The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), part of The University of Alabama System, has been awarded a $2.4M grant for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Graduate Fellowship Program (EGFP). Through this program, UAH will fund up to 15 doctoral fellowships across four NSF Directorates, including Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Engineering, Geosciences, and Computer and Information Science and Engineering. To be eligible for the EGFP, students must apply to the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) and receive the distinction of an Honorable Mention no more than three years prior to submitting an application for the EGFP.
The initiative is designed to encourage students to pursue a doctoral degree at UAH in one of six signature STEM fields:
- Astronomy & Astrophysics
- Heliophysics & Low-Temperature Plasmas
- Atmospheric Sciences
- Mechanics of Materials & Structures for Aerospace Systems
- Engineering Design & Systems Engineering
- Computing & Artificial Intelligence
Each NSF EGFP fellow will receive three years of stipend and cost-of-education allowance support, budgeted at $37,000 per year for stipends and $16,000 per year for cost-of-education allowances. Fellows may use their support at any time within a five-year eligibility period.
“We want every student who has earned an NSF GRFP Honorable Mention to seriously consider UAH, and we would like all students to be aware of the high-quality, competitive doctoral programs our fine university has to offer,” said Dr. Jon Hakkila, Associate Provost of International Services and Academic Integrity, and Dean of the Graduate School at UAH. “This fellowship provides a unique opportunity for top doctoral talent to study at one of the nation’s premier research universities that has 17 high-tech research centers and laboratories on campus, a rigorous, hands-on STEM curriculum, and a reputation for academic excellence.”
Located in Huntsville, adjacent to Cummings Research Park – the second-largest science and technology research park in the U.S. and fourth largest in the world – UAH plays a vital role in advancing research that supports national priorities, where many of its graduates begin their careers with the research park’s Fortune 500 companies, local and international high-tech enterprises, and national space and defense agencies.
How to Apply
Students who have received the designation of an Honorable Mention after proposal submission to the GRFP program are eligible to apply for the EGFP program through the National Science Foundation’s Education and Training Application (NSF ETAP) system through June 2028.
Applicants who apply for the EGFP fellowship and enter a UAH doctoral program may choose graduate programs that differ from the field or subfield listed in their original GRFP application. To remain eligible for ongoing support through the NSF EGFP, fellowship recipients must:
- Be enrolled full-time in a UAH doctoral degree-granting program and maintain satisfactory progress toward degree completion.
- Remain enrolled in a degree program in the same academic discipline under which they were admitted.
- Have full-time enrollment certified by the UAH Registrar’s Office.
- Note: Fellows who transfer to another institution will forfeit continued fellowship support.
Additional Information is available on the UAH Graduate School Fellowships page.
For questions about eligibility or program details, please contact Michelle Massey at mdm0030@uah.edu.