NSF graduate school fellowship deadline

[violinist21]

Does anyone know when it is? I have been roaming the nsf website for a few hours now and haven't found a date...

[Eigen]

They probably haven't released the solicitation (and thus the date) for the 2013 fellowship year.

It's usually sometime in early-mid November, or has been in the past.

[violinist21]

Thank you. Say I register for the GRE on Nov. 1 (I am planning on taking it multiple times but you can only take it every 60 days). Will this be enough time to get the GRE score for the fellowship app?

[Usmivka]

The NSF GRFP does not accept GRE scores. You could send them, and they would promptly recycle the paper.

[violinist21]

Really? Awesome. That means I have more time to prepare for the GRE. Thank you.

[OregonGal]

I don't know how NSF fellows tie in to graduate schools, but if you're planning to apply to graduate schools in December/January you want to take the GRE no later than that Nov 1 date, and that's really pushing it. Scores can take anywhere from a few weeks to 2 months to be processed and sent to schools because of the lag time in grading the AW essays and pushing the scores through the ETS system.

[Eigen]

Yeah, that seems awfully late for a GRE date to me as well.

I think I took mine in August or September, and I still had applications that were waiting on it.

Also, I think it's a bad idea to go into the test planning on taking it multiple times, personally.

[TakeruK]

(I know the original topic was for a fellowship application, but in response to OregonGal's comments about score timelines for grad school applications):

Sometimes schools are willing to wait for GRE scores. For my subject (Physics) GRE, I took the exam on Nov 12 2011 and my applications were due starting Dec 1 (the majority were due in the Dec 15-31 period though). Fortunately, for subject exams, you are almost guaranteed to get your scores by a certain date (~1 month if you pay to get it by phone, ~6 weeks if you wait to check online). So maybe this won't apply as much it sounds like AW could be greatly delayed (I got my score in the specified time though, which I think is also 6 weeks).

But in almost all my cases, the schools didn't need my scores by the application deadline -- I just gave me the testing reference number and any preliminary scores I had (if you do the computer based GRE, you will know your Verbal and Quantitative scores right after the test). With the testing reference number and the other info they ask for, they can pull the scores from their database when it's available. (Similarly, they were willing to wait for official copies of transcripts and LORs if necessary too).

I did let the admissions officer/grad secretary for the department know that ETS won't have my scores ready until Dec 23 (or whatever it was), though, and noted it in the application where possible, instead of just submitting it late. Also, as soon as I knew my scores, I let them know (unofficially) and they were happy to use the self-reported score until the official report came through the system. I found that by the time school was back in session in January after the break, most of my applications confirmed that the score has been received from ETS.

Edited June 27, 2012 by TakeruK

[Usmivka]

The solicitation is online if you missed it: http://www.nsfgrfp.org/