EPP/MSI Undergraduate Scholarship

Application status: OPEN

Applications for the Hollings undergraduate scholarships will close on January 31, 2026.  

The U.S. government is closed. However, the Undergraduate Scholarship Programs Application (USPA) online system remains open. We are unable to respond to emails or inquiries until the government reopens. You may continue to work on your scholarship application. If there is an extended federal government shutdown, NOAA will consider extending the application deadline.

The opportunities are open to undergraduate sophomores or third-year students in a five-year program and include paid NOAA internships and academic scholarships. Applications for the 2026 Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship will open on October 1. There will not be a 2026 class of the José E. Serrano Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions (EPP) Undergraduate Scholarship due to current budget uncertainty.

Up to $40,000, including:

• $9,500 stipend per year for junior and senior year
• A 10-week paid NOAA internship
• Funds for travel and conference participation

Eligibility:

• U.S. citizen
• 3.0 minimum GPA
• Major in NOAA mission fields, including STEM and social science

About the scholarship

This prestigious scholarship provides students with an academic award of $9,500 per year for two years of full-time study and a 10-week, full-time, paid summer internship opportunity at any NOAA facility nationwide. The award also includes funding to present summer internship research at two national scientific conferences.

In April of 2025, the NOAA Office of Education selected 130 Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate scholars hailing from a total of 85 different campuses in 33 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Washington, D.C.  In 2025, there was not a class of EPP undergraduate scholars. Many scholarship alumni have gone on to work full-time at NOAA, while others have worked in areas of the government, in academia, or in the private sector.

Eligibility

The Hollings Scholarship is available to undergraduate students at an accredited college or university in the United States or U.S. territories who are studying engineering, meteorology, biological sciences, social sciences, physical science, and other NOAA mission-relevant disciplines.

Eligible students must be currently enrolled full-time as either:

• Second-year students in a four-year academic program.
• Students in a two-year academic program at a community college with plans to transfer to a four-year academic program.
• Third-year students in a five-year undergraduate program.

For a full list of eligibility requirements, or for more information and to apply, please visit the frequently asked questions for the Hollings and EPP scholarship websites.