DoD National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship Program 2027

The DoD National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship Program is a competitive fellowship that is awarded to U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, and U.S. dual citizens who intend to pursue a Doctoral degree aligned to the DoD services Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs) in research and development at a U.S. institution of their choice.

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirements
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineOctober 30, 2026
• Study LevelPostdoctoral Fellowships
• SponsorU.S. Government
• Eligible CountryUnited States

Benefits

• 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.

• The NDSEG fellow is authorized up to a $5,000 travel budget over their tenure for professional development. Travel payments are electronically transferred directly to each Fellow's financial institution.

• The NDSEG Fellowship Program will pay the fellow’s full tuition and required fees (excluding room and board).

• NDSEG Fellowship will pay for the minimum health insurance coverage offered through the institution, up to a total value of $1,600. Any excess insurance costs will be the responsibility of the Fellow and can be paid using the stipend.

   

Requirements

To be eligible for the NDSEG Fellowship, you must meet 5 basic criteria:

1. Be a U.S. Citizen, U.S. Dual Citizen, or U.S. National
2. Have received or will receive a baccalaureate degree in the year of their Fellowship application. If applying in 2026 for fellowship to begin in Fall 2027, you must have received your baccalaureate by 2026 (or earlier).
3. 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.
4. Have at *least* THREE remaining years in your graduate degree program at the time of application.
5. 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 has not yet received citizenship. People who hold permanent resident status are not eligible to apply.

Candidates pursuing only a Medical Degree are not eligible for the NDSEG Fellowship.

If you complete an application, and are not selected, you can apply again as long as you continue to meet all of the eligibility criteria above.

Applications are also encouraged from women, persons with disabilities and minorities, including members of ethnic minority groups such as Native American, African American, Hispanic American, Native Alaskan (Inuit and Aleut) or Pacific Islander (Polynesian or Micronesian).

Application Deadline

How To Apply

• Appllications are made via the Application Portal.

For more information, kindly visit the NDSEG webpage.