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The NASA Postdoctoral Program is a paid research appointment — not a tuition scholarship — that places PhD holders at NASA centers to work directly on live missions, administered by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) on NASA’s behalf. Stipends start at $70,000 a year, and the programme is open to international applicants who qualify for a J-1 Exchange Visitor visa, not just U.S. citizens.
NPP runs three intakes every year on a fixed calendar, and the current window is unusually large: over 500 open research opportunities are live across nine participating centers, one of the biggest catalogues ORAU has posted in recent cycles.
Quick Facts
| Detail | NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) 2027 |
|---|---|
| Administered by | Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU), for NASA |
| Appointment length | 1–3 years, renewable |
| Starting stipend | $70,000/year, with supplements for high-cost locations and specialist fields |
| Travel/training allowance | $10,000/year |
| Health insurance | Roughly 85% of premiums subsidized |
| Relocation support | Covered, including temporary lodging |
| Fellowships awarded annually | Around 90 |
| Application deadlines | March 1, July 1, November 1 (every year) |
| Application portal | Zintellect |
| International eligibility | Non-U.S. citizens eligible with a J-1 visa |
What Fellows Actually Get
The compensation package goes well beyond the base stipend. Fellows receive a $10,000 annual allowance specifically for conferences, training and research travel, plus relocation support covering travel and temporary lodging, and roughly 85% subsidy on health insurance premiums. Appointments run one to three years and are renewable, with around 90 fellowships awarded each year across the whole programme.
Where the 2027 Opportunities Are
Nine NASA centers currently have open research opportunities, though not every center features in every intake — check the live catalogue before building a proposal around a specific one:
- Ames Research Center — Moffett Field, CA
- Astrobiology Program — multi-center placements
- Glenn Research Center — Cleveland, OH
- Goddard Institute for Space Studies — New York, NY
- Goddard Space Flight Center — Greenbelt, MD
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory — Pasadena, CA
- Johnson Space Center — Houston, TX
- Langley Research Center — Hampton, VA
- Marshall Space Flight Center — Huntsville, AL
Research areas span aeronautics, astrobiology, astrophysics, biological and physical sciences, cosmochemistry, Earth science, exploration, heliophysics, planetary science and technology development.
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Who Can Apply
A completed PhD or equivalent before your fellowship start date is the core requirement, though you can apply while still finishing your degree. U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents and eligible foreign nationals may all apply, with international applicants needing eligibility for a J-1 Exchange Visitor visa. Scientists more than five years past their doctorate apply as senior fellows rather than postdoctoral fellows, which affects both the review process and stipend structure.
How to Apply — Step by Step
- Search the live catalogue on Zintellect, ORAU’s applicant portal, and filter by center or research area to shortlist opportunities matching your background.
- Contact the listed advisor directly before applying — NPP explicitly recommends this, and a short exchange with the advisor typically shapes a stronger, more targeted proposal.
- Create your Zintellect profile, since the entire application runs through this system.
- Prepare your research proposal, CV and three letters of recommendation, tailored specifically to the opportunity number you’re targeting rather than written generically. If you’re applying as a Postdoctoral Fellow, one reference must come from your thesis advisor — though your NASA research advisor for this opportunity cannot serve as that reference, even if they overlap.
- Submit your NPP application before the deadline, linking it to the advisor tied to your chosen opportunity.
When to Apply
NPP holds three deadlines every year: March 1, July 1 and November 1. Opportunity numbers are dated to their specific intake, so always confirm an opportunity is still open on the live portal before investing time in a proposal for it — deadlines have occasionally shifted or been skipped in past cycles, so treat the calendar as a planning guide and verify against ORAU’s official NPP site before you build your timeline around it.
Is the NASA Postdoctoral Program a scholarship?
No. NPP is a paid research appointment, not tuition funding. Fellows aren’t NASA, ORAU or JPL employees, but they receive a stipend starting at $70,000 a year plus travel, relocation and health insurance support while conducting mission-related research at a NASA center.
Can international scientists apply to NPP?
Yes. U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents and eligible foreign nationals can all apply, provided international applicants qualify for a J-1 Exchange Visitor visa. This makes NPP genuinely open to postdoctoral researchers worldwide, not just those already based in the U.S.
Why do strong NPP applications still get rejected?
The most common reasons are proposals that don’t clearly reference the advisor’s actual research programme, missing or late reference letters, and applicants who skip contacting the advisor before applying and miss context that would have reshaped their pitch. Reviewers can typically tell within a page whether a proposal was written for that specific opportunity or recycled from another application.
Final Thoughts and Advice by ScholarshipsHive
With this many opportunities open at once, the real task isn’t finding one — it’s narrowing the list and reaching out to an advisor before the next deadline closes. If you’re not sure which center or research area fits your PhD background, tell us your field in our WhatsApp channel and we’ll help you shortlist opportunities worth pursuing.
