Applying for an NIH F32 postdoctoral fellowship
Eligibility, deadlines, stipends, payback, the application attachments and how reviewers score them, for the parent F32 under notice PA-25-423. Each rule links to the NIH page it comes from.
Updated September 28, 2026 · Checked against 11 NIH sources · Maintained by Erik Jia. Spotted an error? erik@manusights.com
Related NIH guides: K99/R00 transition award and F31 predoctoral fellowship.
Free planning workbook (PDF, 4 pages)
Eligibility and payback check, a worksheet for mapping each training gap, an attachment tracker and a 12-week timeline.
- Edition
- 2026.09.28-f32-2
- Format
- License
- CC BY 4.0
- Evidence reviewed
- September 28, 2026
At a glance
- Notice
- PA-25-423
- Notice expires
- May 8, 2028
- Standard due dates
- April 8, August 8, December 8
- FY2026 annual stipend
- $63,480 to $77,076
- Last checked
- September 28, 2026
Eligibility
Your organization submits the application for you. The parent notice accepts both domestic and foreign organizations, but participation and requirements vary by NIH Institute or Center. Source A
Citizenship at award
US citizen, non-citizen national, or lawful permanent resident.
Doctoral degree
A qualifying research or health-professional doctorate conferred by the time of award.
Participating Institute or Center
The research and training fit a participating NIH Institute or Center and its specific requirements.
Prior NRSA support
Prior postdoctoral T32 and individual fellowship support counts toward the three-year aggregate limit.
Clinical trials
You won't lead an independent clinical trial, although experience on a sponsor-led trial can be allowed.
Sponsor
A primary sponsor, or a coordinated sponsor team, who can directly supervise your individualized training.
| Requirement | What the notice asks for |
|---|---|
| Citizenship at award | US citizen, non-citizen national, or lawful permanent resident. |
| Doctoral degree | A qualifying research or health-professional doctorate conferred by the time of award. |
| Participating Institute or Center | The research and training fit a participating NIH Institute or Center and its specific requirements. |
| Prior NRSA support | Prior postdoctoral T32 and individual fellowship support counts toward the three-year aggregate limit. |
| Clinical trials | You won't lead an independent clinical trial, although experience on a sponsor-led trial can be allowed. |
| Sponsor | A primary sponsor, or a coordinated sponsor team, who can directly supervise your individualized training. |
Notice PA-25-423 is listed to expire May 8, 2028, but NIH can amend or replace an opportunity before then. Before you start writing, confirm your participating Institute or Center, count your prior postdoctoral NRSA months, get your institution's internal deadline, and open the current Forms-I instructions and page-limit table.
What changed recently
The F32 changed in 2025 in ways older guides and sample applications don't reflect. Postdoc offices updating their F32 pages will want to check each of these.
Application forms
Before: FORMS-H
Now: FORMS-I. NIH set January 25, 2025, but parent fellowship applicants kept FORMS-H for the April 8 and May 7, 2025 due dates, so August 8, 2025 was the first parent F32 due date on the new forms. Source H Source I Source A
Review criteria
Before: Five scored criteria
Now: Three scored criteria built around the candidate, the research training plan and the sponsor's commitment. Source J Source D
Grades and the candidate section
Before: Applicant section, with grades
Now: A Candidate Section with four personal statements. Grades are no longer required or allowed. Source J
Parent notice
Before: PA-23-262
Now: PA-25-423, posted June 13, 2025, expires May 8, 2028. Source I Source A
| What | Before | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Application forms | FORMS-H | FORMS-I. NIH set January 25, 2025, but parent fellowship applicants kept FORMS-H for the April 8 and May 7, 2025 due dates, so August 8, 2025 was the first parent F32 due date on the new forms. Source H Source I Source A |
| Review criteria | Five scored criteria | Three scored criteria built around the candidate, the research training plan and the sponsor's commitment. Source J Source D |
| Grades and the candidate section | Applicant section, with grades | A Candidate Section with four personal statements. Grades are no longer required or allowed. Source J |
| Parent notice | PA-23-262 | PA-25-423, posted June 13, 2025, expires May 8, 2028. Source I Source A |
| Eligibility wording | Said the candidate must show evidence of high academic performance in the sciences and commitment to a research career | That sentence is gone from PA-25-423. Source I Source A |
| Postdoctoral stipends | $62,232 to $75,564 (FY2025) | $63,480 to $77,076 (FY2026). Source K Source B |
Application deadlines
Standard F-series applications are due at 5:00 PM local time for the applicant organization. The dedicated AIDS dates are not used for these listed cycles. Check the active notice before relying on any calendar.
December 8, 2026
Scientific review: March 2027
Advisory council: May 2027
Earliest start: July 2027
April 8, 2027
Scientific review: July 2027
Advisory council: October 2027
Earliest start: December 2027
August 8, 2027
Scientific review: November 2027
Advisory council: January 2028
Earliest start: April 2028
| Application due | Scientific review | Advisory council | Earliest start |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 8, 2026 | March 2027 | May 2027 | July 2027 |
| April 8, 2027 | July 2027 | October 2027 | December 2027 |
| August 8, 2027 | November 2027 | January 2028 | April 2028 |
The cycle dates come from the notice (Source A) and the 5:00 PM rule from NIH's standard due-date policy (Source E).
Stipends and budget
For the first year, NIH uses your full years of relevant postdoctoral experience when the award is issued. That level applies for the whole grant year. Each later year moves up to the next level, and the level doesn't change mid-year.
0 years
Annual stipend: $63,480
Monthly stipend: $5,290
1 year
Annual stipend: $63,900
Monthly stipend: $5,325
2 years
Annual stipend: $64,380
Monthly stipend: $5,365
3 years
Annual stipend: $66,948
Monthly stipend: $5,579
4 years
Annual stipend: $69,180
Monthly stipend: $5,765
5 years
Annual stipend: $71,748
Monthly stipend: $5,979
6 years
Annual stipend: $74,424
Monthly stipend: $6,202
7 or more years
Annual stipend: $77,076
Monthly stipend: $6,423
| Full years of experience | Annual stipend | Monthly stipend |
|---|---|---|
| 0 years | $63,480 | $5,290 |
| 1 year | $63,900 | $5,325 |
| 2 years | $64,380 | $5,365 |
| 3 years | $66,948 | $5,579 |
| 4 years | $69,180 | $5,765 |
| 5 years | $71,748 | $5,979 |
| 6 years | $74,424 | $6,202 |
| 7 or more years | $77,076 | $6,423 |
Tuition and fees
60% of actual tuition and fees, up to $4,500 per year, or up to $16,000 for formal degree-granting postdoctoral training.
Institutional allowance
$12,400 per year at a non-Federal public, private, or nonprofit organization; $11,300 at a Federal or for-profit organization.
| Other costs | FY2026 level |
|---|---|
| Tuition and fees | 60% of actual tuition and fees, up to $4,500 per year, or up to $16,000 for formal degree-granting postdoctoral training. |
| Institutional allowance | $12,400 per year at a non-Federal public, private, or nonprofit organization; $11,300 at a Federal or for-profit organization. |
These are the FY2026 rates (Source B). NIH updates NRSA levels periodically.
Payback
- Months 1 to 12. The initial 12 months of postdoctoral NRSA support incur a service obligation.
- Months 13 and later. Each additional month of NRSA-supported postdoctoral training can satisfy one month of the obligation.
- Paperwork. PHS 6031 accompanies activation for the initial 12-month postdoctoral support period.
This summary doesn't calculate an individual obligation. For the current policy, see Source G.
What goes in the application
Current fellowship attachment names and page limits differ from many older lab templates, so work from the current Forms-I guide (Source C) and NIH's page-limit table (Source F).
Goals, Preparedness and PotentialWho writes it: Candidate
Limit: 3 pages
What it needs to show: Overall goals, preparation, a self-assessment with 2 to 4 strengths and 2 to 4 development areas, and a scientific perspective.
Training Activities and TimelineWho writes it: Candidate with sponsor
Limit: 3 pages
What it needs to show: Activities by year, percent effort totaling 100% in each year, links to development areas, and the transition to the next career stage.
Research Training Project Specific AimsWho writes it: Candidate with scientific feedback
Limit: 1 page
What it needs to show: Goals, objectives, expected outcomes, and likely impact of the proposed research training project.
Research Training Project StrategyWho writes it: Candidate with scientific feedback
Limit: 6 pages
What it needs to show: Scientific foundation, rationale, approach, feasibility, expected challenges, alternatives, and the candidate's role, in the candidate's own words.
Training in Responsible Conduct of ResearchWho writes it: Candidate with program and sponsor
Limit: 1 page
What it needs to show: Format, subject matter, faculty participation, duration, and frequency. Online-only instruction is not sufficient.
Sponsor(s) Commitment StatementWho writes it: Sponsor team
Limit: 6 pages
What it needs to show: Specific supervision, mentoring, training, resources, and commitments. Sponsor and co-sponsor statements are combined into one PDF.
Letters of Support from Collaborators, Contributors, and ConsultantsWho writes it: Named contributors
Limit: 6 pages
What it needs to show: Specific contributions and commitments that are not already covered by the sponsor statement.
| Attachment | Limit | What it needs to show |
|---|---|---|
| Goals, Preparedness and PotentialWho writes it: Candidate | 3 pages | Overall goals, preparation, a self-assessment with 2 to 4 strengths and 2 to 4 development areas, and a scientific perspective. |
| Training Activities and TimelineWho writes it: Candidate with sponsor | 3 pages | Activities by year, percent effort totaling 100% in each year, links to development areas, and the transition to the next career stage. |
| Research Training Project Specific AimsWho writes it: Candidate with scientific feedback | 1 page | Goals, objectives, expected outcomes, and likely impact of the proposed research training project. |
| Research Training Project StrategyWho writes it: Candidate with scientific feedback | 6 pages | Scientific foundation, rationale, approach, feasibility, expected challenges, alternatives, and the candidate's role, in the candidate's own words. |
| Training in Responsible Conduct of ResearchWho writes it: Candidate with program and sponsor | 1 page | Format, subject matter, faculty participation, duration, and frequency. Online-only instruction is not sufficient. |
| Sponsor(s) Commitment StatementWho writes it: Sponsor team | 6 pages | Specific supervision, mentoring, training, resources, and commitments. Sponsor and co-sponsor statements are combined into one PDF. |
| Letters of Support from Collaborators, Contributors, and ConsultantsWho writes it: Named contributors | 6 pages | Specific contributions and commitments that are not already covered by the sponsor statement. |
How reviewers score it
NIH now scores fellowship applications on three criteria instead of five (see What changed recently for when this took effect). Each is scored from 1 to 9, where 1 is best. Source D
Candidate's Preparedness and Potential
What reviewers ask: Does the record, viewed in context, show the qualities and potential needed to benefit from the proposed training?
Where they look: Goals, prior experiences, candidate self-assessment, scientific perspective, productivity in context, and reference letters.
Research Training Plan
What reviewers ask: Is the plan rigorous, feasible, developmentally appropriate, and likely to provide meaningful training?
Where they look: Specific Aims, research strategy, training activities, milestones, responsible conduct of research, and the training environment.
Commitment to Candidate
What reviewers ask: Do the sponsor team and organization make specific commitments aligned with the candidate's goals and needs?
Where they look: Sponsor commitment statement, supervision, mentoring approach, resources, and institutional support.
| Criterion | What reviewers ask | Where they look |
|---|---|---|
| Candidate's Preparedness and Potential | Does the record, viewed in context, show the qualities and potential needed to benefit from the proposed training? | Goals, prior experiences, candidate self-assessment, scientific perspective, productivity in context, and reference letters. |
| Research Training Plan | Is the plan rigorous, feasible, developmentally appropriate, and likely to provide meaningful training? | Specific Aims, research strategy, training activities, milestones, responsible conduct of research, and the training environment. |
| Commitment to Candidate | Do the sponsor team and organization make specific commitments aligned with the candidate's goals and needs? | Sponsor commitment statement, supervision, mentoring approach, resources, and institutional support. |
Planning the training
We build an F32 around what we call the training delta: the change from what you can do now to what you'll need to do at the next career stage. It's our own planning method, not an NIH scoring formula.
- Where you are now. State what your record already shows and the important capability it doesn't yet establish.
- How you'll get there. Name the activity, mentor or resource, cadence, access, feedback and sequence.
- What will show it worked. Define a milestone and explain how you'll use the capability in your next career stage.
Timeline
Work back from your grants office's internal deadline. This sequence is our suggestion, not an NIH requirement.
12 weeks before
Confirm the active notice, participating Institute or Center, citizenship status at award, qualifying doctoral degree, prior postdoctoral NRSA months, clinical-trial boundary, internal deadline, and submission owner.
10 weeks before
Write a current-capability inventory. Select 2 to 4 development areas that are consequential, teachable during the award, and not already demonstrated by the candidate's record.
8 weeks before
Turn each development area into a training activity, named mentor or resource, cadence, deliverable, evidence of progress, and next-stage use.
6 weeks before
Lock the research question, aims, feasibility boundary, expected challenges, alternatives, and the candidate's intellectual contribution. Ask for targeted scientific critique.
4 weeks before
Reconcile the candidate narrative, timeline, research plan, sponsor statement, facilities, biosketch materials, and letters. Remove duplicated promises and unsupported commitments.
2 weeks before
Run page-limit, file-format, accessibility, citation, privacy, reference-letter, and NOFO-specific checks. Hand the administrative package to the authorized submitter.
After submission
Use eRA Commons to confirm that the assembled application image is complete and viewable before the verification window closes.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 12 weeks before | Confirm the active notice, participating Institute or Center, citizenship status at award, qualifying doctoral degree, prior postdoctoral NRSA months, clinical-trial boundary, internal deadline, and submission owner. |
| 10 weeks before | Write a current-capability inventory. Select 2 to 4 development areas that are consequential, teachable during the award, and not already demonstrated by the candidate's record. |
| 8 weeks before | Turn each development area into a training activity, named mentor or resource, cadence, deliverable, evidence of progress, and next-stage use. |
| 6 weeks before | Lock the research question, aims, feasibility boundary, expected challenges, alternatives, and the candidate's intellectual contribution. Ask for targeted scientific critique. |
| 4 weeks before | Reconcile the candidate narrative, timeline, research plan, sponsor statement, facilities, biosketch materials, and letters. Remove duplicated promises and unsupported commitments. |
| 2 weeks before | Run page-limit, file-format, accessibility, citation, privacy, reference-letter, and NOFO-specific checks. Hand the administrative package to the authorized submitter. |
| After submission | Use eRA Commons to confirm that the assembled application image is complete and viewable before the verification window closes. |
Sources
We checked every rule on this page against NIH's pages on September 28, 2026. The page, the data file and the PDF share one edition (2026.09.28-f32-2). We re-check within 90 days, or sooner if NIH changes something. The PDF workbook is licensed CC BY 4.0.
We used the active parent notice, the FY2026 budget notice, the Forms-I fellowship instructions, the current review criteria, the standard due-date policy, NIH's page-limit table and the current payback policy. We left out paylines, success rates, typical applicant years, sponsor-funding rules, reviewer preferences and F32-versus-K99 estimates because these sources don't establish them.
- AParent F32 notice PA-25-423. Purpose, Key Dates, Award Information, Eligibility Information, and Application and Submission Information. Supports: Purpose, future due cycles, participating organizations, citizenship and degree status, aggregate support, full-time training, sponsor requirements, clinical-trial boundary, and expiration.
- BFY2026 NRSA stipend and budget levels, NOT-OD-26-044. Postdoctoral Trainees and Fellows, Tuition and Fees, and Institutional Allowance tables. Supports: FY2026 experience-based stipend levels, tuition and fees, institutional allowance, and the three-year postdoctoral NRSA support limit.
- CHow to Apply: Fellowship Instructions for NIH and Other PHS Agencies, Forms-I. Fellowship Supplemental Form, sections 6 to 11. Supports: Current attachment names, required content, candidate authorship, timeline effort, research strategy, responsible conduct, sponsor statement, and collaborator letters.
- DChanges to NIH Fellowship Application Review Criteria. Three scored review criteria. Supports: The three scored criteria used for applications with due dates on or after January 25, 2025.
- EStandard Due Dates. F Series Fellowships table and deadline policy. Supports: Standard April 8, August 8, and December 8 dates and the 5:00 PM local-time rule.
- FTable of Page Limits. Fellowship application page-limit rows. Supports: Current limits for candidate, training, research project, responsible conduct, sponsor, collaborator, and resubmission attachments.
- GNIH Grants Policy Statement: Kirschstein-NRSA payback implementation. Postdoctoral payback obligation and Payback Agreement sections. Supports: The first 12 months of postdoctoral NRSA support incur an obligation, months 13 and later can satisfy it month for month, and the initial period requires PHS 6031.
- HNIH notice NOT-OD-24-086: FORMS-I application packages. Summary and key dates. Supports: FORMS-I application packages are required for due dates on or after January 25, 2025.
- IPrevious parent F32 notice PA-23-262. Notice history; Eligibility Information. Supports: The previous parent F32, its eligibility wording and its reissue as PA-25-423.
- JNIH notice NOT-OD-24-107: changes to fellowship review criteria and application. Notable changes. Supports: The move from five to three scored criteria, the Candidate Section, and grades no longer being required or allowed.
- KFY2025 NRSA stipend levels, NOT-OD-25-105. Stipend levels table. Supports: The FY2025 postdoctoral stipend range used for comparison with FY2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the NIH F32 fellowship?
The parent F32 is an NIH individual postdoctoral fellowship for individualized, mentored research training under appropriate faculty sponsors while the candidate conducts biomedical research relevant to a participating NIH Institute or Center.
Who is eligible for the parent F32?
By the time of award, the candidate must be a United States citizen, non-citizen national, or lawful permanent resident and hold a qualifying research or health-professional doctoral degree. The active notice and participating Institute or Center determine the complete rules.
How much is the F32 stipend in FY2026?
FY2026 annual postdoctoral NRSA stipends range from $63,480 at zero full years of relevant postdoctoral experience to $77,076 at seven or more years. NIH determines the first grant-year level from full years of relevant postdoctoral experience when the award is issued.
How much postdoctoral NRSA support can someone receive?
The parent notice allows up to three aggregate years of postdoctoral Kirschstein-NRSA support, including combinations of institutional training grants such as T32 and an individual F32 fellowship.
What is the F32 payback obligation?
The first 12 months of postdoctoral NRSA support incur a service obligation. The 13th and each later month of postdoctoral NRSA support can satisfy that obligation month for month. The initial 12-month period requires a Payback Agreement Form, PHS 6031.
When are standard F32 applications due?
Standard F-series dates are April 8, August 8, and December 8 at 5:00 PM local time for the applicant organization. The active notice lists the actual cycles and can use different dates.