How do I write a good NSF GRFP?

General Advice

1. Every essay should address both Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts.
2. Each essay needs explicit headers of Intellectual Merit / Broader Impacts.
3. NSF GRFP funds the person, not the project.
4. Write for a general science audience and assume the reviewer is in your primary field, but not your subfield.

How many NSF fellowships are awarded?

Individuals can access the application portal here For the 2020 competition, NSF received over 13,000 applications and made approximately 2,000 fellowships offers.

How do you format a fellowship application?

Writing Fellowship Essays

1. Work on your opening. The opening sentence (and paragraph) of an essay functions like a fishhook: You want to grab your reader and make him or her pay attention.
2. Be specific and concrete.
3. Keep your audience in mind.
4. Revise, revise, revise.
5. Proofread.

What do fellowships look for in applicants?

Fellowship programs generally ask for evidence of this potential through: excellence in coursework. strong and specific attestations by faculty, and possibly supervisors, of the applicant’s excellence and promise. evidence of the applicant’s active participation in her or his field.

How do I write a research proposal for NSF?

It should be written clearly and concisely. In the space allotted, it should outline the problem, the objectives and the expected outcomes, project activities, and the audience to be addressed. Project directors use the summary to choose reviewers for the proposal. It is also the reviewers introduction to the project.

How do I write a letter of recommendation for a fellowship?

Strong letters of recommendation discuss a student’s suitability for a particular fellowship and emphasize referee’s involvement with and knowledge of a student. In your letter, explain how the student exemplifies the specific criteria of the fellowship at hand.