Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.)

ELIGIBILITY

I am a legal permanent resident; can I apply?
No, only US citizens are eligible to apply for the EAA/DOE NMSFP.

Do you need proof of US citizenship?
Yes.  Proof of US citizenship will be required upon formal offer.

I am a foreign student studying in the US under a student visa (F1-visa).  Am I eligible to apply?
No.  You must be a US citizen to apply.

I am a part-time student.  Am I eligible?
You must be enrolled as a full-time student at the time of application or slated to start full-time studies.

How many semester credits are considered full-time?
The number of semester credits a student must be enrolled to be determined by the student’s academic institution.  Typically, this is 9 credits for graduate studies.  However, this will vary with the university.  The NMSFP will use what the academic institution determines as full time.

I am a third year graduate students.  Am I eligible?
No.  To be eligible, you must be an undergraduate senior, or a first or second year graduate student and be in a qualified graduate program by the Fall of 2011.

I currently have another graduate fellowship.  Does this make me ineligible for the NMSFP?
If you currently have another federal graduate fellowship that provides tuition and living stipend support, you are not eligible.  If you were awarded another federal graduate fellowship at any point in time, you are also not eligible to apply for the NMSFP.

QUALIFIED GRADUATE PROGRAM

I am not sure if my field of study is eligible. How do I find out?
Students in the physical, engineering, computer, mathematical, or biological sciences are eligible for this fellowship. The goal of the NMSFP is to encourage outstanding students to pursue graduate study and research in areas that address scientific challenges relevant to the Office of Science mission.  Please review the Office of Science research program areas for information of the Office of Science programs. To be eligible, your proposed field of research should be in an area that an Office of Science program would reasonably support given their current mission priorities.

The students pursing the following degree programs are not eligible for the DOE SCGF: joint BS/MS degrees, DVM, MBA, MD, joint MD/PhD, JD, or joint JD/PhD degree. In addition, biomedical sciences, social sciences, and some areas of environmental science are not a mission responsibility of the Department of Energy and thus not areas of research supported by the Office of Science.

I am a senior undergraduate just beginning to apply to graduate programs. If I don’t know what graduate program I will be attending in the Fall, am I still eligible to apply?
Yes, but you must be accepted into a qualified graduate program and be enrolled in the program starting in the Fall quarter/semester 2011.  If you are selected for the fellowship, you will be required to verify your acceptance to a qualified graduate program by May 15, 2011 before you receive a formal offer.