Frequently Asked Questions

Eligibility Questions

1. I started graduate school in the Fall 2011 term. Technically, I will have completed a little more than 12 months of graduate study by the application deadline. Am I eligible?
2. I started graduate school in Summer 2011. Am I still eligible?
3. I earned a Master's degree within 12 months, and completed no additional graduate study. Does the Master's degree make me ineligible?
4. Is a change of field considered an extenuating circumstance?
5. I am in/have completed a joint baccalaureate/Master's program. Am I eligible?
6. How can I find out if my specific topic of study is eligible?

Transcript Questions

1. What transcripts are required?
2. How do I submit my transcripts?
3. Can I send a hard-copy transcript for the 2012 GRFP application?
4. My school does not offer official electronic transcripts. How can I submit my transcript?
5. How can I check if my electronic transcript file is legible?
6. Can I re-use transcripts from last year's application?

Supplemental Application Material Questions

1. Can I submit my GRE scores for the GRFP application?
2. Am I allowed to submit material that is not included in the online application, such as videos, presentations, papers, etc., for reviewers’ consideration?
   

Announcement Questions

1. When will I be notified of the decision?
2. Will I be able to view my rating Sheets?
3. Is there any way to receive advance notification of the results of my application?

Eligibility Questions

1. I started graduate school in the Fall 2011 term. Technically, I will have completed a little more than 12 months of graduate study by the application deadline. Am I eligible?

As long as you did not complete any graduate study prior to your current program, and have not earned any graduate or professional degrees (including any Master's degrees), you would still be within the limit of allowed graduate study. The 2013 GRFP Program Solicitation specifies that applicants may have completed no more than 12 months of full-time graduate study or its equivalent by August 1, 2012. Applicants who started in the Fall term (i.e., August or September 2011 start date) would be within this limit.

2. I started graduate school in Summer 2011. Am I still eligible?

The 2013 Program Solicitation states, "Applicants may have completed no more than 12 months of full-time graduate study or its equivalent by August 1, 2012. Pre-graduate participation in summer activities (e.g., bridge programs, field studies, lab rotations) offered by a graduate program prior to the start of the Fall graduate program are not included in this total."

If you completed summer activities such as bridge programs, field studies, lab rotations, etc.,  in Summer 2011 you would most likely still be within the allowed limit of graduate study.

3. I earned a Master's degree within 12 months, and completed no additional graduate study. Does the Master's degree make me ineligible?

The 2013 Program Solicitation states that "categories of applicants that are always ineligible" include "those  who have earned any graduate or professional degree by August 1, 2012, except applicants who have completed a joint BS/MS program and have not completed any further graduate study outside the joint program".

The solicitation does not make any special provision for applicants who completed Master's degrees within 12 months; such programs are considered the same as Master's programs of a longer duration.

4. Is a change of field considered an extenuating circumstance?

Changes of field are not an extenuating circumstance in the 2013 guidelines contained in the current Program Solicitation. The only extenuating circumstance allowed under the 2013 guidelines is as follows: "Applicants who have completed more than twelve months of graduate study and who have not earned a graduate degree may be considered eligible if they have had an interruption in graduate study of at least two consecutive years prior to November 2012. To be eligible, applicants must have completed no additional graduate study by August 1, 2012."

5. I am in/have completed a joint baccalaureate/Master's program. Am I eligible?

Applicants in joint BS/MS programs are typically eligible to apply prior to completion of any further graduate study.

In four-year joint programs, applicants may apply in the fourth year and after completion of the program. In five-year joint programs, applicants may apply in the fourth and fifth years of the program and after completion of the program.

Completion of any further graduate study outside of the joint program will disqualify an applicant.

6. How can I find out if my proposed graduate study is eligible?

The 2013 Graduate Research Fellowship Program Solicitation lists fields and programs of study that are ineligible in Section IV. 3: Field of Study. If your program or research topic falls into one of the categories specified as ineligible, it would not be supported by the GRFP.

A list of supported fields is in the Appendix of the Program Solicitation.

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Transcript Questions

1. What transcripts are required?

Academic transcripts are required for all institutions listed in the Education and Work Experience section of your application.

2. How do I submit my transcripts?

For the 2013 application, applicants will submit their transcripts electronically via the FastLane GRFP application. You will upload an electronic transcript file, similar to the essay files. After you enter each school in the education and work experience section of the application, you will have the option to upload a transcript for that school.

3. Can I send a hard-copy transcript for the 2013 GRFP application?

All transcripts for the 2013 GRFP must be submitted electronically. We regret that we cannot accept any hard-copy transcripts that are sent to the GRF Operations Center or NSF.

4. How can I check if my electronic transcript file is legible?

Once you upload a transcript, you will have the option to view the uploaded file. This view/preview feature will help you determine the legibility of your file.

5. Do I need to send transcripts from international institutions?

Transcripts from international institutions are required by the FastLane application module. It is acceptable to submit a scan of an official or unofficial copy of an international transcript.

6. Can I re-use transcripts from last year's application?

Supporting material from previous applications, including all transcripts, must be resubmitted. We do not have access to any of the components of previous applications.

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Supplemental Application Materials (GRE scores, etc.)

1. Can I submit my GRE scores for the GRFP application?

GRE Scores are not accepted for the 2013 GRFP. This policy is not intended to be a reflection on the value of the GRE test.

2. Am I allowed to submit material that is not included in the online application, such as videos, presentations, papers, etc., for reviewers’ consideration?

To ensure that all applicants are evaluated using the same application materials, we cannot accept supplemental material. Only materials that are requested as part of the GRFP application can be considered. Any supplemental material that is received will not be included in your application package. 

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Announcement Questions

1. When will I be notified of the decision?

All eligible applicants will be notified of the results of their application by e-mail around early April, 2013.

NSF will post a list of the 2013 awardees and honorable mentions at www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp/ at the same time notifications are sent.

2. Will I be able to view my rating Sheets?

Applicants are provided with the unedited, verbatim comments from their rating sheets around the same time that award announcements are made. Rating sheets will be accessible inside your FastLane account.

Please note that once the FastLane system has switched over to a new application cycle, it will not be possible to view rating sheets from previous competitions. Applicants are strongly encouraged to save a copy of their rating sheets before the new application cycle begins.

3. Is there any way to receive advance notification of the results of my application?

The only applicants who receive notifications prior to the official award announcement are those whose applications were returned without review due to non-compliance with the guidelines contained in the 2013 Program Solicitation.

All reviewed applicants will be notified of the results at the same time – around early April. We are not able to inform individual applicants of their results prior to the official announcement.

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Fellow Carlos J. Cela, from the Bioelectromagnetics Laboratory at North CarolinaStateUniversity, works on the modeling of electrical interactions between implantable retinal stimulators and neural tissue, which has application to the development of an artificial retina to restore partial vision to the blind. Retinal implants aim to restore vision to the blind suffering from degenerative retinal diseases, including Age-related Macular Degeneration and Retinitis Pigmentosa.