About the Online Application System

Prior to completing an application, each applicant must create an account and log in to the Online Application System.  Once logged in to the system, the applicant will be taken to his/her individual Summary Page.

The Summary Page

The Summary page provides the current status of the application and acknowledges receipt of supporting materials. On this page an applicant can view whether or not the application has been submitted, responses provided to application questions, whether letters of recommendation have been submitted, and whether any requested GRE scores have been received.  When the entire application package has been submitted, a message confirming its submitted status and date will be displayed at the top of the Summary page.  This will provide a confirmation to the applicant that the application is ready for review.  Note that a completed online application must be submitted by the Wednesday, January 4, 2012, 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time deadline.  An application that is not submitted by this date will not be considered.

The Online Application

The Application contains the following sections:

  • Summary
  • General Applicant Information
  • Contact Information
  • Address
  • Demographic Information
  • Graduate Fellowship Questions
  • Plans for Graduate Education
  • High School Education
  • Undergraduate Education Information
  • Undergraduate Education Institution(s)
  • Graduate Education Information
  • Graduate Education Institution(s)
  • Academic Awards and Honors
  • Publications and Presentations
  • Essay 1: Personal Statement
  • Essay 2: Proposed Research Plan
  • Essay 3: Relevance of the Proposed Research Plan to the DOE Office of Science Mission Areas
  • GRE Scores (optional)
  • Letters of Recommendation
  • Certification of Accuracy and Submission

A red exclamation point (list_mini_icon_red.gif) next to the section name indicates that required fields in this section have not been completed.  An orange pause mark (list_mini_icon_yellow.gif) indicates that fields in this section are optional, but the applicant should still verify that all information needed for evaluation has been entered.  Either icon will change to a green check mark (list_mini_icon_green.gif) when the section has been completed.  The applicant should follow the instructions on each page of the application to ensure that all required information has been entered.  An application cannot be submitted until all sections have the required information.

Essays & Styling

If an applicant chooses to enter special or non-standard characters into the essay box, the font and styling may not show up in the text box.  The applicant should go to the Summary page or the PDF view of the application (see section below) to verify that these characters will display as expected.

Reviewing, Saving, & Printing the Application

The applicant can review responses to the application as a whole and can save or print the application from the Summary page at any time.  To save or print the application, click the “View Printable Application” link and the application will be displayed in PDF format.  The applicant may then either print this screen, or save the PDF to his/her computer.  Note that uploaded files will not be included in this PDF, but they may be viewed individually from the Summary page and saved or printed as needed.

Submitting the Application

Once all required application sections are complete, the applicant should go to the menu item “Certify and Submit” and complete this page by reading the text, certifying its accuracy with the checkbox, and then clicking the “Submit” button.  The application will request a final confirmation.  Once confirmed, the Summary page will show that the application has been submitted and the date it was submitted.

Resubmitting the Application if There are Changes (BEFORE THE DEADLINE)

If an applicant would like to make changes to their submitted application prior to the deadline, the applicant will need to log in to the system and “un-submit” the application.  There is a un-submit button on the Summary page for this purpose.  ONCE UN-SUBMITTED, THE APPLICATION WILL NOT BE REVIEWED UNLESS IT IS RE-SUBMITTED BEFORE THE DEADLINE.  Once changes have been made, the applicant must re-submit his/her application.  The Summary page will always show whether or not the application is currently submitted.