National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program
The purpose of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to help ensure the quality, vitality, and strength of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States.
The NSF GRFP supports outstanding graduate students pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees across NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The GRFP provides up to three years of financial support over a five-year period for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant achievements in science and engineering research.
Eligibility
Review the complete Applicant Eligibility guidelines.
- Academic Level: Must have completed less than one academic year in a graduate degree program (according to the institution's academic calendar; non-degree coursework must be clearly identified in the transcript and does not count toward this limit). Eligibility is determined by academic levels, which include:
- Level 1: Undergraduate in the final (senior) year of a bachelor's degree program.
- Level 1: Bachelor's degree holder with no enrollment in a graduate degree program (non-degree graduate coursework allowed).
- Level 2: Joint bachelor's-master's degree students in final undergraduate or first graduate year.
- Level 2: First-year graduate student in their first graduate degree program with less than one academic year completed in the degree program (according to institution's academic calendar).
- Citizenship: U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident
Other eligibility guidelines:
- Must intend to enroll or be enrolled full-time in an eligible research-based master's or doctoral degree program in an eligible field of study in STEM.
- Must never have previously accepted an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.
- Must have declined any previously offered NSF Graduate Research Fellowship by the deadline (if applicable).
- Must not be a current NSF employee.
All applicants must read the corresponding annual NSF GRFP Program Solicitation before starting a GRFP application. The Program Solicitation contains important information about application terms and conditions, eligibility requirements, application instructions, and the Merit Review Criteria.
Review application tips and resources in the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Application Toolkit (Davidson login required).
Davidson NSF GRFP Recipients
2026 - Kenan Wood ’25
2025 - Ruby Zhou ’24
2024 - Jean Beltran ’24, Madeline Fitzgerald ’24, Katharina Seitz ’20
2023 - Andrea Robinson '21, Aislinn Whalen '22
2022 - Erin Scott '20, Lydia Soifer '20
2021 - Nikole Fendler '19
2019 - Akanksha Das '16, Kathryn Greene '18, Linnea Ng '15, Phoebe Parrish '16, Erica Shook '18
2017 - Sarah Friedensen 15, James Harden '14
2016 - Catherine Doyle '14
2015 - Madeleine Kern '13, Clinton Smith '10
2014 - Kelvin Bates '12, Marja (Beth) Mundy '13, Eric Sawyer '14, Justin Strickland '14, Damian Keith White '13
2013 - Robin Fropf '07, Leland Taylor '12
2012 - Nadia Brashier '12, Alison Rauh '11
2011 - Kelli Carroll '09, Evan Eskew '11, Natasha Meyer '10
2010 - Will DeLoache ’09, Leigh Anne Harden '07
2009 - Carlos Ortiz ‘07, Shannon Pittman ‘08
2007 - Kristen Cecala ‘07
2006 - Barratt Park '06
2004 - Rachel McCord '04, Susan Robison '04
2003 - William B. Bradshaw ’99, Kristine Grayson Dattelbaum '03, John Willson ‘02
2001 - Andrew Campbell ‘00
2000 - Elena Franklin ’97, Kenneth James Howard ‘98, James Wilson White ‘00
1999 - Miles Buie ‘91
1996 - Janet Steven ‘96
1995 - Mark Pospesel ‘91
1994 - Laura Jean Long ‘93
1992 - Katherine Macdonald ‘90
1990 - Anne Louise Allen ‘89
1989 - Suzanne Beckham ‘88, Basil Gordon Watkins ‘87
1985 - Mark Stanback '84
1981 - Edwin Hart '80, Michael Kennedy '79
1979 - Thomas C. Pinckney '78
1977 - Thomas E. Cooper '77, Albert S. Kyle '74, Peyton J. Marshall '77
1972 - William H. Beckmann '72
1971 - Robert S. Harris '71, Thomas R. Opie '71
1970 - Leon Stagg Newman '70
1968 - Michael L. May '68
1966 - Paul Duval '63, Julian D. Ellett '66
1958 - Joseph J. Murray ‘51