Money

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is now accepting applications for its Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF)! The goal of the GRF program is to increase the pool of scholars engaged in research that addresses the challenges of crime and justice in the United States, particularly at the state and local levels.

By Graduate Division Staff
Wednesday, April 12th, 2023 - 12:37pm


The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is now accepting applications for its Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF)! The NIJ GRF program supports doctoral students engaged in research that advances NIJ's mission. The goal of the GRF program is to increase the pool of scholars engaged in research that addresses the challenges of crime and justice in the United States, particularly at the state and local levels.

Applications must be submitted by UCSB, so if you would like to be considered, please submit your materials to this Google Form by Tuesday, April 18. Visit the GRF FAQs and review the solicitation document for more details about the application process!

Award
Each successful applicant (i.e., the host academic institution) may request up to $55,500 per year for up to three years of support (for a maximum total of $166,500).

Each year of support includes:

  • $40,500 for the fellow's Salary and Fringe
  • up to $12,000 for Cost of Education Allowance
  • up to $3,000 for Research Expenses

Eligibility
Students enrolled full-time in a Ph.D. program in a science or engineering field and who propose a dissertation topic relevant to criminal or juvenile justice are eligible. The applicant academic institution must be fully accredited by one of the regional institutional accreditation commissions recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education.

Failure to provide verification of current enrollment at the time of application will disqualify an applicant.

A student can apply for and be awarded a fellowship at any stage in their graduate program, if they are currently enrolled, but they will not begin to receive fellowship funding until:

  • A dissertation committee has been formed, and
  • The dissertation topic has been approved by the committee and is substantively similar to what was originally proposed in the fellowship application.

If the doctoral student has already passed these milestones at the time of application, then the dissertation committee chair should indicate this in the letter of support included with the application.

If the doctoral student has NOT accomplished these milestones at the time of application, then the student's project timeline should indicate the dates by which these milestones are expected to be met. The letter of support from the student's faculty advisor, department chair, departmental director of graduate studies or individual with similar responsibilities should also refer to the dates by which these requirements are expected to be met. Although an award may be made in such cases, access to award funds will be withheld until NIJ receives documentation that the student has met both milestones.

Contact
If you have questions about the program while the solicitation is open, contact the OJP Response Center at 800-851-3420, 301-240-6310 (TTY for hearing-impaired callers only), or grants@ncjrs.gov.