External Funding Opportunities

The School of Graduate Studies helps publicize external fellowship and scholarship opportunities for graduate studies and provides support, advice and training for the process. The opportunities vary in eligibility, purpose, selectivity, duration, and award amounts. Success in winning external competitive fellowships enhances the image of both the student and the institution. and the application process itself is a valuable exercise in articulating academic and professional goals.

UMass Lowell students and staff have access to GrantForward, a search engine for finding external funding opportunities such as graduate student fellowships. Visit UML's GrantForward page to learn more about how to create an account and search for fellowships, dissertation support, and other sources of funding on GrantForward.

NOTE: THE DEADLINE FOR REFERENCE LETTERS IS NOVEMBER 7, 2025.

Program Solicitation

Document Information

Document History

• Posted: September 26, 2025
• Replaces: NSF 24-591
• U.S. National Science Foundation
• Directorate for Biological Sciences
• Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering
• Directorate for STEM Education
• Division of Graduate Education
• Directorate for Engineering
• Directorate for Geosciences
• Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences
• Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
• Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships
• Office of Integrative Activities
• Office of International Science and Engineering

Application Deadline(s) (received by 5 p.m. local time of applicant’s mailing address):

• November 10, 2025
  • Life Sciences
• November 12, 2025
  • Computer and Information Science and Engineering; Materials Research; Psychology; Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education and Learning
• November 13, 2025
  • Engineering
• November 14, 2025
  • Chemistry; Geosciences; Mathematical Sciences; Physics and Astronomy

For more information and guidelines please visit the NSF 25-547: GRFP program solicitation webpage.

Goals

The Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is a U.S. National Science Foundation-wide program that provides Fellowships to individuals selected early in their graduate careers based on their demonstrated potential for significant research achievements in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) or in STEM education. Three years of support over a five-year period are provided for graduate study that leads to a research-based master's or doctoral degree in STEM or STEM education (see eligible Fields of Study in Appendix).

The program goals are: (1) to select, recognize, and financially support early-career individuals with the demonstrated potential to be high achieving scientists and engineers; and (2) to increase participation in science and engineering of the full spectrum of U.S. talent.

Applicant Eligibility:

• Must, at the time of submission, be a U.S. citizen, national, or a permanent resident (“green-card” holder)
• Must intend to enroll or be enrolled in an eligible research-based master's or doctoral degree program in an eligible field of study in STEM, including STEM education (See Appendix and Section IV.3 for eligible Fields of Study);
• Never have previously accepted a Graduate Research Fellowship;
• Have declined any previously offered Graduate Research Fellowship by the declination deadline (if applicable);
• 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).

This means individuals in the following statuses at the time of application are eligible:

• Undergraduate in the final (senior) year of a bachelor’s degree program
• Bachelor’s degree-holder with NO enrollment in a graduate degree program (non-degree graduate coursework allowed)
• Individual enrolled in a joint bachelor’s-master’s degree program with at least three undergraduate years completed
• 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)
  • Individuals enrolled in joint bachelor’s-master’s degree programs are considered graduate students. For GRFP, joint bachelor’s-master’s degrees are defined as degrees concurrently pursued and awarded.