For GRFP applicants about to upload
NSF GRFP Format Checker for Your PDFs
A pass or fix list for the statement PDFs you'll upload, checked against NSF's GRFP formatting requirements, with every fix pinned to its page.
Free to start. No card needed.
How to meet NSF GRFP formatting requirements yourself
NSF's upload checks format automatically, and its applicant FAQ1 says documents that break the rules "will not be accepted." Start from NSF's Word templates2, which come preformatted, or set up your own file before you write. NSF 26-5263 allows Times New Roman or Computer Modern at 11 points or more, or Arial (not Arial Narrow), Courier New or Palatino Linotype at 10 or more. Use 12-point line spacing or more, and 1-inch margins with nothing in them, not even a page number.
Keep the personal statement to three pages and the research plan to two, counting references, figures and headings. Give each statement separate sections headed exactly "Intellectual Merit" and "Broader Impacts", with a line break between them. References may carry no URLs or DOIs. Make each figure a picture with its labels inside the image, as NSF's FAQ advises, and insert equations as images too, which it strongly recommends. NSF 26-526 also asks for descriptive alt text on every image, chart and graph.
Export from Word, since NSF's FAQ warns against printing to PDF. Microsoft's guide to accessible PDFs4 names the setting that keeps alt text: "Document structure tags for accessibility" on Windows, or "Best for electronic distribution and accessibility" on a Mac. NSF's FAQ recommends that Mac option too. Then check the Fonts tab in the PDF's Document Properties. A stray font often hides in a bullet, list, shape or image: NSF notes that Select All in Word skips these. Count the pages, search for "http", "www" and "doi", and upload a day early.
How it works
How does River check your GRFP PDFs?
Drop your personal statement and research plan into the box at the top of this page, as the exact PDFs you'll upload. River opens each file read-only and reads every font and size, where each line and image sits, the page count and page size, and whether the file is encrypted. It never edits, re-saves or converts your files. A Word file works too, though page count and final fonts need the PDF you export from it.
Then River tests every page against NSF 26-526: page limits, fonts and sizes, 1-inch margins, line spacing, the two required headings, references and figure alt text. It marks each rule Pass, Fix or Couldn't check, with the page and the words or font behind it, and never guesses a pass. Each fix names the likely cause, such as Select All skipping a bullet list, and gives plain steps for the program that made your file.
The 2026–27 cycle has closed: applications were due October 19 to 23, 2026, and NSF expects results by early April 2027. This checker follows NSF 26-526, so if you're applying in fall 2027, compare its rules with the next solicitation (this cycle's was posted August 25). Rules do change: NSF 25-5475 barred DOIs only "in place of the name of the journal," while NSF 26-526 bars them outright. After the format passes, the mock review reads your content like a panelist, and the GRFP checklist covers the rest of the application.
How it works
From PDF to pass or fix
Drop your PDFs
Drop the personal statement and research plan PDFs exactly as you will upload them to NSF.
River opens them
It reads every page's fonts, sizes and positions, not just the words, and leaves the files untouched.
Get your list
Each rule lands in your doc as Pass, Fix or Couldn't check, with the page and words behind it.
Fix and recheck
Correct the file, export a new PDF and drop it in again to see what changed.
Research plan PDF
- Two pages, within the limit
- Body text in Times New Roman, 11 pt
- "Intellectual Merit" and "Broader Impacts" as separate headings
- Fix: page number in the footer of page 2, inside the margin
- Fix: figure labels on page 1 are editable text in Calibri, 8 pt
What you'll get
NSF's format rules checked on the PDFs you will upload
- NSF's format rules checked on every page, each marked pass or fix
- Each problem pinned to its page and words, with how to fix it
- A plain list of anything this check could not confirm
Before and after
Your PDFs in. A pass or fix list back.
Two PDFs exported from Word: a three-page personal statement and a two-page research plan with one figure and six references.
Personal statement · 3 pages · ready to upload Research plan · 2 pages · 3 fixes 1. Page 2 has a page number in the footer. NSF's upload rejects any text in the margins. In Word, remove it under Insert, then Page Number. 2. The figure's axis labels are editable Calibri at 8 pt. Make the labels part of the image itself. 3. Reference 4 ends with a DOI. NSF allows no URLs or DOIs.
Every fix names its page and quotes the words it found. NSF's own upload check has the final say.
What lands in your doc
What's in your format check
- Page count for each statement against its limit, with references and figures counted
- Every font and size in the file, with any disallowed text pinned to its page
- Margins and line spacing on every page, flagging any header, footer, page number or image in the margin
- Both "Intellectual Merit" and "Broader Impacts" headings in each statement, worded exactly and kept separate
- References scanned for URLs and DOIs, and figures checked for editable labels and alt text
- Plain steps for each fix in the program that made your file, plus anything it couldn't confirm
Questions GRFP applicants ask
Common questions
What are the NSF GRFP formatting requirements?
Under NSF 26-5263, the 2026–27 solicitation, statements need 8.5 by 11 inch pages, 1-inch blank margins, at most six lines of text per vertical inch, and PDF format. Allowed fonts are Arial (not Arial Narrow), Courier New or Palatino Linotype at 10 points or larger, or Times New Roman or Computer Modern at 11 or larger. Only formulas, equations, figures, tables and captions may go smaller.
Why does NSF say my margins are wrong when they are one inch?
Usually because something still sits in the 1-inch margin. NSF's applicant FAQ1 names text in a header or footer, page numbers included, and stray images or shapes that cross the line even with margins set correctly. The checker lists every item it finds in the margins, with its page, so you know what to remove or move back.
Can I use LaTeX or Google Docs for my GRFP statements?
Yes for LaTeX, with care, but not Google Docs: NSF's applicant FAQ1 says Google Docs "may not properly export bulleted text" and should not be used. LaTeX's Computer Modern is allowed at 11 points or more, but NSF doesn't support PDFs whose formulas use special LaTeX fonts, so insert those equations as images. Drop the exported PDF here to see every font it contains.
Do references count toward the GRFP page limit?
Yes. NSF 26-526 puts all references, citations, figures, images and lists of publications and presentations inside the limits: three pages for the personal statement and two for the research plan. NSF's FAQ adds that everything on the page counts, headings included. The checker counts the pages of the PDF itself, the file NSF will see.
How do I check my GRFP formatting with River?
Drop your statement PDFs, exactly as you'll upload them, into the box at the top of this page. River reads each page's fonts, sizes and positions and tests them against NSF's rules, though NSF's own upload check has the final say. Your pass or fix list lands in your free River workspace, where you can drop in a fixed PDF to see what changed.
Are my statements kept private?
Yes. Your PDFs and the check stay in your own River workspace unless you share them, and you can delete them at any time. River's AI providers receive only what they need to run the check, under data protection agreements. The privacy policy says neither River nor those providers train AI models on your documents.
Is the GRFP format checker free?
Yes, it is free to start. Your format check opens in a River workspace, where you can edit it, share it or ask River to check a fixed PDF the same way. Paid plans add more AI use and access to the most advanced models.
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