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Costs & Financial Aid

Information on the costs of attending William and Mary's School of Marine Science (SMS) at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) may be found on the W&M website.  

M.A. Degree

VIMS recognizes the importance of supporting students in their study of marine science, and has some tuition scholarships, fellowships, teaching assistantships, and work-study opportunities available for M.A. program students that help to reduce program costs.
M.S. & Ph.D. Degrees

Graduate students pursuing the M.S. or Ph.D. degree are most commonly supported through a combination of research grants to their advisor supplemented with institutional support.  In order to assess funding availability, prospective students for the research programs should contact faculty members directly in advance of submitting an application.

Having an external fellowship may afford a student increased flexibility in research pursuits and provide additional funding for travel and other expenses associated with a student's education and training.  Current SMS students have fellowships from NSF GRFP, NOAA Sea Grant, Virginia Sea Grant, and diverse international scholarships and fellowships.  We encourage all applicants for the graduate program, as well as current students, to pursue potential external funding options that are available to them.  This helps to increase the number of students we may admit to the graduate program.  There are links for major fellowship opportunities below. 
External Fellowships for Graduate Students
Other websites serve as portals to additional funding opportunities:

North Carolina State University provides links to additional nationally-available fellowships.

Pathways to Science lists funding opportunities that may be of particular interest to students from groups that are underrepresented in STEM fields.

VIMS provides additional funding for full-time students in the form of fellowships funded by the VIMS Foundation, research and equipment grants, and travel awards. Most of these funds are awarded on a competitive basis by the Office of Academic Studies.  In addition, William & Mary's Reves Center for International Studies offers a number of funding opportunities for international students and international programs.  Please visit the Reves Center website for additional information on specific funding opportunities.

In order to continue to receive funding a student must remain in good academic standing and demonstrate satisfactory progress (academic and research) as defined by William and Mary degree requirements and regulations of the School of Marine Science.  This includes completing major academic program milestones in accordance with the deadlines stipulated for the student’s degree program as outlined in the School of Marine Science Graduate Catalog for the year of entry to the program.