EPP/MSI and Hollings undergraduate scholarships
NOAA Office of Education
Application status: OPEN.
Applications for the EPP/MSI and Hollings undergraduate scholarships are open September 1, 2024, through January 31, 2025!
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 2025 Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship and José E. Serrano Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions (EPP/MSI) Undergraduate Scholarship are open annually September through January.
The scholarships at a glance
Hollings Scholarship
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
EPP/MSI Undergraduate Scholarship
Up to $45,000, including:
- $9,500 stipend per year for junior and senior year
- Two 10-week paid NOAA internships
- Funds for travel and conference participation
Eligibility
- Attend a minority serving institution (MSI)
- U.S. citizen or U.S. national
- 3.2 minimum GPA
- Major in NOAA mission fields, including STEM and social science
About the scholarships
These prestigious scholarships provide students with an academic award of $9,500 per year for two years of full-time study. The Hollings Scholarship provides a 10-week, full time, paid summer internship opportunity at any NOAA facility nationwide. The EPP/MSI Undergraduate Scholarship offers two paid summer internships, one in a NOAA office in the Silver Spring, Maryland, metro area, and one at any NOAA facility nationwide. All scholars also receive funding to present their summer internship research at two national scientific conferences.
Helpful links
Watch the recording to learn more about the scholarships!
Get a head start on your application!
Advice from a few of reviewers on what makes a great application.
In April of 2024, the NOAA Office of Education selected 130 Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholars and 15 EPP/MSI Undergraduate Scholars, hailing from a total of 90 different campuses in 36 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C. Next year's class, the class of 2025, will be the 21st class of Hollings scholars and the 25th class of EPP/MSI 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
Both scholarships are available to undergraduate students studying engineering, meteorology, biological sciences, social sciences, physical science, and other NOAA mission-relevant disciplines. To apply to the Hollings scholarship, students must be attending an accredited college or university within the U.S. or U.S. territories. To apply to the EPP/MSI undergraduate scholarship, the institution must be a minority serving institution. 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/MSI scholarship websites.
Read about present and past scholar experiences
Still wondering if these scholarships are for you? Take a look at the scholar blog to read scholars' posts about their internships, and the Hollings news and EPP/MSI news pages to find more stories that share the internship experience.
Read updates from our alumni describing where they are now in our story catching up with NOAA scholars or read about EPP/MSI alumni working at NOAA today.