The National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship program was established in 1989 by direction of congress as an approach to increasing the number of United States (U.S.) citizens receiving doctoral degrees in science and engineering (S&E) disciplines of military importance.
Applicants who are interested in furthering their education in the disciplines of military importance compete for Fellowship opportunities listed under DoD’s Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs) in research development. The broad research area disciplines include, but are not limited to the following: aeronautical and astronautical engineering, Astrodynamics, biomedical engineering, biosciences (includes toxicology); chemical engineering; chemistry; civil engineering; cognitive, neural, and behavioral sciences; computer and computational sciences; electrical engineering; geosciences (includes terrain, water, and air); materials science and engineering; mathematics; mechanical engineering; naval architecture and ocean engineering (includes undersea systems); oceanography (includes ocean acoustics, remote sensing, and marine meteorology); physics (including optics) and space physics.
**NDSEG Fellows do not incur any military or other service obligation.**
Deadline: Nov. 1, 2024
The broad research area disciplines include, but are not limited to:
- Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering
- Astrodynamics
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
- Biomedical Engineering
- Biosciences (includes toxicology)
- Biotechnology (separate from Biosciences)
- Chemical Engineering
- Chemistry
- Civil Engineering
- Cognitive, Neural, And Behavioral Sciences
- Computer and Computational Sciences
- Cyber Sciences (to include “hard” networks, cybersecurity, disinformation)
- Electrical Engineering
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Mathematics
- Mechanical Engineering
- Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering (Includes Undersea Systems)
- Oceanography (Includes Ocean Acoustics, Remote Sensing, And Marine Meteorology)
- Physics (Including Optics)
- Political, Economic, and Sociocultural Sciences
- Space Physics
- Quantum Science
To be eligible for the NDSEG Fellowship, you must meet 5 basic criteria:
- Be a U.S. Citizen, U.S. Dual Citizen, or U.S. National (as defined below)
- Have completed your undergraduate studies prior to the commencement of the fellowship in September of the fellowship year. For example, if applying for 2025 fellowship year, you must have completed your undergraduate studies as of September 2024.
- Be applying to, accepted to, or currently enrolled at an accredited graduate-level institution within the United States. If enrolled, you must be or near the beginning (within first 2 years) of your Graduate study in Science or Engineering.
- Have at *least* THREE remaining years in your graduate degree program as of September 2024
- Be pursuing research in alignment with one or more specific topics identified in the Department of Defense's Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs)
For the purposes of the NDSEG Fellowship, the term "U.S. National" designates a citizen of the United States or a native of a possession of the United States such as American Samoa. It does not refer to a citizen of another country who has applied for but not yet received citizenship. Persons who hold permanent resident status are not eligible to apply.
The NDSEG fellowship provides stipends, prorated monthly based on a 12-month academic year. Stipend amounts are determined for each Fellowship class by the DoD. The monthly stipend is $3,600 ($43,200 annually) for fellowship tenure.
Stipends are paid monthly directly to the fellows. Stipend payments are electronically transferred directly to each Fellow's financial institution on a monthly basis.
If the Fellow is not enrolled in an institutionally approved academic study and/or research during the summer months, financial support will not be provided.