Fellowships and Scholarships

Sea Grant sponsors a variety of marine research, outreach and education projects, primarily through the 34 state Sea Grant Programs.

The National Sea Grant office offers several fellowship opportunities for graduate students with an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources, including the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship. In addition, there are often other federal and state-fellowships in the field of marine science. A student applicant guide to Sea Grant fellowships can be found here. 

Current Fellowship and Scholarship Opportunities

2027 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship

Submission deadline: 5 p.m. local time (ET) June 3, 2026

The NOAA Sea Grant John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship application period is now open. The Knauss Fellowship, established in 1979, provides a unique educational experience to graduate students who have an interest in ocean and coastal resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. The program matches highly qualified graduate students with “hosts” in the legislative and executive branch of government located in the Washington, D.C. area, for a one year paid fellowship. CTSG is now accepting applications from graduate students for the one-year period anticipated to begin between February 1 and June 1, 2027 and is completed by June 30, 2028. Each award will be $79,700, of which $74,700 is for salary/stipend and personnel expenses, and $5,000 can be used to cover allowable expenses which includes fellowship-related travel.

Students are eligible to submit an application if:

(1) The student is a U.S. Citizen (born or naturalized), a U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident (Green Card
holder), or a dual national with at least one citizenship as the U.S.;
(2) The student is enrolled towards a degree in a graduate program at any point between the onset of the 2025 Fall Term (quarter, trimester, semester, etc.) and June 3, 2026;
(3) The graduate degree will be awarded through an accredited institution of higher education in the United States or U.S. Territories, and;
(4) The student has an interest in ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources.

For more detailed information please look at the Knauss Fellowship website: https://seagrant.noaa.gov/communities/students/graduate-fellows/knauss-fellowship-program/. Interested students should discuss this fellowship with the Connecticut Sea Grant Director, Dr. Sylvain De Guise (sylvain.deguise@uconn.edu). A copy of the RFP can be obtained by clicking here.

For more information, contact the National Sea Grant Office, at: OAR.SG.Fellows@noaa.gov.
Those intending to apply should contact the CTSG Director (sylvain.deguise@uconn.edu) as early as possible in the application process.

Please contact Dr. Syma Ebbin at the CTSG office, (syma.ebbin@uconn.edu) for additional information.

REVISED: 2025 NMFS-Sea Grant Graduate Fellowship Program in Population and Ecosystem Dynamics and Marine Resource Economics

The deadline for the 2025 fellowships have passed. Please check back for the opening of the 2026 program application period.

The 2025 Sea Grant Graduate Fellowship in Population and Ecosystem Dynamics and Marine Resource Economics is open for submissions by interested students. The fellowships are available to U.S. citizens who are graduate students enrolled in PhD degree programs at an accredited university in the United States or its territories in population dynamics, ecosystem dynamics, resource or environmental economics, or a related field such as wildlife biology, fishery biology, natural resource management, marine biology, quantitative ecology, applied mathematics, applied statistics, or simulation modeling.

Alternatively, a prospective fellow may submit a signed letter from the institution indicating provisional acceptance to a Ph.D. degree program conditional on obtaining financial support such as this fellowship.

Sea Grant and NMFS expect to support up to four new Fellows in Population and Ecosystem Dynamics and at least one new Fellow in Marine Resource Economics, both commencing August 1, 2025.  Fellows will work on thesis problems of public interest and relevance to NMFS and will be required to work closely with an expert (mentor) from participating NMFS Science Centers or offices. Mentors may provide data for the fellow’s thesis, serve on the fellow’s committee, and/or host an annual summer internship at the participating NMFS facility.

Eligible interested students must submit application materials to their local state Sea Grant program (Connecticut Sea Grant if you are a student in Connecticut) by January 23, 2025 by 5:00 p.m. ET.  Those intending to apply should reach out at least one to two months prior to this deadline and contact the Connecticut Sea Grant Research Coordinator, Dr. Syma Ebbin (syma.ebbin@uconn.edu).

CHANGES: please note that there have been TWO updates to the 2025 NOFO. These updates are reflected on grants.gov.1) A 90-4 is no longer required.

2) The budget should include funds for the fellow to travel to the annual fellow research symposium.

You can find the updated version HERE.

Download the NOFO for the Fellowship in Population and Ecosystem Dynamics and Marine Resource Economics  [insert new link here]. Additional Information for students is available https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/357167  (You need the free Adobe Reader to read these documents.)

For more information, contact Dr. Syma Ebbin at syma.ebbin@uconn.edu at the CTSG office or the NMFS Sea Grant Fellowship Program Manager by email at  oar.sg.fellows@noaa.gov;  by phone at: 240-507-3712 or refer to:  https://seagrant.noaa.gov/NMFS-SG-Fellowship.

2025 NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship

Cancelled for 2025

The NOAA Office for Coastal Management is recruiting candidates for the 2025 Coastal Management Fellowship Program. This program provides on-the-job education and training opportunities in coastal resource management and policy for postgraduate students, while offering project assistance to state and territory coastal zone management agencies and other key NOAA partners.

The six fellowship positions, starting in August 2025, are available with the following host organizations:

  • Maine Coastal Program/Maine Department of Marine Resources
  • Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management
  • New Hampshire Coastal Program
  • North Carolina Division of Coastal Management
  • Oregon Coastal Management Program
  • U.S. Virgin Islands Coastal Zone Management Program

Eligibility requirements, project descriptions, and application guidance can be found on our website and in the attached information.

To be eligible for the 2025 Coastal Management Fellowship, applicants must have completed a master’s or other advanced degree at an accredited U.S. university between August 1, 2023, and July 31, 2025. A wide range of degrees are applicable due to the diversity of projects among the host organizations.

This two-year fellowship offers a competitive salary, medical benefits, and reimbursement for travel and relocation expenses.

NOAA Coastal Resilience Fellowship opportunity

The deadline for the 2025-2027 fellowship has passed. Please check back for a future application period opening.