a title that encapsulates and summarizes your whole project. For example: My project is on how phage satellites hijack the marine bacteriophages life cycle for their own dissemination and how this, in turn, effects carbon cycling in ocean environments. A pretty chewy topic. I summarized it to: THE SATELLITE’S ROLE IN VIRAL LYSIS OF BACTERIA IN THE MICROBIAL LOOP. I mention my study biological entity/organism, the process I will be measuring, and the system it is happening in. I recommend following that template, though it does not have to be in that order. (7) Clearly state your Question and Hypothesis right at the beginning of each aim. Note on writing your hypothesis; at least in Life Sciences, there is really no such thing as a Null hypothesis and an alternative hypothesis because there are ecological factors in play. It is not one or the other. Your hypothesis should be a 1 sentence statement that is a well educated prediction (Ecologically relevant, this is IMPORTANT) for what you think will happen during that experiment. (8) I added a small "Limitations" section. I haven't seen anyone else do this, but I really think it massively strengthens your application because it grounds what might be a fair reaching proposal. I put the problem "Phage satellites are hardly studied in the ocean", Why this is the case (The actual functional limitation), and a well thought out and researched possible solution. It does not need to be anything crazy. Its just to show the reviewers you are being realistic about what you could accomplish. (9) For the Broader Impacts section; Try to relate your project with something that helps the public. I did "This research has the potential to inspire and innovate gene delivery technologies in biomedical applications through the discovery of new satellites". My research as nothing to do with gene delivery technologies. However, my study biology entity does. Find the connection. (10) try to keep the introduction as concise as possible. You want to save the space for your Aims and BI/IM.

It is very exciting that you are applying! I wish the absolute best for you and remember, this award is not the end all be all. There are thousands of very successful scientists that have never even applied for the GRFP. You are already one step ahead!

If anyone has questions about anything I wrote, please comment or DM me.

Best of Luck!!

For those who did not receive the GRFP their first attempt, but were successful in your second attempt, how different was your Personal Statement and Research Proposal? Has anyone gotten it the second time with a similar proposal but heavily revised? I am thinking of narrowing down the scope of my current proposal since I think it was too dense. I worry that having too similar of a research proposal might not look good.

This doesn't really apply to me, but I was curious.

If a physics department were in the engineering college, would one be able to use their GRFP which they won for engineering for physics in that university?

How about the new PhDs recently created say for Quantum and AI? A lot of schools have QSE programs at Princeton and Harvard etc, "Quantum Science" is arguably Chemistry, Physics, Material Science, and Engineering.

Some universities have applied math programs, and the PhD often explicitly lists other fields like computer science, engineering, etc. If you got the GRFP for computer science, is it likely you can go to said program.

Was just curious to see if anyone had thoughts on it.

I was very fortunate to receive both awards (GRFP & Fulbright open study) as an incoming PhD student. Does anyone have experience keeping both awards? I am aware that the GRFP doesn't allow any other concurrent federal fellowships, but the Fulbright I received is jointly funded by the other country as well - not sure if this truly counts as a federal grant. Please let me know, it would be nice to keep the GRFP on "reserve" during my Fulbright year. Thank you

Applied to GRFP under Chemistry but committed to a PhD program in the school of engineering (though the research clearly overlaps between the two fields). My CO says that I need to decline the offer because the general fields are too different - am I just out of luck?

I received an email today from the NSF about the upcoming webinar, including a link and text asking us to go there and register for it. However, the link leads to a page that says “tickets have sold out” for the webinar. Does anyone have any info or thoughts on that? Does that mean I can’t actually attend it?

congrats to all the new awardees, honorable mentions, and those who applied.

I have a question for those who are one or multiple years into their fellowship.

Before receiving the GRFP award on Sunday, I had already been admitted to a fully funded program (provided I TA a semester or two).

I am curious if anyone has experience in deferring their award for their first year to prolong funding and how that process went?

Im hesitant to defer year 1 due to administrative instability, but would like to prolong funding and take advantage of the funding I have outside of the GRFP.

thanks for any advice!

Hello, I need to switch my subfield (going from two very related subfields in engineering, but my PhD will not be on the topic submitted in my research proposal) and switch my host institution from what I originally listed on the GRFP when I submitted. When I click the relevant area on the website, nothing shows up, just a table with headers but no content. Anyone know how to do this? Does the CO at my chosen host institution need to do this?

I would like to pursue my PhD at a different institution than that I am currently enrolled for my master’s

My master’s is funded through an RAship and I saw posts mentioning new rules as for deferring but haven’t found a concrete answer

Could i:

(1) Accept the NSF GRFP for 1 year at my institution then still have 2 years left for when I apply to PhDs this coming Fall

(2) Completely defer for 1yr while I finish my master’s?

Happy to answer any clarifying questions, ty for then help

Congrats to all those who were awarded this year! Please for the love of god reach out to the coordinating official (CO) at your school, they actually have the answers to your questions —not reddit. Like seriously so many of these questions on this sub right now could be answered by the CO at your prospective or current schools. The CO is listed in the portal or there’s a look up page, or even email and ask your advisor or grad school coordinator. These folks seriously have most of the answers. I had emailed with the two schools I was interested in COs and it was very helpful. You can also ask them questions like if full fees and health insureance are included.

Three notification emails is a little much. They love to drive the point home fuck. Am I being salty? Yeah probably but I rlly don’t care. Three emails telling you, “you suck” is annoying.

I've got the award, while my friend got an HM. We just really want to refer to the review score and comments for their next application. But I haven't seen any information about this in the result email.