The National Science Foundation GRFP is one of the premier opportunities to fund graduate study. It provides 3 years of funding that you can use in a 5 year time frame.  This includes a $34,000 annual stipend and full cost of tuition/fees covered.

The Graduate School Office of Fellowships and Awards & the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards will offer the following information sessions this spring:

In person:

• Thursday, March 31, 1:30-3:00 p.m., Allen Auditorium (room 181L)
• Tuesday, May 10, 2016; 10:30 a.m. – 12 noon, Allen Auditorium (room 181L)

Webinars (To Register )

• Tuesday, April 12, 2016; 3:30-5:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, April 27, 2016; 7:00-8:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, June 21, 2016; 4:00-5:30 p.m.

The information sessions will cover the application process, strategies for successful applications and more details regarding how the fellowship operates.  Application deadlines are usually late October.

Additional details about NSF GRFPSeniors and alumni who are planning to attend graduate school can apply in the fall and take the funding with them to whatever school they attend.  UW graduate students who will are starting graduate school in autumn 2016 are also eligible as are (usually) graduate students beginning their second year of studies in autumn 2016.  This year’s application cycle will be for funding starting in fall 2017.

Eligible fields include the “usual suspects” (e.g., life sciences, engineering, math, etc.), but there are also a surprising number of social science disciplines included in the eligibility list, including STEM education, Political Science, Public Policy, Communication, Anthropology, History, and Sociology, among others. We encourage all students in these fields (or planning to be in) for their graduate research to consider applying for this fellowship.

Basic eligibility criteria:

• research in an eligible NSF research area (includes several of the social sciences)
• US citizens or permanent residents by the application deadline
• students in their first year of graduate study or at the beginning of their second year of graduate study (with some limitations)
• students who have not earned a previous graduate degree
• graduating senior undergraduates and alumni who plan to apply to begin graduate studies in fall 2015

Visit the website at http://www.nsfgrfp.org/ and http://www.grad.washington.edu/students/fa/nsf/index.shtml.