Funding

Partial / Stipend

Program dates

TBA

Fellowship•USA · Woods Hole

Woods Hole Summer Student Fellowship

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)

Application Deadline

February 1, 2027

Official Page

The Summer Student Fellowship places undergraduates at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, for a full-time summer of independent ocean research. Each fellow works on a project under a member of WHOI’s Scientific or Senior Technical Staff, chosen jointly by student and advisor. The program spans the full breadth of ocean sciences and engineering — from biology and geophysics to oceanographic engineering and marine policy — and is designed to give students a genuine research experience rather than coursework.

Benefits & funding

  • Weekly stipend of $721 (summer 2026 rate) for the 10–12 week period.
  • Travel allowance of up to $720 for round-trip travel to Woods Hole.
  • Institution housing provided (a shared room in a shared unit, two single beds per room).
  • Mentorship from WHOI staff, plus a Summer Lecture Series and an Ethics in Science Workshop.
  • Note: international students pay a 14% U.S. federal income tax on stipend, travel allowance, and the fair-market value of WHOI housing.

Eligibility

  • Undergraduate students who will have completed their junior (third) year by the start of the fellowship.
  • Students who graduate before the fellowship begins are not eligible.
  • Open to any field of science or engineering, including biology, chemistry, engineering, geology, geophysics, mathematics, meteorology, physics, oceanography, and marine policy.
  • Open to international students; they must arrange visa paperwork with WHOI’s Foreign National Advisor (F-1 holders should confirm CPT/OPT eligibility with their institution).
  • No minimum GPA is stated.

Can you apply?

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Application process

  1. 1
    Complete the online application form.
  2. 2
    Attach a current CV or résumé and an unofficial transcript (PDF).
  3. 3
    Write the five short-answer research-statement questions (200 words each maximum).
  4. 4
    Arrange two letters of recommendation (maximum three) from professors or others familiar with your academic work — recommenders receive their own submission links.
  5. 5
    Submit by the February 1 deadline (11:59pm EST); decisions arrive by mid-March.

Program timeline

  1. applications open

    Early December

  2. application deadline

    February 1 (11:59pm EST)

  3. admission decisions

    Mid-March

  4. offer response deadline

    March 15 or later

  5. fellows arrive and the program begins

    Late May to mid-June

  6. 10–12 weeks later

    program ends