U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Scholarship and Fellowship Program

The NRC UNLP grant program is currently on pause since the issuance of E.O. 14222 and pending the wholesale review of the UNLP policies, procedures and documents to comply with E.O. 14332, "Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking." No new awards w

The NRC UNLP has provided financial assistance to Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) for scholarships, fellowships, and research and development (R & D) activities.

For the prior year grants, accredited U.S. public and private Institutions of Higher Education. However, the grant program is currently on pause since the issuance of E.O. 14222 and pending the wholesale review of the UNLP policies, procedures and documents to comply with E.O. 14332, "Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking." No new awards were made since January 2025, but previous existing grants remain open and are still active.

In the prior year awards, the beneficiary eligibility was the same as applicant eligibility.

Funds were managed by the awardee institution. Primary responsibility for general supervision of all grant activities rests with the grantee institution under the prior year awards. NRC is including oversight and accountability in the current wholesale review of the UNLP.

Funds may not be used for purposes other than those specified in the award. Fellowships, scholarships, and stipends are paid to the students and fellows directly through the applicable institution. Scholarship and fellowship recipients are required to comply with a service obligation agreement for a period of 6 months for every year or partial year of support received.

The period of performance for project grants shall be between 2 and 4 years (depending on the program).

The selection criteria in the FY 2023 NOFO for scholarship and fellowship program awards in FY 2024 included: (1) the capacity and ability of the institution to effectively conduct the program including the merit of the recruitment and marketing strategies; (2) the type and degree of proposed student academic/technical support and assistance, including the merit of the technical programs for scholars and fellows; (3) the merit and completeness of an evaluation plan to measure the effectiveness of the scholarship or fellowship program; (4) institutional support for the program and plans for sustainability, as well as the merit of the students who would be served by the program; and (5) innovation demonstrated through the establishment of consortia or partnerships with other institutions to increase the universe of students reached through distance learning, shared courses, facility sharing, etc. The selection criteria in the FY 2023 NOFO for trade schools and community college scholarship program awards in FY 2024 included: (1) the capacity and ability of the institution to effectively conduct the program including the merit of the recruitment and marketing strategies; (2) the type and degree of proposed student support (i.e., mentoring or advisor assistance) and the merit of the technical programs for scholars; (3) the merit and completeness of an evaluation plan to measure the effectiveness of the scholarship program; (4) the institutional support for the program and plans for sustainability, as well as the merit of the students who would be served by the program; and (5) the innovation demonstrated through establishment of consortia or partnerships with other institutions to increase the universe of students reached through distance learning, shared courses, facility sharing, etc. The selection criteria in FY 2023 and FY 2024 NOFOs for the UNLP R & D awards on or before January 31, 2025, included: (1) the significance of the study, including whether it addressed an important problem and demonstrated how knowledge or common practice would be advanced; (2) the development of the conceptual approach or design, methods, and analyses and the degree to which they were well integrated, well-reasoned, and appropriate to the objectives of the project; (3) the degree to which the research was original and innovative, including whether challenged existing paradigms or common practice, or addressed an innovative hypothesis or critical barriers in the field; (4) the experience and expertise of the Principal Investigator(s) and available resources to conduct the research; and (5) whether the proposed research study included a cooperative or partnership arrangement with one or more Minority Serving Institution (including consideration of the details of the partnership, the implementation plan and the role of the MSI and its integration into the project).

Applications were reviewed by panels and award recommendations made by the NRC Selecting Official, based on a set of criteria established by the NRC, as stated in the NOFO. However, the grant program was paused following issuance of E.O. 14222 and pending the wholesale review of the UNLP policies, procedures and documents to comply with E.O. 14332, "Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking." No new awards were made since January 2025, but previous existing grants remain open and are still active.

Applications were reviewed by panels and award recommendations made by the NRC Selecting Official, based on a set of criteria established by the NRC, as stated in the Notices of Funding Opportunity. The grant program is currently on pause since the issuance of E.O.14222 and pending the wholesale review of the UNLP policies, procedures and documents to comply with E.O. 14332, "Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking." No new awards were made since January 2025, but previous existing grants remain open and are still active.