For GRFP applicants about to upload
NSF GRFP Format Checker for Your PDFs
Drop the statement PDFs you plan to upload. Get a pass or fix list for pages, fonts, margins, headings, references and figures, with each fix explained.
Free to start. No card needed.
Research plan PDF
- Two pages, within the limit
- Body text in Times New Roman, 11 pt
- "Intellectual Merit" and "Broader Impacts" as separate headings
- Fix: page number in the footer of page 2, inside the margin
- Fix: figure labels on page 1 are editable text in Calibri, 8 pt
What you'll get
Every format rule checked on the PDFs you will upload
- Every NSF format rule checked on every page, marked pass or fix
- Each problem pinned to its page and words, with how to fix it
- A plain list of anything this check could not confirm
Before and after
Your PDFs in. A pass or fix list back.
Two PDFs exported from Word: a three-page personal statement and a two-page research plan with one figure and six references.
Personal statement · 3 pages · ready to upload Research plan · 2 pages · 3 fixes 1. Page 2 has a page number in the footer. NSF's upload rejects any text in the margins. In Word, remove it under Insert, then Page Number. 2. The figure's axis labels are editable Calibri at 8 pt. Make the labels part of the image itself. 3. Reference 4 ends with a DOI. NSF allows no URLs or DOIs.
Every fix names its page and quotes the words it found. NSF's own upload check has the final say.
Why it works
What does NSF check when you upload your statements?
A GRFP format checker reads the statement PDFs you plan to upload and tests each page against NSF's format rules. River opens your Personal, Relevant Background, and Future Goals Statement and your Graduate Research Plan Statement and checks page count, fonts and sizes, margins, headers and footers, the required headings, references and figures. You get a pass or fix list with the page and words behind every problem. Your files stay exactly as they are.
NSF checks format automatically, and its FAQ says "Documents that are not compliant will not be accepted by the GRFP Application Module" (NSF FAQ). The rules in NSF 26-526 are strict. Body text must be Arial, Courier New or Palatino Linotype at 10 points or more, or Times New Roman or Computer Modern at 11 or more. Margins are one inch with nothing in them, and references carry no URLs or DOIs. Statements without the separate headings can be returned without review.
Run it on the exact PDFs you will upload, a few days before your field's deadline, so an error does not surface at 7:55 p.m. on deadline night. If the check passes, the mock review reads the content the way a panel reviewer would. The GRFP checklist covers everything else you submit, from transcripts to letter writers. The NSF GRFP hub lists this cycle's deadlines for every field, all at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
What lands in your doc
What's in your format check
- Page count for each statement against its limit, with references and figures counted
- Every font and size in the file, with any disallowed text pinned to its page
- Margins on every page, including headers, footers, page numbers and images past the edge
- The exact "Intellectual Merit" and "Broader Impacts" headings, separate, in both statements
- References scanned for URLs and DOIs, and figures checked for editable labels and alt text
- A fix for each problem in plain steps, and what the check could not confirm
How it works
From PDF to pass or fix
Drop your PDFs
Drop the personal statement and research plan PDFs exactly as you will upload them to NSF.
River opens them
It reads every page's fonts, sizes and positions, not just the words, and leaves the files untouched.
Get your list
Each rule lands in your doc as pass or fix, with the page and the words it found.
Fix and recheck
Correct the file, save a new PDF, and drop it again until every line passes.
How to check your GRFP PDFs by hand
Open each PDF and look at its font list. NSF's FAQ suggests right-clicking the page, choosing Document Properties, and opening the Fonts tab. Every font there should be an allowed one, except Symbol or Cambria Math for special characters. A stray Calibri or Arial Narrow usually comes from a bullet list, a text box, a chart label or an equation. NSF warns that Select All in Word does not change the fonts inside bullets, shapes and images.
Next, check the edges of every page. Nothing may sit in the one-inch margins, including page numbers, your name in a header, or an image that drifts past the edge. Count the pages: three for the personal statement and two for the research plan, with references, figures and captions inside the limit. Search each file for "http", "www" and "doi", because references may name the journal but carry no links or DOIs.
Last, check the headings and figures. Each statement needs its own "Intellectual Merit" and "Broader Impacts" sections, with exactly those words and a line break between them. Labels inside a figure should be part of the image, not editable text, or the upload may flag their font. NSF also asks for descriptive alt text on every image, chart and graph, which you add in Word before you save the PDF. Then upload a day early, so any message from NSF arrives while there is time to fix it.
Questions GRFP applicants ask
Common questions
What font and size does the NSF GRFP require?
Arial (not Arial Narrow), Courier New or Palatino Linotype at 10 points or larger, or Times New Roman or Computer Modern at 11 points or larger. Smaller text is allowed only in formulas, equations, figures, tables and captions, and Symbol or Cambria Math can be used for special characters (NSF 26-526).
Why does NSF say my margins are wrong when they are one inch?
Usually because something sits in the margin anyway. NSF's FAQ names page numbers and text in headers or footers, and stray images or shapes that cross the one-inch line even when the page margins are set correctly. The check lists every item it finds outside the margins, with its page, so you know what to move or delete.
Can I use LaTeX or Google Docs for my GRFP statements?
Be careful with both. NSF's FAQ says Google Docs may not export bulleted text properly and should not be used, and that PDFs with special LaTeX fonts in formulas are not supported. If you write in LaTeX, use an allowed font and insert unusual equations as images. Drop the exported PDF here and the check lists every font it actually contains.
Does passing this check guarantee NSF will accept my file?
No. NSF's upload has the final say, and it can change its checks. This tool reads the same things NSF's rules describe and tells you what it could not confirm, such as alt text in a PDF without accessibility tags. Upload a day or more early, so any message from NSF arrives while you still have time to fix it.
Do references count toward the GRFP page limit?
Yes. NSF says to include all references, citations, charts, figures, images, and lists of publications and presentations within the limits: three pages for the personal statement and two for the research plan. References may use abbreviated journal names, and they must not include URLs or DOIs. The check counts pages exactly as NSF will see them.
Are my PDFs used to train AI?
No. Under River's privacy policy, nothing you write or upload is used to train AI models, and River's agreements with its AI providers bar them from training on it too. Your PDFs and the check stay in your private workspace, where you can delete them at any time.
Your next step
More for your GRFP application
Catch the format error before the upload does
Drop the PDFs you plan to submit. Every fix names its page, so you can correct it and check again.