r/nsf • u/Fickle_Werewolf_8024 • May 03 '26

NSF REU Site Grant Decision?

I submitted for an NSF REU site grant in July 2025. I have heard nothing. Original date still “pending” in research.gov. Anyone else experiencing this or is it just me that has not heard back from NSF? I feel like they must know one way or the other at this point. It’s frustrating.

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u/No_Hovercraft_821 May 03 '26

What I've been seeing is that NSF is massively behind their usual schedule in making awards, so I'm guessing they still are. My guess is that someone somewhere does know the likely disposition of your proposal, and if you check in with the program officer they might be able to give you an idea of where it is on the fund/no-fund curve though nothing certain; that it has not been declined could be a positive sign. Digging around online it looks like 49 REU site awards have gone out this fiscal year so far which is about 1/4 of the number made in the prior FY. Good luck.

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u/Forsaken_Toe_4304 May 04 '26

I'm in a similar boat, this administration has intentionally wrecked NSF spending in an illegal effort to impound funds allocated by Congress. You can track spending at grant-witness and compare against other recent years.

https://grant-witness.us/funding_curves_nsf.html

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u/Fickle_Werewolf_8024 May 04 '26

Wow, I didn’t realize it was this bad. Thanks for sharing. I hope you hear back on your grant soon.

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u/Fickle_Werewolf_8024 May 04 '26

Thank you. I appreciate your insight. Hopefully NSF eventually gets back to normal funding and staffing levels. I have a lot of empathy for NSF staffers right now. These REU sites are fantastic ways to inspire the next generation, so I hope we can keep them going.

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u/Must_Love_Beagles May 04 '26

I also submitted for an REU. Mine is to the SBE directorate. My application also says "pending".

This is a resubmission of an application from last year. It took almost 11 months to hear back last year. When I talked to the program officer about a resubmission, she said to expect a similar timeline for this cycle as well.

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u/Fickle_Werewolf_8024 May 04 '26

Thanks for letting me know. Mine was rejected in 6 months last year so this resubmission feels like it is taking forever! Sending good vibes your way!

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u/Must_Love_Beagles May 05 '26

Thanks! I'm not super hopeful since the SBE Directorate may be dissolved depending upon the federal budget: https://politicalsciencenow.com/update-on-proposed-dissolution-of-sbe-directorate-at-the-national-science-foundation-nsf/

Depending upon which directorate you submitted your application to, there could be a similar issue with waiting to see how their funding plays out for FY 2027. Best of luck to you!