Revisions to the NIH Fellowship Application and Review Process

NIH is revising the application and review criteria for fellowship applications, beginning with those submitted January 25, 2025 and beyond. This page describes the goals of the change, implications for those writing and reviewing fellowship applications, and provides links to training and other resources.

Fellowship applications submitted on or after January 25, 2025 will follow a revised application and review criteria. The goal of the changes is to improve the chances that the most promising fellowship candidates will be consistently identified by scientific review panels. The changes will:

1. Better focus reviewer attention on three key assessments: the fellowship candidate’s preparedness and potential, research training plan, and commitment to the candidate
2. Ensure a broad range of candidates and research training contexts can be recognized as meritorious by clarifying and simplifying the language in the application and review criteria
3. Reduce bias in review by emphasizing the commitment to the candidate without undue consideration of sponsor and institutional reputation