Imagine getting paid to spend a summer on a NOAA research ship, tagging fish, sampling the ocean and working beside the scientists who set America’s fishing rules — and having your last two years of college paid for as well. That is the Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship, run by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and applications for the 2027 round are open now. The deadline is Sunday 31 January 2027, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
Read this first, because it decides whether this post is for you: the Hollings Scholarship is open to US citizens only. If you are an Indian student reading Fisheries India, you cannot apply for Hollings itself — NOAA states the citizenship rule plainly on its official eligibility page. We are publishing it anyway, and honestly, for two reasons: many of our readers study in the US or have family there, and the programme is the benchmark every ocean scholarship is measured against. If Hollings is not for you, the four open-to-all marine scholarships linked at the end of this post are — including one with the same 31 January deadline.
The scholarship at a glance
| Scholarship | Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship, NOAA Office of Education |
| Who it is for | Undergraduate students in NOAA mission fields — including oceanic, environmental and biological sciences |
| Total value | Up to $40,000 (academic award + paid internship + travel) |
| Academic award | Up to $9,500 per year for the junior and senior years (two years of full-time study) |
| Summer internship | 10 weeks, full-time, $700 per week at a NOAA or partner facility |
| Housing help | Extra $400 per week housing allowance for scholars who do not live at home during the internship |
| Applications opened | 1 September 2026 |
| Applications close | Sunday 31 January 2027, 11:59 PM EST |
| Recipients notified | April 2027 |
| Orientation | Last week of May / first week of June 2027 (Memorial Day week), Silver Spring, Maryland — mandatory |
| Where to apply | NOAA Office of Education online application portal (USPA) |
What the scholarship actually pays
NOAA describes the Hollings award as worth up to $40,000 in total, and the pieces add up fast. According to the official award package:
- Up to $9,500 per academic year for the junior and senior years — paid in disbursements each September and January while you stay in the programme and keep your eligibility.
- A 10-week, full-time paid internship ($700 per week) during the summer between the junior and senior years, at a NOAA facility or partner facility anywhere in the US, working on real NOAA science, research, technology, policy, management or education.
- A $400-per-week housing allowance on top of the internship pay, for scholars who do not live at home during the summer internship.
- Travel to a mandatory NOAA orientation in the last week of May in the first year of the award, in Silver Spring, Maryland.
- Round-trip travel to the internship site, including reimbursement for incidentals.
- Travel to the mandatory NOAA Science & Education Symposium in Silver Spring, Maryland, at the end of the internship, where scholars present their summer projects during final presentation week (end of July / beginning of August).
- Conference travel to up to two professional conferences to present the results of the NOAA internship project.
For a fisheries or marine biology undergraduate, the internship is the real prize. Hollings interns work inside NOAA Fisheries science centres, national marine sanctuaries, ocean exploration missions and coastal labs — the same system that runs US stock assessments, protected-species research and habitat restoration. The academic money matters, but the ten weeks inside NOAA is what changes a CV — and a career.
The numbers behind the programme
Hollings is one of the most established federal scholarships in American science, and NOAA publishes its track record openly:
- 120+ undergraduate students per year receive tuition support and paid summer internships with NOAA across the country.
- 2,310 scholarship alumni from over 450 colleges and universities.
- 75% of alumni go on to graduate school.
- 100% of Hollings Scholars surveyed said they would recommend the opportunity to other students — and alumni report the experience influenced their academic and career paths and expanded their professional networks.
The programme’s stated goals explain why NOAA funds it: to increase undergraduate training in oceanic and atmospheric science, to recruit and prepare students for public-service careers with NOAA and other natural-resource agencies, and to prepare future teachers and educators in ocean and atmospheric science. It is, in short, a talent pipeline for the people who will one day manage America’s oceans — and NOAA pays to build it.
Who can apply: eligibility
| Citizenship | Must be a US citizen. This is a hard rule on NOAA’s official eligibility page — international students, even those studying at a US institution, do not qualify. |
| Year of study | At the time of application, a full-time 2nd-year student in a four-year undergraduate programme, or a full-time 3rd-year student in a five-year programme (for example a dual-degree programme). |
| Community college / transfer | Community-college or transfer students applying to a four-year institution can apply — proof of application to a four-year institution is required with the application, and proof of acceptance before 15 September if selected. |
| GPA | Minimum cumulative 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent) — and you must maintain at least 3.0 and full-time enrolment between applying and being awarded. |
| Major | A declared major in a discipline that supports NOAA’s mission, including but not limited to: oceanic, environmental, biological and atmospheric sciences, mathematics, engineering, remote sensing technology, computer and information science, physical and social sciences (including geography, physics, hydrology and geomatics), or teacher education. |
The fisheries fit is direct: NOAA’s own mission fields include coastal and marine ecosystems and living marine resources. A marine biology, oceanography, fisheries science or environmental science major is squarely inside the programme’s scope — this is not a generic science scholarship that happens to accept ocean students. It is built for them.
The two-year timeline, step by step
Hollings is a two-year award, and NOAA publishes the full timeline so applicants can plan around it:
| September 2026 – January 2027 | Application window open (opened 1 September 2026) |
| Sunday 31 January 2027, 11:59 PM EST | Applications due — including all transcripts and reference forms |
| April 2027 | Scholarship recipients notified |
| End of May / first week of June 2027 | Mandatory NOAA orientation and training, Silver Spring, Maryland |
| September 2027 | First academic scholarship disbursement (junior year) |
| October – December 2027 | Scholars select their internship placements |
| December 2027 – April 2028 | Internship site visits |
| January 2028 | Second academic scholarship disbursement |
| End of May / beginning of June 2028 | NOAA internship begins; bi-weekly stipend payments start |
| End of July / beginning of August 2028 | Scholars present summer projects at the mandatory final presentation week, Silver Spring, Maryland |
| September 2028 – January 2029 | Senior-year disbursements; applications open to attend up to two national scientific conferences |
| May – June 2029 | Scholarship ends |
How to apply
- Check the citizenship and year-of-study rules first. You must be a US citizen and a full-time second-year student (or third-year in a five-year programme, or a transfer student with proof of application to a four-year institution). Do not start the form until both are true.
- Confirm your major fits a NOAA mission field. Oceanic, environmental, biological and atmospheric sciences, mathematics, engineering, remote sensing, computer and information science, geography, physics, hydrology, geomatics and teacher education all count.
- Go to the NOAA Hollings Scholarship page and open the online application through NOAA’s Undergraduate Scholarship Programs Application (USPA) portal. The application is open every year from September through January.
- Prepare your transcripts and references early. The 31 January deadline covers everything — the application itself, all transcripts and all reference forms. A reference that arrives on 1 February is a late application.
- Write about NOAA’s mission, not just your grades. The programme exists to recruit future public servants and educators in ocean and atmospheric science. Applicants who show a real connection to that mission — fieldwork, volunteering, a fisheries or coastal project — stand out from a pile of strong GPAs.
- Submit before the final weekend. University scholarship offices that track Hollings report their own campus deadlines well before 31 January, and the portal gets busy at the end. Aim for mid-January, not 11:58 PM on the 31st.
- If selected, keep your GPA above 3.0 and stay full-time between application and award — eligibility must be maintained, not just met once.
Questions about eligibility or the application go to NOAA’s scholarship team at StudentScholarshipPrograms@noaa.gov — the address NOAA publishes on its prospective-scholars page.
One more NOAA route worth knowing
NOAA runs a second undergraduate scholarship — the NOAA Educational Partnership Program (EPP) Undergraduate Scholarship — through the same shared online application that opens each September and closes with the Hollings cycle. EPP is aimed at students at minority-serving institutions and has its own eligibility rules, so check the EPP programme page separately before assuming it applies to you. It is worth one click: a single application can put you in front of two NOAA programmes at once.
Three things to know before you apply
The citizenship rule is absolute. Unlike some US scholarships that accept permanent residents, Hollings requires US citizenship at the time of application. If that excludes you, do not spend weeks on an application NOAA cannot accept — use the open-to-all alternatives below instead.
Apply in your second year, not your third. The award funds the junior and senior years, so the application window is the spring of the sophomore year. Miss it and there is no later entry point — Hollings has no senior-year application round.
The internship placement is chosen by you, months later. Scholars pick their internship between October and December of the junior year, with site visits running through April. Use the autumn to research NOAA Fisheries science centres and labs — the students who arrive with a shortlist get the placements they actually want.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Hollings Scholarship worth?
Up to $40,000 in total: up to $9,500 per year for the junior and senior years, a 10-week paid summer internship at $700 per week, a $400-per-week housing allowance if you do not live at home during the internship, plus travel to orientation, to the internship site, to the final symposium and to up to two professional conferences.
When is the 2027 deadline?
Sunday 31 January 2027 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Applications opened 1 September 2026. Transcripts and reference forms must also be in by the same deadline.
Do I have to be a US citizen?
Yes. US citizenship is a stated eligibility requirement on NOAA’s official page. International students studying in the US do not qualify for Hollings.
What GPA do I need?
A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent), earned and maintained — you must stay above 3.0 and full-time between applying and being awarded.
Can community college students apply?
Yes, if you are applying to a four-year institution — proof of that application is required with your Hollings application, and proof of acceptance before 15 September if you are selected.
Does my major have to be marine science?
No — any major that supports NOAA’s mission qualifies, from atmospheric science and mathematics to engineering, remote sensing and teacher education. But oceanic, environmental and biological sciences, including fisheries-related study, are at the centre of what the programme funds.
Where does the internship take place?
At a NOAA facility or partner facility across the US, chosen by the scholar during the junior year. Internships run for 10 weeks in the summer between the junior and senior years.
Not eligible for Hollings? These marine scholarships are open to all
- Get Paid to Study the Ocean at Woods Hole — the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Summer Student Fellowship: 10–12 weeks, paid, open to international undergraduates; the 2027 call typically opens in early December with an early-February deadline.
- A$10,000 UTAS Marine Science Scholarship: Apply by Jan 8 — University of Tasmania, open now, closes 8 January 2027.
- 7 Universities, 1 Ship Degree — Apply by Jan 31 — the Erasmus Mundus EMship Master’s in ship and offshore technology, scholarship deadline also 31 January 2027, no nationality restriction.
- Florida PhD Pays $30,000 to Model Gulf Fisheries — University of Florida PhD in fisheries modelling, $30,000 a year plus tuition and benefits, open until filled.
Official links and sources
- NOAA — Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship (official programme page) (120+ scholars per year; 2,310 alumni; up to $9,500 per year; 10-week paid internship at $700 per week; verified 7 November 2026)
- NOAA — Hollings prospective scholars (official eligibility, award package and timeline) (US citizenship; second-year / third-year / transfer rules; GPA 3.0; up to $40,000 total; $400 per week housing allowance; orientation and symposium travel; verified 7 November 2026)
- NOAA — Undergraduate Scholarship Programs Application portal (USPA) (application due 31 January 2027)
All dates, figures and eligibility rules above are taken from NOAA’s official Hollings Scholarship pages and application portal, verified 7 November 2026. The deadline is Sunday 31 January 2027 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. US citizenship is a requirement of this scholarship — please check the alternatives linked above if it does not apply to you. Images in this post are illustrations.