FINESST Stats

NASA generally selects about 130-150 FINESST proposals each year or about 15% of total submissions. The exact selection rate varies from year to year and by division, but Astrophysics typically has the lowest selection rate and Heliophysics the highest. The overall selection rate across all divisions has been fairly stable in recent years.

The 2019 solicitation saw submissions drop by ~20% due to the COVID pandemic, but the volume of submissions has since returned to pre-pandemic levels. During this time, the number of selected proposals also increased, such that the overall selection rate has …

FINESST Tips & Tricks

The FINESST¹ program is one of the largest funding programs for US-based graduate students in Earth and Space Sciences. Unlike many other large funding programs, FINESST accepts applications from international students. It encourages submissions from graduate students at any stage in their studies, from newly-admitted to all-but-dissertation. New FINESST proposals are typically due in mid-February, and selections are announced in the summer. The most recent FINESST solictiation can be found here.