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NIH NRSA Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (Parent F31)

Current NIH Parent F31 fellowship guidance, including due-date cycles, eligibility basics, and application workflow.

JJ Ben-Joseph
JJ Ben-Joseph
💰 Funding NIH NRSA stipend plus tuition/fees and institutional allowance at current NIH levels
📅 Deadline Apr 8, 2026
📍 Location United States
🏛️ Source National Institutes of Health
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Status Update (February 2026)

The current NIH Parent F31 is PA-25-422. Standard F-series due dates remain April 8, August 8, and December 8 when the NOFO uses standard dates.

Parent-announcement listings currently show PA-25-422 with an expiration in 2028, but applicants should still verify key dates on the specific NOFO and any related notices before submission.

NIH also confirms applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization on the listed due date.

What F31 Is Really Funding

F31 is a mentored research-training fellowship for predoctoral candidates, not just a dissertation project grant. Reviewers evaluate whether your proposed training environment, mentorship structure, and scientific plan together build your path to independent research.

Funding Structure Basics

F31 uses NIH NRSA policy components, generally including:

  • stipend at current NIH NRSA predoctoral rates,
  • tuition/fee support under NIH fellowship rules,
  • institutional allowance for training-related costs.

Exact support is governed by the NOFO and current NIH NRSA policy notices.

High-Value Preparation Checks

  1. Confirm your institute/center fit before heavy writing.
  2. Make sure your sponsor and co-sponsor team covers your training gaps.
  3. Build a training plan with explicit milestones, not generic mentoring language.
  4. Ensure your institutional grants office confirms submission readiness early.
  5. Prepare reference letter logistics well ahead of the deadline.

How to Apply

  1. Read PA-25-422 and identify target NIH institute(s).
  2. Align your training aims, research aims, and sponsor plan into one coherent package.
  3. Complete required registrations and identity setup in advance.
  4. Submit through Grants.gov/eRA Commons by the relevant cycle date.
  5. Monitor validations and resolve errors quickly during the post-submission window.

Common Mistakes

  • Treating F31 as a pure project proposal without a strong training architecture.
  • Weak sponsor plan or unclear sponsor commitment.
  • Applying without clear institute mission alignment.
  • Using old parent links or stale date assumptions.
  • Leaving references and institutional routing to the final days.

Submission Tactic That Helps

Before submitting, run a short consistency audit: each training objective should map to one mentor action, one project task, and one outcome that can be assessed during fellowship years. This substantially improves narrative coherence.

Reviewer-Differentiation Signals

Two applications with similar science often separate on training quality. Strong submissions show exactly how the fellowship period will build skills the candidate does not already have, with realistic timelines for coursework, methods development, writing milestones, and conference dissemination. Weak submissions restate lab activities without a distinct candidate-development arc. If your sponsor letter and training plan do not reinforce each other, fix that before you submit.

AIDS Due-Date Policy Change

NIH notice NOT-OD-26-029 removes dedicated AIDS due dates for applications due on or after May 25, 2026. If your institution still uses legacy AIDS-date templates for F-series planning, update your internal timeline and routing checklist before the next submission cycle.

Official Sources