Why did I get rejected? Are there anyone like me?

molliebatmit
Mon, 14 May 2012 22:05:48 +0000

Federal research grants awarded by NSF in response to proposals do not have restrictions on the citizenship of the students supported as research assistants. I assume that the same is true at NIH.

NIH training grants are only for US citizens, both the departmental T32s and the individual F31s. I am not sure whether an individual lab’s R01 could provide salary support for non-US citizens, though I would suspect so. I do think permanent residents count as citizens – my collaborator was a permanent resident when he started his MD/PhD, and MD/PhDs are supported by individual NIH training grants.

In biomedical sciences programs, students are typically on departmental training grants for the first two years, then on their PI’s dime afterward. So international students have to be funded from non-NIH departmental money for the first two years. As you can imagine, the programs that have the option are pretty biased toward admitting US citizens.

But that’s interesting info, thank you – I am so immersed in my little corner of science, I forget that we’re not the whole story.