What's new for the 2012 NSF GRFP?

Please review the 2012 GRFP Program Solicitation for the complete official guidelines for the 2012 competition. Below is a summary of the most significant changes; however, applicants should carefully review the GRFP Program Solicitation as well.

Deadline Time Change

There will be a single deadline time on each deadline date, based on the Eastern Time Zone; the deadline time will no longer be based on the submitter’s local time. For the 2012 competition, applications are due at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline dates published in the Program Solicitation. Reference letters are due at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, November 29.

Please note the correct local time for your time zone. For example, applicants in the Pacific Time Zone should submit their applications by 4:00 p.m. (local time).

Applications and reference letters that have a timestamp after 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline will not be accepted.

Reference Letter Deadline

Reference letters will be due by 7:00 p.m. (Eastern Time Zone) on Tuesday, November 29. Reference letters will not be accepted after the deadline under any circumstances.

Transcript Submission

Transcripts must be submitted online using the FastLane module. Hard copy transcripts will not be accepted. Please follow the transcript submission instructions in the online application module.

Fields of Study

The fields of study for the 2012 GRFP have been updated. A list of supported fields is available in the appendix of the 2012 GRFP Program Solicitation.

A new field has been added for the 2012 GRFP: Materials Research.

Changes to Eligibility

The eligibility guidelines and process have changed in a number of ways. These include:

Applicants must certify their own eligibility before submitting an application. The 2012 application module will include a certification statement, which applicants must accept, stating that they are eligible to receive the fellowship. Applicants should, therefore, carefully review the eligibility guidelines in the Program Solicitation. If you have any questions about the guidelines, please contact the GRF Operations Center at info@nsfgrfp.org or (866) 673-4737.

Applicants with a previous graduate or professional degree in any field are not eligible. This guideline applies regardless of whether there is a change of field between the previous and current/proposed graduate programs.

In other words, having completed any Master’s program, regardless of the length of the program or the field of study, makes an application ineligible. The only exception concerns joint baccalaureate-Master’s programs. Applicants who earned a Master’s degree in a joint baccalaureate-Master’s program are eligible as long as they have not completed any additional graduate study after the joint program.

The extenuating circumstances guidelines have changed. The only extenuating circumstance that will be considered for the 2012 competition is an interruption in graduate study of at least two consecutive years prior to November 2011, assuming the applicant has not already earned a graduate or professional degree. Significant changes of field are not an extenuating circumstance for the 2012 GRFP.

Pacific treefrog larvae. Fellow Jorge Ramos at Arizona State University has found that multi-scale patterns and historical land-use changes influence contemporary breeding habitat for aquatic breeding amphibians in the Puget Sound region.