Personal, Relevant Background and Future Goals Statement and Graduate Research Plan Statements
Personal, Relevant Background and Future Goals Statement
The Personal, Relevant Background, and Future Goals Statement must address NSF’s merit review criteria of Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts. Applicants must include separate headings for Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts in their statements.
The maximum length of the Personal, Relevant Background, and Future Goals Statement is three (3) pages.
Graduate Research Plan Statement
Graduate Research Plan Template
The Graduate Research Plan Statement must also address NSF’s merit review criteria of Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts. Applicants must include separate headings for Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts in their statements.
The maximum length of the Graduate Research Plan Statement is two (2) pages.
Statement Formatting Requirements
Page limits for the Personal, Relevant Background and Future Goals Statement and Graduate Research Plan Statement include all references, citations, charts, figures, images, and lists of publications and presentations. Statements must be written using the following guidelines:
- Standard letter paper size (8.5″ by 11″)
- Font size 11-pt or higher (except text that is part of an image)
- Times New Roman font for text, Cambria Math for equations, Symbol font for non-alphabetic characters (it is recommended that equations and symbols be inserted as an image)
- Cited references should include the name of the journal (abbreviations accepted).
- 1″ margins on all sides, no text inside 1″ margins (no header, footer, name, or page number)
- No less than single spacing (approximately six lines of text within a vertical space of one inch)
- Do not use line spacing options such as “exactly 11 point” that are less than single-spaced
- PDF file format only
- File cannot be a scanned image
- File size cannot exceed 10 MB
- File cannot be password protected
- File cannot be empty
Statement Tips
Keep in mind that NSF does not just seek to fund scientists and engineers: NSF seeks to fund future STEM leaders. Use the statements to show leadership potential, self-starter capabilities, and the ability to work well with others (scientists, students, people in the community, etc.). Show passion, motivation for a STEM career, and initiative in your past research and other experiences.
Be yourself. An application that conveys a clear sense of who you are as a person, with a narrative that has energy and flow, will generally be better received than an application that is impersonal and flat. Remember that the GRFP recognizes individuals based on their demonstrated potential for significant achievements in science and engineering. That is, the potential of individuals is evaluated, not just the proposed research.
Use appropriate scientific form. Use hypothesis figures and references in the Graduate Research Statement.
Don’t get bogged down in specifics or be overly technical. Instead of providing elaborate details on theory, please focus on the rationale for your studies and the existing literature as it supports your proposed work. While reviewers will generally be knowledge experts in your general field, they probably will not be experts in your specific proposed research topic.
Develop a consistent theme in both statements. Weave together your personal story, academic and career plans, and past experiences to make a compelling case for why NSF should offer you the Fellowship. The decision will be based on your demonstrated potential for significant achievements in science and engineering. Keep in mind that reviewers will read your complete application package.