National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GRFP)
- Provides 3 years of support
- $32,000/year stipend, plus $12,000/year for cost of education
Department of Energy Office of Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE SCGF)
- Provides 3 years of support
- $35,000/year stipend, plus $10,500/year for cost of education
- Additional $5,000/year research allowance
Environmental Protection Agency Science to Achieve Results Fellowship (EPA STAR)
- Provides 3 years of support to PhD students, 2 years of support for MS students
- $25,000/year stipend, plus $12,000/year for cost of education
- Additional $5,000/year for "authorized expenses"
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Graduate Student Research Program (NASA GSRP)
- Provides up to 3 years of support for PhD students, up to 2 years of support for MS students
- $20,000/year stipend, plus $6,000 travel allowance and $1,000 for health insurance
- Includes a 10-week NASA center-based research experience
- Provides 3 years of support
- Stipend: $30,500 in Year 1, $31,000 in Year 2, and $31,500 in Year 3
- Covers full tuition and fees, plus $1,000/year for health insurance
- Provides 4 years of support for PhD students, 2 years of support for MS students
- $30,000/year, plus $12,000/year for cost of education
- Up to $10,000 to finance a research collaboration at a NOAA facility (PhD students get two)
This list is by no means exhaustive, but hopefully it is illustrative of the type of awards I am discussing in this post. These awards are competitive and prestigious, and are pretty much a magic bullet for funding at least the first few years of your graduate work. If you are awarded one of these fellowships, some universities will agree to fund the remainder of your schooling (in exchange for the prestige and money you have brought to the university).
The most important message here is that it is important to know what "The Big Ones" are for your specific field, and to have a general idea when they are due and what the application entails. This will allow you to plan ahead and obtain all of the materials (transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc.) you need to supply a complete application by the due date. The simplest way to find these fellowships for your field is to do a quick web search. Next, ask your advisor (or prospective advisor) and labmates (or prospective labmates). I will go into further detail later about what the application process for this type of fellowship usually entails, and break down the different parts, but for now I simply want to stress the importance of knowing about them.
Another important note: don't wimp out and not turn in an application because:
- You're not ready
- You waited too long (within reason, 2 days is probably cutting it close with your letter writers)
- You're not a competitive applicant
I applied to the NSF GRFP before I had fully developed my master's thesis project and, though I didn't get the award, I found the experience of preparing the application incredibly valuable. I was forced to write a research proposal, pare it down to 2 succinct pages, and defend it's scientific merit. The letters of recommendation helped me to continue contact with previous mentors with whom I had begun to lose touch. Finally, and most importantly, the experience of putting together the application helped immensely to prepare me for future applications. Additionally, the actual application materials were very useful in putting together applications for future grant and fellowship applications.
So, long story short, find out what "The Big Ones" are for your field, find out when they are due, and apply, apply, apply.
Good luck,
Casey
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