NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is one of the oldest and most prestigious fellowships in the country. The University of Wisconsin-Madison is proud to be a leading university in GRFP recipients and strongly encourages senior undergraduates, and early-career graduate students to apply to this fellowship. The GRFP is fundamentally an investment in graduate students as future researchers, not in a specific research project. In Fall 2021, the Graduate School offered 4 workshops for GRFP applicants. Links to workshop recordings and materials can be found below.

Some reasons to apply include:

• 3 years of full funding, including tuition, fees, and health insurance benefits
• Annual stipend of $34,000
• No work requirements

Eligibility Requirements

• US citizen or permanent resident
• No more than 1 completed year of graduate studies
• Enrollment in research-focused STEM or STEM-education program

Application materials

• Personal information
• CV
• Transcripts
• Proposed field of study
• Graduate school information
• 2-3 letters of reference
• Personal, relevant background and future goals (3 pages maximum)
• Graduate research plan statement (2 pages maximum including figures and citations)

Key criteria to address in both written sections and letters of reference

• The Broader Impacts of your work as a researcher, or the potential of your research to improve social outcomes
• Your Intellectual Merit as a researcher, or potential to advance knowledge in your field

2021 Workshop Materials and Recordings

Workshop materials and recordings can be found at https://grad.wisc.edu/funding/graduate-research-fellowship-program/

If you have questions about the GRFP or would like support with your application, please contact the Graduate School's Assistant Dean for Diversity, Inclusion, and Funding, Christopher Yue, at offr@grad.wisc.edu or 608-265-5517. The Writing Center is also available as a resource for applicants.