Am I Eligible?
You must meet the following to be eligible for an internship:
- Be enrolled as a graduate student at an accredited U.S. college or university pursuing a doctoral degree in mathematics, statistics or applied mathematics.
- Have a cumulative graduate GPA of 3.00 or higher on a 4.00 scale as of the Fall 2023 academic term.
The NSF MSGI program encourages applications from underrepresented groups, including women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and veterans, in order to broaden and diversify those participating in mathematical sciences.
Additional Information:
- U.S. citizenship is not required for participation in the program. However, depending on the internship assignment, U.S. citizenship, or permanent residence may be required. For non-U.S. citizens, internships are contingent upon having a valid immigration status. ORISE will work with participants to determine eligibility.
- Candidates selected for an internship appointment will be required to provide proof of enrollment for Spring term.
- Students graduating with a doctoral degree prior to the Spring are not eligible to participate.
- Participants are required to have health insurance coverage during the internship period and provide proof of coverage prior to the start of the internship.
DMS seeks to have equal representation across the mathematical sciences community by achieving roughly an equal number of placements in the 3 areas of pure mathematics, applied mathematics, and statistics.
What will I be doing?
The NSF Mathematical Sciences Graduate Internship (MSGI) program is aimed at students who are interested in understanding the application of advanced mathematical and statistical techniques to "real world" problems, regardless of whether you plan to pursue an academic or nonacademic career. Internship activities will vary based on the assigned project and hosting facility. As part of your application, you will identify your top 3 projects from a 2024 NSF MSGI Project Catalog currently in development. Review the 2024 catalog.
All projects are in disciplinary areas of the mathematical sciences supported by the NSF Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS).
- Algebra and Number Theory
- Analysis
- Applied Mathematics
- Combinatorics
- Computational Mathematics
- Foundations
- Geometric Analysis
- Mathematical Biology
- Probability
- Statistics
- Topology
Applicants are encouraged to review the information about DMS research areas at https://www.nsf.gov/funding/programs.jsp?org=DMS.
What will I receive?
You will receive a stipend of $1,200 per week for your living expenses during the 10 week internship.
Travel reimbursement of inbound and outbound costs up to $2,000 is available for participants who live more than fifty miles, one-way, from the assigned hosting site.
Application Requirements
Applications and supporting materials must be submitted by the application deadline through the Zintellect Online Application System.
A complete application consists of:
- Profile information
- Essay Questions - Goals, experience, and skills relevant to the NSF MSGI program
- Preferred project(s) - You must choose at least one, but no more than three projects from the 2024 NSF MSGI Project Catalog located at https://orise.orau.gov/nsf-msgi/project-catalog.html. While your preferences will be taken into consideration during the final selection process, you are not guaranteed that you will be offer one of the projects listed.
- Academic Records - For this opportunity, an unofficial transcript or copy of the student academic records showing enrollment in a doctoral program and GPA as of Fall 2023 must be submitted. For students in the first year of graduate school, academic transcript of the undergraduate or master's degree including the degree and date the degree was awarded must be provided instead. Academic records must include the name, logo or other identification of the academic institution, name of the student, completed coursework, and grades. Documents must have all social security numbers, student identification numbers, and/or dates of birth removed (blanked out, blackened out, made illegible, etc.) prior to uploading into the application system.
- Current Resume/CV
- Two (2) Recommendations - Applicants are required to provide contact information for two recommendations in order to complete the application. You are encouraged to request a recommendation from a professional who can speak to your abilities and potential for success as well as your scientific capabilities and personal characteristics. Recommendation requests must be sent through the Zintellect application system. Recommenders will be asked to complete a recommendation in Zintellect. Letters of recommendation submitted via email will not be accepted.
Appointment Details
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Eligibility
Information on eligibility requirements for the program.
You must meet the following to be eligible for an internship:
- Be enrolled as a graduate student at an accredited U.S. college or university pursuing a doctoral degree in mathematics, statistics or applied mathematics.
- Have a cumulative graduate GPA of 3.00 or higher on a 4.00 scale at the time of application.
The NSF MSGI program encourages applications from underrepresented groups, including women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and veterans, in order to broaden and diversify those participating in mathematical sciences.
Additional Information:
- U.S. citizenship is not required for participation in the program. However, depending on the internship assignment, U.S. citizenship, or permanent residence may be required. For non-U.S. citizens, internships are contingent upon having a valid immigration status. ORISE will work with participants to determine eligibility.
- Candidates selected for an internship appointment will be required to provide proof of enrollment for Spring 2024.
- Students graduating with a doctoral degree prior to Spring 2024 are not eligible to participate.
- Participants are required to have health insurance coverage during the internship period and provide proof of coverage prior to the start of the internship.
DMS seeks to have equal representation across the mathematical sciences community by achieving roughly an equal number of placements in the 3 areas of pure mathematics, applied mathematics, and statistics.
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Application Selection
Information on how applicants are selected for the NSF MSGI program.
ORISE will review applications will for eligibility and completeness. Applications will then be reviewed by potential hosting facilities. NSF DMS makes final selections based on reviewer results and notifies ORISE. ORISE will notify you if you are selected for the program.
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Hosting Facilities
Available opportunities may be available at a variety of national laboratories across the United States.
Available appointments will be determined by NSF. Potential Hosting Facilities are listed below. There is no guarantee that a specific location will be assigned at the time of appointment.
Argonne National Laboratory (Lemont, IL)
Brookhaven National Laboratory (Upton, NY)
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Batavia, IL)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley, CA)
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Livermore, CA)
Los Alamos National Laboratory (Los Alamos, NM)
National Institute of Standards and Technology (Gaithersburg, MD)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Golden, CO)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Oak Ridge, TN)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (Richland, WA)
Sandia National Laboratories (Albuquerque, NM and Livermore, CA)
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center (Alexandria, VA/Hanover, NH/Vicksburg, MS)
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (Hanover, NH)
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Geospatial Research Laboratory (Alexandria, VA)
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory (Madison, WI)
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Southern Research Station, Athens Forestry Laboratory (Athens, GA)
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service East Region (Milwaukee, WI)
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station (Corvallis, OR)
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Center for Forest Watershed Research (Asheville, NC)
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Appointment Allowances
All financial support and allowances are administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE).
You will receive a stipend of $1,200 per week for your living expenses during the 10 week internship.
You may be eligible for inbound/outbound travel reimbursement up to $2,000 if relocating within U.S. more than 50 miles from the hosting facility.
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Nature of Appointment
This program is administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE).
- ORISE is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) asset managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) through a contract between ORAU and DOE.
- You will be considered a program participant and will not enter into an employee/employer relationship with ORISE, ORAU, DOE, or hosting facility.
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Conditions of the Appointment
Information on commitment, health insurance, deliverables, and policies.
Health insurance: You are required to have health insurance coverage during your appointment period and to provide proof of coverage prior to the start of your internship.
Written report and Feedback Form: You will be required to write a final report about your internship experience and complete an online feedback form to help assess the effectiveness of the program.
Policies/regulations of the Hosting Facility: You will be required to adhere to existing policies, regulations and procedures of your hosting facility and, upon selection for the program, to coordinate with your mentor to obtain access to the facility.
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Citizenship/Immigration
U.S. citizenship is not required for participation in the program.
- U.S. citizenship is not required for participation in the program. However, depending on the internship assignment, U.S. citizenship, or permanent residents visa may be required.
- For non-U.S. citizens, internships are contingent upon having a valid immigration status. ORISE will work with participants to determine eligibility. If you have questions or concerns regarding your citizenship/immigration status, please contact Immigration@orau.org.
- Participants must provide suitable citizenship documentation (such as a photocopy of a U.S. passport, birth certificate, Certificate of U.S. Naturalization or Certificate of U.S. Citizenship, permanent residency, visa status) at the time appointment is accepted.
- For more information please visit the ORISE Immigration website.
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Appointment Dates
Information about start and end dates for your internship.
Upon selection for the NSF MSGI program, appointment start and end dates are determined in coordination with your mentor/hosting facility. Appointments are 10 weeks in the summer, typically between May and September. Internships may not be deferred.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Mathematical Sciences Graduate Internship (MSGI) program) is managed by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) under an agreement between NSF and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). ORISE is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) for DOE.
To learn more about the National Science Foundation, visit https://www.nsf.gov/about/.
Stay connected with the all-new ORISE GO app!
The all-new ORISE GO mobile app helps you stay engaged, connected and informed during your ORISE experience and beyond. Use ORISE GO to search and apply for opportunities, learn about exclusive ORISE events, manage applications, accept offers, and more. Visit the ORISE GO page for more info on how to download the app to your mobile device.

Questions? Contact Us
General Questions/Information
Ken Oswald
Project Manager
Mariah Roberts
Program Specialist