Application FAQ

The DOE CSGF is open to U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents who are currently enrolled or will be entering full-time, uninterrupted study toward a Ph.D. at an accredited U.S. university by the start of fellowship in fall 2027.

Proof of U.S. citizenship (a copy of your birth certificate or passport) will be required upon a formal offer.

No. You must be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident to apply.

A copy of your current green card is required as part of your application. After final submission of your application, you will be able to upload a copy of your green card on the application dashboard page.

No. The DOE CSGF cannot accept an I-551 stamp or letter as proof of residency. Your status cannot be conditional; it must be permanent to be eligible for the fellowship. Only a current and non-expired green card can be accepted.

Your department must certify that no more than one term of teaching (one semester or two quarters), grading or other departmental support activities are required of you, or that any requirements beyond one term will be waived for the DOE CSGF. You must obtain a waiver of this graduate requirement from your department chairperson to qualify for a DOE CSGF award. This certification will be sent upon formal offer of fellowship for your department chairperson to sign.

No. You must be a full-time student working toward your Ph.D. at a U.S. university (by fall 2027) to be eligible.

Undergraduate seniors, first-year graduate students and those matriculating into graduate school pursing a Ph.D. (by fall 2027) are eligible for this fellowship. If you have a question whether this applies to you, review the additional FAQs on this subject, or contact the DOE CSGF Program.

At time of application, you cannot have completed more than one year of full-time graduate work towards your Ph.D. Review other FAQs on this subject or contact the program for specific questions.

You can apply to the DOE CSGF program, but if awarded the fellowship, you may have to give up your current appointment. The DOE CSGF cannot be accepted concurrently with another federal fellowship.

No. The DOE CSGF does not offer deferrals. If awarded, you will either have to accept and give up your current federal fellowship or decline the DOE CSGF altogether.

Having a master's degree does not affect your application to the fellowship as long as you plan to attend a different university for your doctoral studies.

You must change institutions for your Ph.D. if you hold a master's degree, unless there is a two-year gap between completing the master's degree and starting graduate school for your Ph.D. This eligibility requirement also applies to those with a joint bachelor's/master's degree, even if the master's is terminal.

As long as you will be starting a Ph.D. degree program by the time the fellowship would begin (fall 2027), you are eligible.

Yes, you are eligible for the fellowship.

No. Dual program enrollment such as MD/PhD, JD/PhD, DVM/PhD, etc. is not allowed. You must be pursuing a Ph.D. only in order to be eligible for the fellowship.

Students in engineering, computer science, mathematics, or the physical or life sciences are eligible for this fellowship. If you feel your area of study does not fit in these categories but does emphasize high-performance computing, you are encouraged to apply and convey to application reviewers that your work can be properly represented as computational science.

As someone matriculating into graduate school, you will list your top three choice institutions at time of application. We understand that this may change by the time fellowship awards are offered. You will be able to designate your institution of choice once offered the fellowship. You will complete your program of study (POS) based on your top choice institution.

As part of the application process, the Krell Institute will contact the listed department chairperson(s) to confirm adherence with the DOE CSGF teaching policy which states that no more than one term of teaching is allowed while on fellowship. We do this ensure that any department listed is eligible to receive a DOE CSGF fellow. The Krell Institute will have this information on hand by the time offers of award are made. Please make sure to complete all requested department chairperson information.

In short, no, you do not need to list every institution you've ever attended. You will want to ensure that your education history is comprehensive of your background and speaks to your application. Please be aware that all institutions listed will also need a corresponding official transcript. You do not need to list your high school or GED information.

For complete details, please refer to the 'Guidelines & Requirements' link on the application's POS page.

Please do not ask about specific courses; we can only provide general guidelines for the POS. Please discuss your proposed POS with your advisor and arrange the courses as best you can with the goals of the fellowship in mind.

Those matriculating into a Ph.D. program have three years to complete their POS. First-year graduate students must satisfy this fellowship requirement within two years.

Courses meeting POS requirements and taken for graduate credit during the academic year coincident with the time of application may be entered in your POS. That said, no more than half of the POS can be completed prior to starting the fellowship, with a limit of one such course in each area. All other courses taken relevant to the fellowship can/should be listed in the Other Courses section of the application.

The course must be a graduate level course or accepted for graduate credit by your home department.

This is not an issue. If awarded the fellowship you will be asked to provide a new POS with your selected university that must be approved as a condition of acceptance. There is no need to contact the DOE CSGF Program to provide an update to university selections after your application has been submitted. This can be discussed at time of fellowship offer.

If offered the fellowship, we will ask that you submit a new POS for approval at the institution you plan to attend.

Please assemble a POS for the university that you want to attend. If this changes once you receive the fellowship, you will need to submit a new POS at that time.

Ideally, the graduate advisor at your preferred university will review your POS. If this is not feasible, please have your current undergraduate advisor review your proposed POS.

Ideally, the graduate advisor at your preferred university will review your POS. If this is not feasible, your undergraduate advisor or trusted academic acquaintance should review your proposed POS.

We understand that course schedules change. If offered a fellowship, you will have the ability to request changes to your POS based on course cancellations/changes. However, keep in mind that the POS submitted with this application must be to your best knowledge the courses you intend to take. All course changes must be approved by the fellowship's review committee after an offer of award.

No. The person listed as your advisor within the application will not be contacted by the DOE CSGF program at any point to review your POS or application submission.

An HPC course is a required component of the DOE CSGF POS. However, qualifying courses may not always be explicitly titled "High-Performance Computing." Applicants should review available coursework for relevant HPC content and identify a proposed course that addresses the fellowship's requirement. Please review the linked POS Guidelines & Requirements document found on the Program of Study application page for more information.

Yes. Courses involving AI and ML may satisfy POS requirements when their content aligns with the applicable disciplinary area. For example, a machine learning course offered through a computer science department may fulfill a computer science requirement, while a course emphasizing statistical methods may satisfy a mathematics or statistics requirement. Courses are evaluated based on their content, department designation, and relevance to the fellowship's interdisciplinary objectives.

We require official transcripts sent directly from the university. Use the university's process to request them. We accept e-transcripts sent to csgf_trans@krellinst.org, or hard copies mailed to:

Krell Institute
Attn: DOE CSGF Program
1609 Golden Aspen Dr., Suite 101
Ames, IA 50010

If the name on your transcript is different from the name on your application, please contact us.

We should receive your official transcripts by Jan 07, 2027 at 5:00 PM CST. We understand that some fall 2027 transcripts may not be available by this date. You do not need to notify us about these transcripts unless they will arrive later than February.

We require an official transcript from all universities (graduate and undergraduate) listed on your application. This includes fall 2026, if you are currently enrolled at a university. Please make sure to list a university on the Education page before requesting a transcript from it.

No. Please do not list your high school on your application or submit high school transcripts.

No, this is very common. Your application is considered complete and will sent to the review committee, yet we will require a copy of the official fall transcript once it becomes available. There is no need to contact the program if your transcript will arrive by the end of February.

You may submit one transcript as long as it includes all undergraduate and graduate work.

Yes, but notify the DOE CSGF Program.

Yes. This is the preferred route. You can request that your university send an e-transcript to csgf_trans@krellinst.org.

No. All official transcripts must be sent directly from the university in question. Transcripts emailed, mailed or faxed by the applicant will not be accepted as part of the application. The possible exception is an international instituion, as explained in the following question.

In the instance of an international institution unwilling or unable to send an official copy of a transcript, please contact the DOE CSGF Program. In most cases a copy from the applicant will be accepted, but an email from the applicant explaining the situation will be required.

Transcripts are processed and entered into the online system daily, however, we ask that you allow up to three business days after your transcript has been received for it be reflected within your application. Please contact your university to see if your transcript request has been processed and the document sent. (If you submitted a transcript under a different name, please notify the DOE CSGF program.)

Once the university has confirmed that the transcript was sent, please contact the Krell Institute to inquire further.

Alternatively, 1) please make sure you have added the university in question to the educational history section of your application. A transcript cannot be marked as received without a coordinating university, 2) please make sure that the name on the application matches the name on the transcript. If the names are different, you will need to notify DOE CSGF of this so your transcript can be properly recorded, and 3) if you open multiple DOE CSGF applications, your transcript may have been recorded within another opened application. You will need to notify the DOE CSGF program if this may be the case.

We will check on this periodically, but please fill out the educational history section completely before sending in transcripts to ensure that it will get attached to your application correctly.

No. Standardized test scores are no longer required for DOE CSGF applicants and will not be considered as part of the review and selection process.

No, there is no minimum GPA score required to apply or be considered for the DOE CSGF.

No, you may only submit three.

It is preferred that you have new letters written that address the information requested on the reference form.

First and foremost, we recommend that you make a personal ask of these individuals prior to listing them in the application. When you 'Notify' your references, they will receive an email from the Krell Institute with a link to an online reference system where they can submit a letter of recommendation.

Yes. You may reorder your references at any time. Once a reference has been notified, you may no longer edit that person's information. You may also delete a reference up until their recommendation letter is submitted. If you no longer plan to request a letter from someone you have notified, please let them know.

You will be able to view the status of your reference requests on the Application Dashboard.

Refer to the 'Application Dashboard' section of the application. If you are concerned about a particular status, please follow up with the reference until their letter is marked as 'Submitted'.

References may directly contact the DOE CSGF program with questions.

Yes. Your reference may submit their letter via email or mail directly to the DOE CSGF Program.

Letters of recommendation should be submitted by your references by Jan 07, 2027 at 5:00 PM CST. However, the letter of recommendation portal will remain open throughout the application review process. You do not need to notify the DOE CSGF program if a letter will arrive after the application deadline.

Yes. You can login to your application after you final submit and use the Dashboard to continue to remind references of their outstanding letters. The portal for references to submit their recommendation letters will remain open after the application submission deadline.

Yes. As long as you submit your completed application by the deadline, it will be reviewed and considered for a fellowship award. The reference letter portal will remain open throughout the application review process to accommodate late submissions. However, we strongly encourage you to communicate with your recommenders and ensure their letters are submitted as soon as possible.

First, confirm that the email address entered for your recommender is correct. Ask your recommender to check their spam or junk folder for the automated message. If they are still unable to locate the request, please contact the DOE CSGF program for assistance.

Yes, you can save your application and work on it any time. Your application is not submitted until you press 'Final Submission' on the final submission page. Once this is done, you can no longer make changes to your application. However, even after your application is submitted, you can continue to use the online system to notify references that their letters have not yet been received, and check the status of your transcripts.

After you press the 'Final Submission' button on the Final Submission page, you should receive an email confirming that your application has been submitted. If you do not receive this email within 24 hours, please contact the Krell Institute. There will also be a check beside 'Final Submission' on your online Application Status page.

No. Once you have pressed 'Final Submission' on the Final Submission page, no further action is required.

Yes, you may check the status of your application materials at any time by logging in and visiting the Dashboard.

You may check the status of your application materials online at any time by logging in and visiting the Dashboard. If for some reason the status on this page seems incorrect, please contact your university and/or references before contacting the DOE CSGF program.

No. As long as all course work from the institution is listed on one transcript, we do not need a duplicate copy. When processing the transcript, the Krell Institute will populate a cumulative GPA for both your undergraduate and graduate coursework. If the institution in question is listed both within the Higher Education History section and the Doctoral Institution section, then it will appear twice on the transcript list. However, only one transcript is needed for this institution.

The DOE CSGF application is due Jan 07, 2027 at 5:00 PM CST.

Yes. Please final submit your application by the application deadline, even if some of your supporting documents are outstanding. All supporting materials (reference letters and official transcripts) will continue to be accepted after the application deadline date as long as the application has been submitted.

No. These types of supplemental materials will not be reviewed. Publications should be listed in the appropriate section of the application. Other supplemental information can be included in your Personal Statement, if you wish.

No. Once you have submitted your application, you cannot make changes to it. If offered a fellowship, you will be able to update your profile information at that time.

No. Please do not fax supplemental materials. Your application will not be considered complete until official documents are received.

We do not retain applications from year to year. You will need to submit a new application, including transcripts and letters of reference.

You can check the version of the application that will be seen by reviewers using the Preview button on the Application Dashboard. Please note that all applications must be submitted electronically via the online system.

You will be notified whether or not you received a fellowship by early April.

The fellowship start date is September 1, 2027. It is renewable for up to four total years.