NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) One-Day Bootcamp
First year graduate students and senior undergrads: Preparing to submit your NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Application by the October 16th deadline?? The Graduate School & GSPD are offering a GRFP & FELLOWSHIP BOOTCAMP!
This in-person workshop, facilitated by Dr. Michael Westrate, will guide you through tools and tactics to refine your NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) application before submission. You'll also learn strategies that apply broadly to other fellowship applications. Each Fellowship provides three years of support over a five-year Fellowship period. For each of the three years of support, NSF provides a $37,000 stipend and a $16,000 Cost of Education allowance provided to the institution of higher education (IHE) in lieu of all tuition and mandatory fees for each Fellow using the support in a Fellowship year. Competition is steep, but UMBC has a proud history of several undergraduate and graduate students winning this prestigious fellowship, and we are committed to helping more students achieve this success!
This hands-on session is designed to help both senior undergraduates and first year graduate students prepare strong, competitive applications.
Saturday, September 26, 2026
10 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Public Policy building (PUP) 105
Pizza lunch will be provided.
Come ready to polish your statements, get feedback, and strengthen your materials before the GRFP Octover deadlines!
About Dr. Westrate: Through similar Boot Camps each of the last six years, Dr. Westrate and his team have assisted over 500 student applicants to major national awards. Of those applicants, more than 100 won the prestigious NSF GRFP award or received Honorable Mention, and over 200 others won similar awards (e.g. Fulbright). The program will consist of interactive workshop sessions, and will cover everything from finding fellowship opportunities to leveraging fellowship wins with graduate school admissions.
Please click "going" below if you plan to attend so we can ensure there is sufficient food and send you reminders and resources to succeed. If you have special dietary needs beyond pizza, please email Aubrie Zepp, azepp1@umbc.edu.