NSF

[a_elizabeth]

Hi all you science PhDs. I have a dilemma. I applied as a first year graduate student for National Science Foundation Fellowship.  I really hate it in this program and will most likely be transferring next year. I stuck it out for one semester and chose to go on leave for second semester. Are there any conditions in the NSF guidelines that might prevent you from getting the funding in case I do end up winning this fellowship? In other words - can I be on academic leave during the time of award? Given that such award doesn't start until Fall 2015 anyways, I am wondering if the NSF will look negatively on my academic leave for second semester, even though at the time of application I wasn't yet on academic leave. I hope this is not overly confusing. Please let me know if you ever dealt with something similar. 

 

[Eigen]

Are you going to be enrolled by the Fall?

 

I'm not sure how they would treat the current leave of absence- I can't remember the deadline for being "enrolled/accepted" at a school. 

 

But if you're transferring, have you already secured admission to another program? If not, you won't be able to accept the award if you get it, since you are currently on leave, and wouldn't have anther school to enroll in yet.

[geobabe]

You cannot be on academic leave during the award (http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12062/nsf12062.pdf). You must be enrolled in a program for Fall 2015 and the duration of the award.

[Eigen]

To add, if you're not familiar with the NSF administration, when you are awarded the NSF, it goes to a program officer at the institution at which you're enrolled. They handle the disbursement of money, and are for intents and purposes, the PI on the grant that funds you.

[marty3]

I can't see any of this being a problem. I was on a leave of absence when I won the award. You should be fine as long as you are still enrolled in a program (i.e. on an official leave of absence from your university and not fully withdrawn) or will be enrolled in a program for Fall 2015.

 

Regarding the leave of absence while on the fellowship, that isn't actually a problem. You must declare the months during your leave from your university as "reserve" time and it must be contained within the 5-year time period the fellowship allows. You cannot take a leave from NSF, thereby extending this 5-year time period that you are a fellow.

[Eigen]

Pretty sure that leaves of absence in reserve time also have to be in year increments. You can't take a partial year in reserve, unless something changed in this years rules. 
 
Also Marty-  pretty sure you're wrong about the leave of absence during reserve- from the NSF Website under FAQ for the GRFP:
 

May I go on Reserve and take a leave of absence from my graduate program?
No, there is no leave-of-absence status. Only approved Military or Medical Deferrals are allowed.

So either yours was a medical deferral (different from the OP) or you weren't officially on leave from the University? If you're taking time off, but are still enrolled full time (not a leave of absence), you'd be fine. I'd be interested in more details, because our program officer mirrors exactly what the NSF FAQ says- leaves of absence are considered as non-enrollment, which would automatically terminate the fellowship, even on reserve. 

 

You'd also have to write a progress report on your leave of absence, showing progress towards your degree goals, which would be very difficult. 
 

That said, this is academic, since as I read the OP they're on a leave planning to leave the institution and reapply elsewhere for the Fall. In which case, they'd still have problems as they applied as a first year graduate student. 

[marty3]

Well, fortunately I never had to work around all these details. Anyhow, I reviewed my email threads asking these questions. I was on a medical leave of absence, so I guess I overlooked the distinction. Sorry everyone!

 

Regarding leaves/tenures coinciding with start dates, I believe there is more flexibility than you might think. At the time I accepted my award (April 2014) I was unsure when I'd be back at school (Sept. 2014 or Jan 2015, coinciding with my university's semesters). To quote my emails:

 

Me: If I do defer until January, will I start receiving the NSF stipend immediately or will I have to wait until the next June 1/Sept. 1 for it to start? The NSFGRFP Administration Guide says "deferred months are available for use at a later date" (pg. 14) but I would like to ask what that means in my case.

 

NSF: The stipend is distributed to fellows by their institution. You will have to speak with your CO on exact dates once you are on tenure.

 

That's all I know, as I made it back to school in September so it didn't become a problem. You'll have to talk to your CO for a concrete answer, I guess. NSF did tell me to accept my award and immediately select medical deferral. a_elizabeth, I'm not sure what that means for you. Sounds like Eigen knows his stuff. Sorry for any false hope.

 

Your best bet is to contact NSF directly. In my experience (only 1 email) they responded very quickly, albeit very briefly too.

[Eigen]

The institution's CO has a lot of discretion in how to distribute the award, but NSF does years at a time, as a general rule.

 

When you select active status for a year, they give the entire year of money to the school, and the school ha to pay back any if there's some leave/inactivity during that year.

 

NSF is usually quite good when it comes to medical leave, maternity leave, or situations out of your control, and most programs are quite good at helping students work with/around them.

 

I know mine has helped a few times with outside opportunities, and helped others with internships, and mine helped with staggering fellowships to get the best use out of them as well.

[a_elizabeth]

Thanks for all the replies - super helpful. Especially hearing that a student was on leave at the time of award. To clarify - this is my situation too. I think that quote from NSF (from Cup of Joe) refers to those who are already on the fellowship - in other words - they have already started their fellowship in the Fall therefore there cannot be an interruption. I should only be on leave in April, but by the time the money is distributed in the Fall I will be at another institution. 

 

In case anyone is wondering about transferring programs on NSF: I met a girl in my current program who won the award in April and then transferred to another school in the Fall - so, it's definitely plausible to transfer and still keep the award. That's good to know!!! 

 

A side question - who is CO? and how do I find them at my institution? 

 

Thanks!

[Eigen]

The CO is likely to be in your office of grants & research, or the dean of the graduate school. Or they will know who to direct you to. 

 

Definitely good to know that you can get it transferring institutions- I would have throughout that was possible as long as you had the admit by the acceptance date, but wasn't sure.

[th3catalyst]

https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp/Login.do you can go to this link and click on "Institution Directory" in the left panel on the screen. Then use the drop-down menu to find your school and the CO should be listed.

[Robin G. Walker]

Need some clarification on what is meant by leave, and when you take it.

• You remain eligible to apply to the NSFGRFP if you have earned less than 12 months of graduate credit as a full time student. Full time study is defined by the institution, not NSF.  So you can stop/start/transfer, etc as long as you have not accumulated more than one year of full time grad credit.
• If you stop out for a period for 2+ years, you become eligible to apply again, even if you have a master's degree.
• You do NOT have to be enrolled at the time of application. You MUST be admitted at the time of acceptance with the intention of starting no later than the upcoming fall term.
• Generally, active GRFP fellows have some leave flexibility for international research, military service, medical concerns, and family leave. A fellow would need to request the leave.
• Once awarded, the fellowship is you as long as you make progress and comply with reporting. If you choose to transfer to another institution, you would have to notify the NSF GRFP office to seek approval, but I understand they are flexible as long as you stay in the same field and pursue the same research or research in area close to what you proposed.,