About the series
The U.S. National Science Foundation supports numerous programs for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as early-career faculty. Below is a short list of some of those opportunities. To learn more about all of NSF’s programs, please visit beta.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities.
Opportunities for Students
Undergraduate:
Research Experiences for Undergraduate Students (REU)
- Supports intensive research by undergraduate students in any NSF-funded area of research. REU Sites engage a cohort of students in research projects related to a theme. REU Supplements engage students in research related to a new or ongoing NSF research award. Please also visit nsfetap.org/and nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reu_search.jsp to look for Sites and apply.
Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program
- Supports STEM undergraduates to become effective K-12 teachers and experienced K-12 educators to become teacher leaders in high-need schools. The program also supports research on the effectiveness and retention of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need schools.
Undergraduate/graduate:
Summer Scholars Internship Program
- Exposes students to relevant science and engineering policy, research and education issues and programs. Encourages students to earn graduate degrees and pursue careers in STEM: science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Veterans Research Supplement (VRS)
- Provides additional support to some of the many veterans transitioning from active military service to civilian careers and exploring education options through the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
Graduate:
- Supports institutions of higher education in establishing or continuing scholarship programs to recruit and train the next generation of cybersecurity professionals to meet the needs of federal, state, local and tribal governments’ cybersecurity missions.
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
- Supports fellowships for outstanding graduate students who are pursuing full-time, research-based masters and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering or math or STEM education.
- Current students can find internships in a variety of different fields, recent graduates can work in a variety of fields, and the Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program provides a path to a career in the analysis and management of public policies and programs.
NSF Research Traineeship Program (NRT)
- Supports diverse graduate students in research-based masters and doctoral degree programs in developing the skills, knowledge and competencies needed to pursue a range of STEM careers.
Non-Academic Research Internships for Graduate Students (INTERN)
- Provides funding opportunities to ensure graduate students are well prepared for the 21st-century STEM workforce.
For Early-Career Scientists and Engineers
Building Research Capacity of New Faculty in Biology (BRC-BIO)
- Supports pre-tenure faculty in the biological sciences at institutions that traditionally do not receive significant NSF funding in this field, including minority-serving institutions, predominantly undergraduate institutions and R2 institutions.
Career-Life Balance (CLB)
- Opportunity for supplemental funding to help researchers, who are confronted with a short-term increase in dependent care responsibilities, ensure that the research activities supported by an NSF award can continue.
Engineering Research Initiation (ERI)
- Supports new investigators as they initiate their research programs and advance in their careers as researchers, educators and innovators.
Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (FASED)
- Aims to reduce or remove barriers to participation in research and training by persons with physical disabilities by providing special equipment and assistance under awards made by NSF. Encourages persons with disabilities to pursue careers in science and engineering by stimulating the development and demonstration of special equipment that facilitates their work performance.
Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER)
- Supports early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.
Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
- Supports postdoctoral fellows in various STEM fields supported by NSF.
Research Experiences for Teachers in Engineering and Computer Science (RET)
- Supports summer research experiences for K-14 educators that foster long-term collaborations between universities, community colleges, school districts and industry partners.
For Faculty Interested in Broadening Participation
Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP)
- Supports alliances among institutions of higher education to design and implement strategies that increase the number of historically underrepresented STEM faculty and promote systemic change.
Broadening Participation in STEM
- NSF works to ensure the nation leads the world in research and innovation, to the benefit of all, without barriers to participation. Find featured broadening participation programs here.
Broadening Participation in Engineering (BPE)
- Supports broadening participation and equity in engineering through research, planning and conference grants; mentoring hubs; and centers serving K-12, higher education, nonprofit and industry communities.
- Broadens participation in the social, behavioral and economic sciences through support for research, training and research infrastructure at minority-serving institutions, including partnerships with and among those institutions.
Cultural Transformation in the Geoscience Community
- Supports the development of a just, equitable and inclusive geoscience research community via projects that are based on education scholarship, mentorship, allyship, equity, anti-racist and anti-harassment practices, and increasing accessibility.
- GRANTED focuses on addressing systemic barriers within the nation’s research enterprise by improving research support and service capacity at emerging research institutions.
Additional Resources and Network Information
- High school students, undergraduate and post-baccalaureate scholar funding opportunities
- NSF Education & Training Application (opportunities for students and professionals)
- NSF’s Eddie Bernice Johnson INCLUDES Initiative
- Engineering PLUS Alliance
- LGBTQ+ Advocacy in STEM Community of Practice
