For GRFP letter writers and the students who ask them
NSF GRFP Letter of Recommendation Template
A two-page outline for writers that covers both NSF criteria, NSF's letter rules word for word, and a brag sheet the student fills and sends.
Dear Members of the Review Panel:
[Student] has worked in my soil ecology lab since June 2025, about 15 hours a week.
[Of the [number] undergraduates I have supervised in [years], [Student] is [your placement]. Name no other student.]
[Student] built a soil moisture sensor network across 12 field plots and wrote the code that cleans its data. [What this showed you about their independence.]
[Student] trained two first-year students in field methods. [What you saw of them as a mentor.]
[Signature] · [Name, title, department, institution]
What you'll get
A two-page outline for writers, NSF's letter rules and a brag sheet for students
- A two-page letter outline, part by part, covering both NSF criteria
- NSF's letter rules quoted, from letterhead to the October 16 deadline
- A brag sheet the student fills in and sends to each writer
Before and after
The student's brag sheet in. A letter outline out.
Maya Ortiz. In Dr. Lee's soil ecology lab since June 2025, about 15 hours a week. Built a soil moisture sensor network across 12 plots and wrote the data cleaning code. Poster at our campus research symposium, April 2026. Trained two first-year students in field methods. PhD plan: how drought changes soil microbes.
1. How I know her: Maya Ortiz has worked in my soil ecology lab since June 2025, about 15 hours a week. 2. How she compares: [Of the [number] students I have supervised, Maya is [your placement].] 3. Intellectual Merit: Maya built a soil moisture sensor network across 12 field plots and wrote the code that cleans its data. She presented the work at our campus research symposium in April 2026. [What this showed you about her independence.] 4. Broader Impacts: Maya trained two first-year students in field methods. [What you saw of her as a mentor.]
Every drafted line carries a comment to rewrite it in your voice. Comparisons and judgments stay in brackets for the writer.
Why it works
What should a GRFP letter of recommendation say?
A GRFP letter of recommendation is a two-page letter from someone who knows the applicant's work, written to NSF's two review criteria. The solicitation asks writers to address Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts, explain how they know the applicant, and comment on academic potential, prior research and the proposed research. This template lays that out as a letter in six parts, with a page budget for each and bracketed slots for everything only the writer can say.
NSF requires the letter to come from the writer. It must be "SIGNED by the reference writer," on letterhead if available, and the writer uploads it through NSF's own system. So the outline leaves the comparison with other students, and every judgment, to the writer. What a student can do is make a specific letter easy to write. NSF's page for reference writers says applicants should be ready to show writers their statements, transcripts and CV, so a one-page brag sheet is included to put the essentials in one place.
The brag sheet maps your evidence to NSF's factors and outcomes in NSF's words, and tells each writer how NSF's email will arrive. Send it with a request from the letter request tool, and track all your writers on the GRFP checklist. A writer who pastes the brag sheet into River gets the outline drafted from it, with every drafted line marked for rewriting. Keep its facts consistent with the personal statement you submit.
What lands in your doc
What's inside the letter template
- NSF's letter rules, quoted
Letterhead, signature, two pages, Times New Roman at 11 points and single spacing, word for word. - Six parts, with page budgets
How you know the student, how they compare, both criteria, the proposed research and the close. - Slots for the writer's judgment
Comparisons and opinions stay in brackets, beside NSF's rule against naming other students. - A before-you-upload checklist
Eight checks, from blank pages in the PDF to the email that carries the upload link. - A brag sheet for the student
The project, shared work with dates, three moments, both criteria in NSF's words, goals and the deadline. - How NSF's email arrives
The sender's address, the 10-minute sign-in code, and what to do when the invitation doesn't show up.
How it works
From brag sheet to signed letter
Open the template
Click Edit with AI to get the letter outline and the brag sheet in River, side by side.
Paste the brag sheet
Optional. Paste the student's brag sheet, or a few lines about them, and River drafts each part from their facts, marking every line it wrote.
Add your judgment
Fill the comparison and opinion slots, then rewrite each marked line in your own voice.
Sign and upload
Save a signed PDF on letterhead and upload it through the link in NSF's email by October 16.
Questions GRFP applicants ask
Common questions
What should a GRFP recommendation letter include?
NSF asks letters to address Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts, explain how the writer knows the applicant, and comment on academic potential, prior research and the proposed research. A research supervisor should also say how original the research statement is and what role, if any, they played in the application. Specific moments carry more weight than general praise.
How long is a GRFP letter of recommendation?
Two pages at most, as a PDF. NSF's rules call for 8.5 by 11 inch pages, Times New Roman at 11 points or larger, normal single spacing, letterhead if available, and the writer's signature with name, title, department and institution. NSF's writer FAQ says its system will not accept a letter longer than two pages.
Can a student write their own GRFP letter?
The letter has to be the writer's. NSF requires it to be signed by the reference writer and uploaded through the writer's own invitation, and only the writer can judge how a student compares with others. Some writers ask students for a draft anyway. If yours does, write only facts they can check, and leave every comparison and judgment to them.
When are GRFP letters due?
Friday, October 16, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, for every field and before any application deadline. Writers upload through the link in an email from Rgov-No-Reply@nsf.gov, sent once the student enters them in the module. NSF does not accept letters by email or mail, and an application is not reviewed without at least two letters.
Who should write my GRFP letters?
Anyone who knows your work well, except family. NSF says the most effective writers can give "detailed and specific information" about how you meet its review criteria, which usually puts a research supervisor first. List three writers and up to five, ranked: NSF includes the top three letters in your order of preference.
What is a brag sheet for a recommendation letter?
A one-page summary a student sends each writer: the project in two sentences, what you did together and when, three moments the writer saw, evidence for both NSF criteria, your goals and the deadline. It saves the writer from digging through a CV, and keeps the letter's facts consistent with your statements.
Your next step
More for your GRFP application
Give your writers what a specific letter needs
Open the outline and the brag sheet, or paste the student's brag sheet and River drafts each part from it, leaving every judgment to the writer.