Student opportunities database

Welcome to NOAA’s student opportunities database! NOAA has opportunities for students of any level — from kindergarten through high school, undergraduate and graduate, and even recent graduates. Opportunities include one-day events, summer internships at NOAA, multi-year fellowships, and more. Use the filters to narrow your search and find the opportunities that work for you.

If you have issues, feedback, or would like to report incorrect information, please let us know by filling out our feedback form offsite link or sending us an email at education@noaa.gov.

Tips for using the database

Search for content areas of interest.

NOAA has student opportunities in STEM fields, social science, computer science, education, and more. Try searching for topics of interest to you, like ocean, fish, climate, weather, modeling, or satellite.

Searching for terms that contain more than one word.

Use quotation marks around multiple-word phrases you want to search. For example, searching “climate change” will return opportunities with the term “climate change” in it. If you don’t include quotation marks, it will return opportunities that include either the word “climate” or “change.” 

Open opportunities in a new tab.

 Follow the instructions below for the device you are using.

  • PC: Hold down the control (ctrl) key while clicking the link. Or, right-click the link and select “open in new tab.”
  • Mac: Hold down the command key while clicking the link.
  • iPhone or iPad: Press and hold the link. Select “open in new tab” from the pop-up menu.
  • Android device: Press and hold the link. Select “open in new tab” from the pop-up menu

Application period.

This filter refers to seasons in the Northern Hemisphere. If you’re interested in an opportunity, be sure to check the opportunity’s website for specific application opening and closing dates. 

Keep the future in mind.

If you don’t find anything that works out for you now, try looking for an opportunity that would be available to you in the next step of your education or career.


Audience

High school
Undergraduate
Graduate student
Postdoc
Recent graduate (degree or certificate program)

Type of opportunity

Volunteer
Citizen science program

Citizenship eligibility

No citizenship requirement
U.S. citizen
U.S. national
Permanent resident
International student at a U.S. institution

Application period

Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer

Virtual or in-person

In-person

The Alaska Beluga Monitoring Program (AKBMP) is a community science NOAA Fisheries-led monitoring program that facilitates collaboration between organizations, communities, and individuals to collect standardized shore-based observational data on the critically endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales. All participants under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Audience

Graduate student

Type of opportunity

Fellowship

Citizenship eligibility

U.S. citizen
Permanent resident

Application period

Fall

Virtual or in-person

Flexible location

American Meteorological Society (AMS) Graduate Fellowships support students entering their first year in graduate school through $25,000 stipends and partial support to attend the annual AMS national meeting. Applicants must be seeking degrees in the fields of atmospheric sciences, chemistry, computer sciences, engineering, environmental sciences, hydrology, mathematics, oceanography, and physics. NOAA's Climate Program Office provides funding to support three AMS graduate fellows per year.

Audience

Undergraduate

Type of opportunity

Paid internship

Citizenship eligibility

U.S. citizen
Permanent resident

Application period

Winter

Virtual or in-person

In-person

Summer research opportunities are available for 10-13 undergraduate interns through the Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Sciences (CICOES). Interns are matched with a research project within one of CICOES nine research themes and work with a CICOES, NOAA, or University of Washington (UW) scientist at either the UW campus or the NOAA Northwest Regional Center in Seattle. Students will receive a stipend of $600 per week ($6,000 for the summer). CICOES also covers the cost of travel to and from Seattle and provides housing on the University of Washington campus.

Audience

Undergraduate

Type of opportunity

Paid internship

Citizenship eligibility

No citizenship requirement
U.S. citizen
U.S. national
Permanent resident
International student at a U.S. institution

Application period

Winter

Virtual or in-person

In-person

The CIMAS/Miami-Dade College Undergraduate Internship Program will provide Miami-Dade College undergraduate students in STEM disciplines with research experience and mentoring. CIMAS researchers will design research projects, guide students through the execution of these projects, and serve as mentors. 

Audience

Undergraduate

Type of opportunity

Paid internship

Citizenship eligibility

U.S. citizen
Permanent resident

Application period

Fall
Winter

Virtual or in-person

In-person

The Cooperative Institute for Modeling the Earth System (CIMES) at Princeton University in collaboration with NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) summer research internships is open to undergraduates for 8-9 week paid research internships in atmospheric, oceanic and earth system science. Awardees will work with host scientists at the NOAA/GFDL, a world-leading center of earth system modeling, research and prediction.

Audience

Graduate student

Type of opportunity

Scholarship

Citizenship eligibility

U.S. citizen
U.S. national
Permanent resident

Application period

Fall

Virtual or in-person

Flexible location

The Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program provides support for outstanding scholarship and encourages independent graduate level research — particularly by female and minority students — in NOAA mission-related sciences of oceanography, marine biology and maritime archaeology, including all science, engineering, and resource management of ocean and coastal areas.

Audience

High school
Undergraduate

Type of opportunity

Paid internship

Citizenship eligibility

U.S. citizen
Permanent resident

Application period

Spring

Virtual or in-person

In-person

The Geosciences Bridge Program offers a 6- week paid internship at University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) for graduating high school students, particularly from underrepresented groups, planning to pursue careers in a field of geoscience. The interns:

  • Reside in the UMES residence halls (housing and meals are provided), accompanied by trained resident assistants.
  • Participate in lectures and field trips with hands-on activities in areas of geoscience such as atmospheric science, biogeochemistry, civil and environmental engineering, environmental science, marine biology, marine chemistry, marine geology, physical oceanography, remote sensing/GIS, and related fields.
  • Enroll in either College Algebra or Calculus I (dependent upon math placement test score) and Freshman Seminar course.
  • Receive $500 per week, paid bi-weekly and reimbursement for travel to/from UMES.

Eligibility: High school seniors who are entering their first year of an undergraduate degree program in the fall. Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and have a minimum 2.7 GPA.

Important dates: Applications due in the spring of every year.

Audience

Undergraduate
Graduate student
Recent graduate (degree or certificate program)

Type of opportunity

Fellowship
Paid internship

Citizenship eligibility

U.S. citizen
U.S. national
Permanent resident

Application period

Winter

Virtual or in-person

Virtual
In-person

The Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR) administers an annual Great Lakes Summer Fellows Program, in partnership with the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL). This program helps place promising undergraduate and graduate students with both academic and federal research mentors. Through this program, students work on substantive research issues in the Great Lakes and undergo a career training program that equips them with the knowledge and skills to be the next generation of Great Lakes scientists. We seek to use these fellowships to increase diversity in STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering and math) and strongly encourage applications from students who identify with groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in government and academic workforces.

Audience

High school

Type of opportunity

Paid internship

Citizenship eligibility

No citizenship requirement
U.S. citizen
U.S. national
Permanent resident
International student at a U.S. institution

Application period

Fall
Winter

Virtual or in-person

In-person
Flexible location

The Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program is a paid summer internship and mentoring program for high school juniors and seniors interested in pursuing the disciplines of fisheries science, marine biology, and STEM related fields, and is sponsored by the American Fisheries Society (AFS).

Our mission is to increase diversity within the fisheries professions. The principal goal of the Hutton Program is to stimulate interest in careers in fisheries science and management among groups underrepresented in the fisheries professions, including minorities and women. Selected students known as “Hutton Scholars,” are matched and mentored by a fisheries professional to enjoy an 8-week hands-on fisheries science summer experience in a marine and/or freshwater setting.

Audience

Graduate student

Type of opportunity

Fellowship

Citizenship eligibility

U.S. citizen
U.S. national
Permanent resident

Application period

Fall
Winter

Virtual or in-person

In-person
Flexible location

A two-year fellowship program that provides the opportunity for graduate students to conduct collaborative research at one of the National Estuarine Research Reserves. Through a research project, fellows address a key reserve management need to help scientists and communities understand coastal challenges that may influence future policy and management strategies. Specific fellowship benefits include cross-discipline research, networking opportunities, professional mentoring, and career-readiness training.

Applications are due every other December.

For NOAA staff and partners: Is the NOAA opportunity that you manage missing from this page, or do you need to update a currently listed opportunity? Please fill out the NOAA opportunity submission and update form offsite link.