Marine Robotics & Underwater Drones Scholarships
Below is a quality-first list of 28 verified scholarships, fellowships, and scholarship-style funding programs that make sense for students interested in marine robotics, underwater drones, ROVs, AUVs, subsea systems, ocean engineering, hydrography, and underwater technology. I did not pad this page with weak generic STEM awards.
For recurring programs that have already closed this year, I note the latest posted deadline or the organization’s instruction about the next cycle.
January
1) NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is one of the best adjacent-fit awards for students who want to build ocean sensors, autonomous marine systems, mapping tools, or data pipelines around marine robotics. It is broader than an ROV-only scholarship, but the real win is the combination of money plus a NOAA internship. That internship piece matters because underwater tech students often need field, lab, vessel, and mission experience just as much as tuition help.
Amount: Up to $9,500 per academic year for two years, plus a paid summer internship at NOAA.
Deadline: January 31 annually; the latest official cycle shown ran from September 1, 2025 to January 31, 2026.
Apply/info: https://www.noaa.gov/office-education/hollings-scholarship
February
2) ASNE Scholarship Program
Why It Slaps: If your underwater drone path leans toward naval systems, subsea sensing, marine vehicles, autonomy, propulsion, controls, or defense-adjacent robotics, this is a strong fit. ASNE’s eligible fields include naval architecture, marine and ocean engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer-related disciplines, which is exactly where many marine robotics students live academically.
Amount: Up to $4,000.
Deadline: The 2026–2027 cycle was listed as open with an extended deadline of February 17, 2026.
Apply/info: https://www.navalengineers.org/Education/Scholarships
3) NOAA Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is not a beginner award, but for advanced students it is elite. NOAA says it supports graduate study in fields including oceanography, marine biology, maritime archaeology, ocean and coastal engineering, and marine resource management. That makes it a serious option for students whose marine robotics or underwater sensing work sits inside a master’s or PhD research program.
Amount: Up to $47,000 per year per student, plus up to $10,000 in program collaboration support.
Deadline: The program says the pre-application opens in late September, invited full applications are due in mid-February, and final selections are typically made by the end of May.
Apply/info: https://fosterscholars.noaa.gov/aboutscholarship.html
4) William M. Kennedy Graduate Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is a clean graduate-school fit for students headed into marine engineering, naval architecture, or ocean engineering. Those disciplines feed directly into underwater vehicle design, hydrodynamics, pressure-tolerant systems, subsea platforms, and marine autonomy. It is not branded as a “drone” scholarship, but the academic pipeline is right on target for underwater robotics careers.
Amount: Varies within SNAME’s graduate scholarship pool; SNAME says graduate scholarships can be awarded up to $21,000 for one year of study.
Deadline: SNAME’s graduate scholarship materials say applications are nominally due February 15 each year.
Apply/info: https://sname.org/scholarship/william-m-kennedy-graduate-scholarship
5) Donald L. Blount Memorial Graduate Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This award is especially interesting if your work involves hydrodynamics, hull performance, fast marine vehicles, or vehicle behavior in water. High-speed marine craft research overlaps with the fluid dynamics and vehicle-performance thinking that also matters in autonomous surface and underwater systems. Students doing robotics-heavy marine vehicle research should not overlook it.
Amount: Varies within SNAME’s graduate scholarship pool; SNAME says graduate scholarships can be awarded up to $21,000 for one year of study.
Deadline: SNAME’s graduate scholarship materials say applications are nominally due February 15 each year.
Apply/info: https://sname.org/scholarship/donald-l-blount-memorial-graduate-scholarship
6) Walter M. and Doris H. Maclean Graduate Scholarship
Why It Slaps: If your underwater drone interests lean into structures, offshore systems, subsea frames, pressure housings, marine materials, or ocean engineering, this one makes a lot of sense. The Maclean scholarship specifically supports study tied to ship and offshore structures, naval architecture, marine engineering, and ocean engineering, which are core foundations for rugged underwater platforms.
Amount: Varies within SNAME’s graduate scholarship pool; SNAME says graduate scholarships can be awarded up to $21,000 for one year of study.
Deadline: SNAME’s graduate scholarship materials say applications are nominally due February 15 each year.
Apply/info: https://sname.org/scholarship/walter-m-and-doris-h-maclean-graduate-scholarship
7) Arthur J. Haskell Graduate Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is another strong graduate option for students working at the intersection of marine engineering, naval architecture, and ocean engineering. Those fields may sound broad, but they are exactly where many underwater drone students develop expertise in propulsion, systems integration, marine energy, vehicle design, and the harsh-environment engineering that subsea robotics demands.
Amount: Varies within SNAME’s graduate scholarship pool; SNAME says graduate scholarships can be awarded up to $21,000 for one year of study.
Deadline: SNAME’s graduate scholarship materials say applications are nominally due February 15 each year.
Apply/info: https://sname.org/scholarship/arthur-j-haskell-graduate-scholarship
March
8) Link Foundation Ocean Engineering & Instrumentation PhD Fellowship
Why It Slaps: This is one of the best true-fit opportunities on the whole page for PhD students building ocean instruments, subsea sensing systems, underwater measurement tools, or marine robotics hardware. The fellowship is explicitly targeted to ocean engineering and ocean instrumentation, which makes it unusually close to the technical core of underwater drones, marine sensors, and autonomous subsea platforms.
Amount: $35,000 for one year; the program says six fellowships are awarded.
Deadline: March 31, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. EST for the cycle shown.
Apply/info: https://linkoe.org/
April / Spring cycle
9) UTIC Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is one of the most direct undersea-technology scholarships in the list. UTIC is built around the undersea sector, and its scholarship is aimed at STEM and manufacturing students headed into that ecosystem. If your interests include underwater drones, subsea manufacturing, autonomous undersea systems, naval tech, or marine sensing, this is exactly the kind of industry-linked program you want on your radar.
Amount: UTIC’s posted scholarship materials listed up to 10 scholarships of $5,000.
Deadline: The current 2026–2027 scholarship page says applications are due April 24, 2026.
Apply/info: https://www.underseatech.org/undersea-technology/scholarship-opportunities/
10) MTS ROV Committee Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is one of the rare awards on the page that screams underwater robotics without needing much translation. The Marine Technology Society’s ROV Committee Scholarship is a direct-fit pick for students interested in remotely operated vehicles, underwater systems, subsea controls, and ocean technology. If your resume already includes robotics clubs, ROV competitions, marine tech projects, or underwater sensor builds, this belongs near the top of your list.
Amount: $5,000.
Deadline: Spring annual cycle; MTS says the 2026 application period is closed and to check back in January for 2027 scholarship information.
Apply/info: https://www.mtsociety.org/scholarships
11) MTS Paros-Digiquartz Scholarship
Why It Slaps: Marine robotics is not only about vehicles. It is also about sensors, calibration, instrumentation, navigation, and reliable underwater data. That is why this scholarship is such a good niche fit. Students interested in pressure sensing, instrumentation, marine measurement systems, or the hardware layer behind underwater drones should take this one seriously. It fits the technical side of subsea systems very well.
Amount: $2,000.
Deadline: Spring annual cycle; MTS says the 2026 application period is closed and to check back in January for 2027 scholarship information.
Apply/info: https://www.mtsociety.org/scholarships
12) MTS Charles H. Bussmann Undergraduate Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is a strong general marine-technology award for undergrads who are building toward careers in subsea systems, ocean instrumentation, offshore robotics, or marine engineering. It works well for students whose projects or coursework touch underwater vehicles, marine electronics, field systems, or ocean data collection, even if their degree title does not literally say “robotics.”
Amount: $2,500.
Deadline: Spring annual cycle; MTS says the 2026 application period is closed and to check back in January for 2027 scholarship information.
Apply/info: https://www.mtsociety.org/scholarships
13) MTS Charles H. Bussmann Graduate Scholarship
Why It Slaps: Graduate students in marine robotics often need funding that recognizes real technical depth, not just broad STEM interest. This MTS award fits that need nicely because it sits inside a professional society focused on marine technology. That context makes it stronger than a random graduate scholarship for students doing advanced work in underwater systems, marine sensing, or subsea engineering.
Amount: $2,500.
Deadline: Spring annual cycle; MTS says the 2026 application period is closed and to check back in January for 2027 scholarship information.
Apply/info: https://www.mtsociety.org/scholarships
14) MTS Dieter Family Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This one is especially attractive for students who want both scholarship help and real exposure to the underwater intervention world. MTS says the award can include funding plus Underwater Intervention registration and travel support. That makes it more than a tuition check. It is a networking and industry-exposure opportunity for students trying to break into the subsea robotics and intervention side of the field.
Amount: Up to $1,500, plus Underwater Intervention registration and travel support.
Deadline: Spring annual cycle; MTS says the 2026 application period is closed and to check back in January for 2027 scholarship information.
Apply/info: https://www.mtsociety.org/scholarships
15) MTS John C. Bajus Scholarship
Why It Slaps: The dollar amount is smaller than some others here, but it is still worth applying because it sits inside a highly relevant professional society. For a student early in the marine robotics pipeline, especially one building experience in ocean tech, underwater electronics, subsea sensing, or ROV work, smaller society awards can stack and also strengthen your credibility in the field.
Amount: $1,000.
Deadline: Spring annual cycle; MTS says the 2026 application period is closed and to check back in January for 2027 scholarship information.
Apply/info: https://www.mtsociety.org/scholarships
16) MTS Rising College Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is a smart entry point for high school seniors headed into marine technology, ocean engineering, robotics, or related majors. It is one of the better “getting started” options on this page because it comes from a field-specific organization rather than a generic scholarship directory. For students who already know they want to build underwater systems or work around ocean technology, that relevance matters.
Amount: $2,500.
Deadline: Spring annual cycle; MTS says the 2026 application period is closed and to check back in January for 2027 scholarship information.
Apply/info: https://www.mtsociety.org/scholarships
17) MTS Summer Workshops Scholarship / Rutgers Glider Technology Camp Support
Why It Slaps: This is not a traditional open-ended cash scholarship, but it is absolutely worth listing because it funds skill-building that lines up directly with underwater vehicle work. MTS-supported summer workshops can cover major program costs, and Rutgers’ Glider Technology Camp is a natural fit for students interested in ocean gliders, field operations, marine autonomy, and practical vehicle systems.
Amount: MTS said scholarships can cover registration fees up to $1,750 and travel up to $500 for certain summer workshops.
Deadline: Varies by workshop; Rutgers listed an April 1, 2026 registration deadline for the Glider Technology Camp, and MTS posted early-April deadlines for some workshop scholarships in 2026.
Apply/info: https://www.mtsociety.org/mts-summer-workshops
May
18) AAUS Kevin Flanagan Student Travel Award
Why It Slaps: Travel awards do not look flashy, but they can be sneaky-good for marine robotics students because conferences are where you meet lab directors, field scientists, dive safety professionals, and collaborators. AAUS is tightly connected to scientific diving and underwater research. If your underwater systems work overlaps with marine science, field operations, or dive-based data collection, this is a smart application.
Amount: Up to $800.
Deadline: The AAUS page says applications open in April and are due May 31, with awardees announced July 1.
Apply/info: https://aausfoundation.org/AAUSFoundation/AAUSFoundation/Travel_Award.aspx
June
19) SUT-US Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarship
Why It Slaps: The Society for Underwater Technology is one of the most on-brand organizations for this topic. Its scholarship is specifically for students in marine science, underwater technology, and offshore engineering. That makes it a strong direct or near-direct fit for underwater drones, subsea systems, marine instrumentation, and ocean engineering students who want a credential that actually signals relevance in the underwater tech world.
Amount: $2,000 per winner.
Deadline: The latest posted scholarship process page showed the cycle opened April 17 and closed June 30 at noon CST.
20) Rosenblatt Undergraduate Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is one of the better undergraduate awards for students entering the marine design and ocean systems pipeline. Naval architecture, marine engineering, and ocean engineering are foundational degree routes for students who later specialize in underwater drones, subsea robotics, marine autonomy, and offshore systems. If you are still an undergrad but already committed to that path, this scholarship deserves attention.
Amount: Up to $6,000.
Deadline: June 1.
Apply/info: https://sname.org/scholarships
21) Robert N. and Helen H. Herbert Undergraduate Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is another strong undergraduate option in the same marine-engineering pipeline that feeds subsea robotics and underwater vehicle work. Students sometimes skip scholarships like this because the title sounds broader than robotics, but that is a mistake. The technical degrees it supports are exactly the ones many underwater drone engineers come from.
Amount: Up to $6,000.
Deadline: June 1.
Apply/info: https://sname.org/scholarships
22) AAUS Research Scholarships
Why It Slaps: If your marine robotics work overlaps with underwater science, field experimentation, diver-supported instrumentation, benthic imaging, or marine data collection, these research scholarships are very relevant. They are especially good for students whose underwater systems work is not just engineering for engineering’s sake, but supports actual scientific research underwater. That is a common and valuable lane in this niche.
Amount: AAUS says it offers two $3,000 research scholarships, and its page also references additional $1,500 scholarships.
Deadline: June 30.
Apply/info: https://aausfoundation.org/AAUSFoundation/AAUSFoundation/Research_Funding.aspx
August / October admissions cycle
23) Webb Institute Full-Tuition Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is not an outside scholarship competition, but it is far too valuable and on-theme to ignore. Webb is one of the clearest school-specific routes into naval architecture and marine engineering, and it automatically gives full-tuition scholarships to enrolled U.S. citizens and permanent residents. For a student who wants to build marine vehicles, autonomy systems, or subsea platforms, that is a massive financial advantage.
Amount: Full tuition. Webb’s 2025–26 page listed tuition at $61,650, with U.S. citizens and permanent residents paying $0 tuition through the scholarship model.
Deadline: Admissions-based timeline; Webb says the Common App opens August 1 and the Early Decision deadline is October 16.
Apply/info: https://www.webb.edu/admissions/financial-aid/
December
24) SMART Scholarship-for-Service Program
Why It Slaps: This is one of the biggest-value adjacent-fit programs on the list for students whose underwater drone interests overlap with defense, autonomy, sensors, controls, naval engineering, robotics, AI, or applied engineering. The service commitment is real, but so is the upside. For students willing to work in the DoD ecosystem, SMART can fund the whole path and plug you directly into serious technical work.
Amount: Full tuition, annual stipends of $30,000 to $46,000 depending on degree level, plus allowances and paid summer internships.
Deadline: Applications are typically due by 5:00 p.m. EST on the first Friday in December; the program also posted that the next application period will reopen August 1, 2026.
Apply/info: https://www.smartscholarship.org/smart/en
Rolling / timing-based opportunities
25) THSOA Tuition Scholarship
Why It Slaps: Hydrography and hydrospatial science are incredibly relevant to underwater drones because vehicles need mapping, seafloor data, positioning, and survey workflows. This tuition scholarship is a strong option for students whose path includes hydrographic surveying, bathymetry, marine mapping, or underwater geospatial work. Those are real career lanes inside marine robotics and subsea operations.
Amount: Up to $1,000.
Deadline: THSOA recommends applying about 8 weeks before the academic term starts.
Apply/info: https://thsoa.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/THSOA_National_Scholarship_Application.pdf
26) THSOA Internship/Research Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This one is great for students who are already lining up a research term, internship, vessel project, mapping project, or field assignment connected to marine survey work. Marine robotics students often need applied experience as much as classroom support, and this award helps finance that practical step. It is especially relevant if your underwater systems work touches hydrography, sonar, seabed mapping, or data acquisition.
Amount: Up to $2,000.
Deadline: THSOA recommends applying about 8 weeks before the internship or research period begins.
Apply/info: https://thsoa.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/THSOA_National_Scholarship_Application.pdf
27) THSOA Certification/Training Scholarship
Why It Slaps: Underwater tech careers often depend on specific tools and certifications, not just degrees. If you need hydrographic, mapping, survey, or related training that strengthens your marine robotics skill stack, this scholarship is practical and useful. It is the kind of smaller, targeted funding students often miss even though it can directly improve employability and technical readiness.
Amount: Up to $1,000.
Deadline: THSOA recommends applying about 8 weeks before the training or certification start date.
Apply/info: https://thsoa.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/THSOA_National_Scholarship_Application.pdf
28) THSOA Conference Attendance Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is a clever option for students trying to break into the field through conference access. Hydrography, marine mapping, and underwater survey events can be excellent places to meet employers, learn new tools, and find the real-world niches where underwater drones get deployed. THSOA also makes this one available more broadly, including to high school, undergraduate, and graduate students.
Amount: Up to $2,000.
Deadline: THSOA recommends applying about 8 weeks before the conference.
Apply/info: https://thsoa.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/THSOA_National_Scholarship_Application.pdf
FAQs
Are there many scholarships specifically for marine robotics or underwater drones?
Not many that use those exact words. The strongest direct-fit ones usually sit inside marine technology, underwater technology, undersea systems, ocean engineering, hydrography, or instrumentation. That is why a smart search strategy includes ROV, AUV, subsea, ocean engineering, hydrographic, and marine technology scholarships, not just “underwater drone scholarship.”
Should students in marine biology or oceanography apply too?
Yes, especially if their work involves underwater instruments, ocean observation, field robotics, marine sensors, mapping, or scientific diving. A lot of real marine robotics work happens inside research projects rather than in a degree literally named “robotics.”
What majors fit this scholarship niche best?
The best-fit majors usually include ocean engineering, marine engineering, naval architecture, robotics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, marine technology, hydrography, oceanography, and marine science.
Are workshop and conference awards worth including on a scholarship page?
Yes. In this niche, smaller training, travel, workshop, and conference awards can be extremely valuable because they help students get field exposure, certifications, lab contacts, and hands-on experience with marine systems.
What should students do if this year’s deadline already passed?
Bookmark the page, sign up for alerts when possible, and build the application package early: resume, transcript, short bio, project summary, recommendation requests, and a strong paragraph explaining how your work connects to underwater systems, marine technology, or ocean engineering.
What search terms uncover better-fit opportunities?
Try: marine technology scholarship, ROV scholarship, AUV scholarship, ocean engineering scholarship, subsea technology scholarship, hydrographic scholarship, ocean instrumentation fellowship, naval engineering scholarship, and underwater technology scholarship.
