NSF offers 2,500 fellowships

The National Science Foundation said it will award 2,500 Graduate Research Fellowships for the 2026–27 academic year after reviewing nearly 14,000 applications. (nsf.gov) The offers went to students in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico who are pursuing research-based graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The agency said their projects span areas including artificial intelligence, quantum science, biotechnology and nuclear technology. (nsf.gov) Each fellowship provides three years of support over a five-year period, including a $37,000 annual stipend and a $16,000 cost-of-education allowance paid to the institution. That is up to $159,000 per fellow across the award term. (nsfgrfp.org) The Graduate Research Fellowship Program is one of the federal government’s oldest graduate science awards. The National Science Foundation says it has backed students since 1952 and is meant to strengthen the United States science and engineering workforce. (nsf.gov) The program targets students early in graduate school, before many have a dissertation adviser or a large lab grant behind them. The National Science Foundation says fellows are selected for their potential for significant research achievements in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and science education. (nsf.gov) That structure gives recipients money that is tied to the student rather than a professor’s grant. The National Science Foundation says fellows can use the award at accredited United States graduate institutions, and universities describe the funding as support that follows the student. (nsf.gov) (virginia.edu) The 2026 offered award list posted on Research.gov shows 2,599 names, which is higher than the 2,500 figure in the agency’s announcement. The National Science Foundation’s news release describes 2,500 as the number of offers it “has made and will award,” while the public list appears to reflect the posted offered award roster. (research.gov) (nsf.gov) For graduate students, the fellowship can cover tuition and fees while replacing the need to work off a principal investigator’s grant for part of a Ph.D. For universities, it brings federally funded researchers onto campus without charging those costs to a lab budget. (nsfgrfp.org) (umd.edu) The new cohort now moves into the next step of the program: accepting the offer, enrolling at a graduate institution and deciding when to activate the three funded years within the five-year fellowship window. (nsfgrfp.org)