National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) policies can be found in their Administrative Guide. It is the responsibility of the fellow to review, understand and comply with all policies, rules, and regulations contained in the Administrative Guide, and the terms and conditions found in the NSF GRFP Offer letter, the annual NSF GRFP Program Solicitation, and the NSF GRFP Award Notice.

The NSF GRFP fellowship provides three years of fellowship stipend and two years of reserve status. All fellows must declare a fellowship status by the due date in the GRFP Online Module.

On Tenure Status

During On Tenure status, fellows must be enrolled and engaged in full-time research and will receive a fellowship stipend.  Fellows may use On Tenure status for three years in 12-month increments over the five-year period.  Summer is not considered a vacation period; fellows should be actively enrolled and engaged in full-time research.  Fellows are required to check with the relevant Graduate School Office regarding GRFP fellowship and paid activities.

NSF allows fellows to perform teaching or similar activities and be compensated for that activity while on tenure as a GFRP fellow. Activities such as teaching are an important component of a graduate education, builds valuable skills in working with students, and strengthens your command of the science and engineering at the core of your expertise. In keeping with the spirit of the NSF stance on this topic, teaching or similar activities for GFRP fellows should not interfere with research and studies and should be relevant to the fellow’s educational program.

Additional Work for GRFP Fellows

Fellows are limited to part-time work typically not to exceed 8 hours of additional paid work provided any approved work does not interfere with full-time research. Fellows are required to check with the relevant Graduate School Office regarding GRFP fellowship and paid activities and should make any inquiries about the possibility of engaging in additional work or to express an interest in taking on additional work, in writing, to their relevant Graduate School Office. The fellow and the Graduate School Office must document the discussion about the proposed work-related activities to include a clear definition of the limits on the hours applicable to the work, and the fellow’s plan to comply with the GRFP full-time research obligations. 

From the NSF Administrative Guide:

• “Each Fellow is expected to devote themselves to full-time advanced scientific study during the Fellowship Period. Teaching or a similar activity, such as a research assistantship, constitutes a valuable part of the education and training of many graduate students. Because such opportunities may arise during a Fellowship year, a Fellow may choose to participate in a reasonable amount of such activities without NSF approval. It is expected that such activities should further the Fellow’s educational objectives; the activities should not constitute service to the IHE [Institution of Higher Education] or be required as a way to make up the difference between the COE [Cost-of-Education] and the IHE’s regular tuition and fees. Fellows may receive additional compensation for such activities, at the discretion of the IHE.”

On Reserve Status

During Reserve Status, fellows do not receive a stipend from NSF GRFP, students must be enrolled and engaged in full-time research. On reserve status allows students to incorporate teaching assistantships and other paid positions into their professional development if it does not interfere with full-time research and the Fellow adheres to the process outlined above for “Additional work for GRFP Fellows”. Fellows may use Reserve Status for two years, in 12-month increments, during the five-year Fellowship Period.  

Additional Information

• GRFP Fellowships cannot be concurrently accepted or combined with support from another individual federal graduate fellowship.
• Tufts NSF GRFP fellows must complete Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training. For more information on RCR training, please see the OVPR RCR Training website.
• Fellows must remain enrolled full-time and make satisfactory academic progress.
• Please see additional GRFP information for administrators here.

Links & Resources

NSF GRFP Administrative Guide

GRFP information for administrators

OVPR RCR Training website