Maine Sea Grant Undergraduate Scholarship in Marine Sciences

In partnership with undergraduate institutions throughout the state, Maine Sea Grant is recruiting applications for its annual Undergraduate Scholarship in Marine Sciences. The goals of this scholarship program are:  

  • Provide support for tuition or other academic or research-related expenses.
  • Develop a statewide network of undergraduate scholars doing exemplary academic work on marine and coastal issues.
  • Offer participating students academic and professional development opportunities.
  • Create mutually beneficial outcomes for students, partner institutions, and Maine Sea Grant. 

Eligibility

To be eligible, students must currently be completing their second or third year of undergraduate study (including third year students for five-year programs) at one of the institutions participating in this scholarship matching program: College of the Atlantic, Maine Maritime Academy, University of Maine, University of Maine-Machias, University of Southern Maine, and University of New England.

Applicants must have declared a major or other course of study related to marine or coastal issues and must also be in good academic standing. Students from disciplines, including marine science, wildlife and fisheries, engineering, communications, anthropology, and economics are encouraged to apply. An individual may only receive the scholarship once, but applicants may reapply if a previous application was unsuccessful. International students are eligible to apply.

Award

Each applicant selected for this award will receive a $2,000 scholarship to support tuition or other academic or research-related expenses. This award is made possible through a matching grant program in which each $1,000 award from Maine Sea Grant is matched with a $1,000 award from the selected applicant’s home institution.

Award recipients are required to commit to at least one of the following:  

  • Contribute a blog about their work and experience.
  • Attend a relevant workshop, conference, and other events related to marine and coastal science, policy, resource management, community outreach, and education. 
  • Meet one on one with a Sea Grant-funded researcher at their “home” institution OR with a Maine Sea Grant team member.  
  • Contribute a poster about their work at the Maine Sea Grant Research Symposium.
  • Help staff cover the ME Sea Grant display table at events (e.g. Maine Fishermen’s Forum).

Opens: March 2, 2026 

Deadline: April 27, 2026

Notification: Maine Sea Grant’s application review committee will announce selection decisions in mid-May 2026.

Award Term and Use: The awards will be disbursed in partnership with selected students’ matching institutions in August 2026.  Funds may be used with the 2026-2027 academic years

To Apply: Applicants should submit their application materials using the InfoReady online application interface.

How to Use InfoReady Review

  1. Login to the system using your University of Maine System Single Sign On (or created a registration if accessing this platform from outside of the UMS).
  2. Find and click on the Open Competition of interest (bottom left).
  3. Click “Apply” (top right of competition screen).
  4. Provide required Proposal details and attachments.
  5. Follow the competition-specific instructions regarding materials to down- or upload, or complete online.
  6. Save any unfinished work to be completed later.
  7. Complete and submit application before the deadline.

Application Status Updates

  • Look for automated application status emails.
  • Emails will come from the UMaine competition administrator, but message content will include “InfoReady Review” in the header.

Questions?

Please email Keri Kaczor with questions about the scholarship or application requirements and/or if you have any needs that we could accommodate to better enable your participation in this opportunity. 

About Us

The Maine Sea Grant College Program, based at the University of Maine, is part of a national network of 34 Sea Grant programs located in coastal and Great Lakes states. Maine Sea Grant’s mission is to play a leadership role in ocean and coastal research and education, and to promote sustainable development, ecosystem-based management, and stewardship of ocean and coastal resources. The program is supported through a state-federal partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the University of Maine.

Maine Sea Grant is committed to supporting the academic development and professional opportunities of tomorrow’s marine scientists, coastal resource managers, policy practitioners, educators, and industry professionals. This undergraduate scholarship program is one aspect of our workforce development efforts. To learn more, https://seagrant.umaine.edu/