Application, Evaluation & Award

Application

Application Categories

  1. Proposal (Proposed DoD sponsoring agency, DoD Strategy Documents (e.g., BAA/FOA), and research technical discipline area. See details under research proposal and DoD Strategy Documents (e.g., BAA/FOA) on this page)
  2. Personal Essay – Will be typed in a web application (no more than 500 words for each essay). No special formatting required. Describe your academic or other interest, personal story, and personal achievements (e.g., short and long-term professional goals; How your goals were developed; How you have begun to lay the foundation for these goals; How the fellowship fits into these goals?)
  3. Research Proposal [Redacted and Original Versions] (Proposed DoD sponsoring agency, information, and research technical discipline area. See details under research proposal and DoD Strategy Document on this page)
  4. Resume/CV [Redacted and Original Versions] – Upload a PDF of your most up-to-date Resumes/CV
  5. Up to 3 References [Highly Recommended but not required to submit application] – References should be provided by an Academic Advisor, Research Advisor, or Internship Supervisor. References can complete a reference form via a systems link sent by a Fellow via their online application. Letters on letterhead will NOT be accepted. The Reference Evaluation Forms link includes a space for additional comments. Reference should capture professional assessment of the applicant, a testimony to your scholarly excellence.

If for any reason an application does not contain all of the required elements, it will not be reviewed. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure the completeness of his or her application.


Application Tips

  1. Have an Advisor review your Proposal, Personal Statement/Application
  2. Log into the system periodically to ensure references have been submitted
  3. Keep in mind the actual proposal is no more than 3 pages, the 4th page is for the cited work only.
  4. Be sure to visit the DoD Strategy Document links here, as your proposal needs to be aligned to current research and development interests aligned within the DoD Strategy Document listed. The DoD Strategy Document number is not required, and you have the option of selecting a preferred service, selecting that your research is relevant to multiple services, or that you don’t have a preference.
  5. All Files must be uploaded as PDFs ONLY

Research Proposal Instructions

Proposed research relevant to the DoD. The research proposal should capture how well the proposal responds to the DoD Strategy Document listed on the website under the DOD menu. Guidelines are provided below:

  1. 4 Page Proposal with work cited
    1. 3 Page Proposal Single line space
    2. 1 Page Max Cited Work
  2. Graphics and Charts may be included
  3. 12Pt. Times New Roman Font-a smaller font size may be used for cited work, charts and graphics
  4. Margins should be no less than 0.5

Additional Information About DoD Strategy Document

Applicants must find the DoD Strategy Document that list research areas that relate to your discipline/area of research (https://ndseg.sysplus.com/NDSEG/About/DoD-Agencies). The Research Proposal should reflect your field of study as well as connect with one of the DoD Strategy Document’s.

In the application, there is a section where you will list the DoD Strategy Document number (not name of the DoD Strategy Document), and the name of the research area you select. Additionally, if you are interested in the international research area, that is okay. Generally, the rule is, if it’s listed under 1 of the DoD Strategy Documents, and it is an open and current DoD Strategy Document, applicants can write their proposal in that area.

Please list the title of the research area your proposal will support. This is to ensure you are responding to one of the DoD Strategy Documents. Additionally, in the application is a field to incorporate a title for your proposal.

Evaluation, Selection, & Award

NDSEG fellowships will be awarded on a merit basis. This merit-based evaluation of applicants will rely on the applicant’s application, including academic records, recommendations regarding each applicant’s qualifications, and GRE scores.

Each application will be evaluated by a panel of academic experts who have doctoral degrees from the science and engineering discipline of the applicant’s proposed advanced degree program. A list of top-ranked applicants results from the evaluation panel.

Participating DoD agencies will then select final awardees from the top-ranked applicants. Final selection of fellows will be made by AFRL, ARO, ONR, and other sponsoring DoD agencies (if applicable).

Systems Plus will notify successful and unsuccessful applicants within 14 days of the official award.

Fellows must provide their acceptance soon after receiving their award notification. Notifications will be sent via email. If an official letter is required by your Institution, notify the DoD NDSEG Program Office at NDSEG.PMO@syplus.com.