eligibility

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There are four eligibility requirements: citizenship, discipline, academic status, and the ability to accept the full benefit. Applicants must meet all four requirements to be eligible.

CITIZENSHIP 

The NDSEG Fellowship Program is open only to applicants who are citizens or nationals of the United States. The term "nationals" refers to native residents 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 U.S. citizenship. Persons who hold permanent resident status are not eligible. Proof of citizenship will be required upon formal offer.  Dual Citizens are eligible to apply.

EDUCATION

Applicants are eligible if they have received or will receive a baccalaureate degree in the year of their fellowship application, are within first two years of their graduate study for a traditional program (Graduate (1st-2nd year), or within the first two years of a PhD (1st-2nd year) in science or engineering.

This means in the Fall of 2022, if this is currently your second year of a PhD program, you would be entering into your third year, and would remain eligible.  If you are currently entering into your fourth year or more in a traditional PhD program,  you would not be eligible.

MUST MAJOR IN ONE OF THE FOLLOWING DISCIPLINES

The Air Force is excited to welcome their sister service, The United States Space Force (USSF), to the NDSEG program.  The USSF has added Astrodynamics to the research disciplines.  However, there are other USSF specific research areas such as Astronomy, Atmospheric Physics, Imaging Physics,  Materials for Extreme Environments, On-orbit Servicing, Solar Physics and Space Weather, Spacecraft Robotics, Space Domain Awareness, Space Photonics, and Space Power and Propulsion which are encompassed within the other NDSEG discipline areas.

• Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering
• Astrodynamics*
• Biomedical Engineering
• Biosciences (includes toxicology)
• Chemical Engineering
• Chemistry
• Civil Engineering
• Cognitive, Neural, and Behavioral Sciences (Note:PsyD programs are not eligible)
• Computer and Computational Sciences
• Electrical Engineering
• Geosciences (includes terrain, water, and air)
• Materials Science and Engineering (including Materials for Extreme Environments)
• Mathematics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering (includes undersea systems)
• Oceanography (includes ocean acoustics, remote sensing, and marine meteorology)
• Physics (including optics)
• Space Physics*

Areas of interest that fall outside of the list may be considered if it is a STEM field and is related to one or more of these fields.  If you need help selecting one of our supported disciplines, we recommend reaching out to your academic or research advisor for guidance. 

ABILITY TO ACCEPT THE FELLOWSHIP 

Intend to pursue a doctoral degree in order to be eligible for NDSEG Fellowship support. If you are awarded, you must start your tenure in the fall of that year. Fellowships awarded in the spring of 2022 must start in September 2022.  Deferrals may be considered on a case by case basis, and must be authorized by NDSEG prior to acceptance.  In most cases an NDSEG Fellowship is non-deferrable.

NDSEG Fellows must be enrolled full-time and must be pursuing graduate study at a U.S. institution; the NDSEG Fellowship does not pay for tuition at any non-U.S. institution.

A fellow may not accept simultaneous remuneration from another major fellowship. Fellows must be eligible to accept both the tuition benefit and the full stipend amount.