Scholarships Offered by or Coordinated Through Friday Harbor Labs
FHL Scholarships
Finding adequate funds to cover expenses at a field research station can be a daunting task for a student, so we have a very simplified process for ALL students taking our courses. If you are interested in need-based scholarships from FHL there will be a section in our application that says “Are you interested in applying for scholarships from FHL?” If you select that you are interested in applying for scholarships, upon admittance into FHL, the Academic Services Manager will follow up with a link to a short questionnaire to help us understand your need as well as eligibility for different scholarships. (Please keep course costs in mind as you complete this process.)
Once you have been accepted to a course, confirm that you are still interested in attending, and have submitted the scholarship application, FHL staff will consider your request with other student requests and available funding in mind. You do not have to commit to a course and pay the deposit until financial aid is decided. Financial aid packages are based on a student’s merit and need, in addition to the availability of funding. Awards typically range between $1,000 to $3,000 for a quarter, although students with outstanding need are sometimes provided with more.
If you have any questions about that process, please reach out to FHL’s Academic Services Manager fhlstudents@uw.edu.
Mary Gates Endowment for Students
Friday Harbor Labs is a proud partner of the Mary Gates Endowment for Students! This means one of the funds FHL can use to grant scholarships is from the Mary Gates Endowment.
These scholarships offer UW undergraduate students an average of $3000 for a 15-credit FHL Research Apprenticeship and $1500 for a 6-credit FHL Research Experience.
→ → If you would like to be considered for Mary Gates funding, be sure to make note of that while applying to FHL scholarships. Note that eligibility criteria and awardee requirements differ from non-Mary Gates scholarships through FHL, however the application process is the same.
The majority of eligible FHL students who indicate interest in MGE scholarships are awarded them!
How to Be Considered for Mary Gates Funding
1) Confirm eligibility
Students are eligible to apply for an MGE scholarship if:
- You are a UW undergraduate at the time the FHL course begins
- You have been accepted into a research apprenticeship or research experience at FHL. Eligible FHL courses include:
- FHL 403 Novel Marine Ecosystems
- FHL 450 Marine Restoration Ecology
- FHL 470 Research in Marine Biology
- FHL 472 Pelagic Ecosystem Function
- FHL 495 Behavioral Ecology of Marine Invertebrates
2) Apply
There is NOT a separate application for Mary Gates funding.
To be considered for a scholarship through Friday Harbor Labs funded by Mary Gates, indicate your interest when filling out the FHL scholarship form.
3) Notify the UW Financial Aid Office
If you usually receive UW student financial aid, be sure to notify the UW financial aid office about your change in need
→ → A quarter at FHL is often more expensive than a quarter spent on your home campus. Adjusting your financial need should allow you to receive more financial aid for the more expensive quarter on which you are about to embark. In some cases, the MGE award may affect the amount you receive from other scholarships. If you have questions about your individual situation, contact the Student Financial Aid office:
E-mail osfa@uw.edu
Call 206-543-6101
Visit office in Schmitz Hall, first and fifth floors.
4) Acknowledge the Endowment
If awarded MGE funding, you must acknowledge the Mary Gates Endowment for Students.
- Any public materials you create (presentations, research papers, posters, social media posts) related to the program or class you attended must mention the awarded support from the “Mary Gates Endowment for Students”
- Any public materials you create must include the MGE logo
- You may refer to yourself as a participant in the class/program you took at FHL, supported by the Mary Gates Endowment for Students. NOTE: Recipients of Mary Gates funds through FHL are NOT named Mary Gates Scholars.
5) REQUESTED: Submit an Impact Statement
Let us know how your experience at Friday Harbor Labs contributed to your personal growth. What was it like conducting research alongside equally passionate students and marine professionals in the tight-knit FHL community.
Student impact statements will be shared with the Mary Gates Office, who welcome even more reasons to support our program. Thank you for providing those reasons!
You may be contacted with a request by FHL to share your impact statement with our Advancement team for donor relations and/or to post your statement on the FHL website.
Other Scholarship Opportunities
- All UW students should begin by exploring options through the UW Office of Financial Aid.
- The UW Biology department lists a number of scholarships, including one that offers up to $5,000 to Biology majors taking a spring or summer course at FHL. Students must apply in January.
- The UW Library Research Award is for UW undergraduates working on a project that involves use of library and other information resources. Multiple $1000 grants available each year. Application deadline in May.
- The Caroline Gibson Scholarship in Marine Studies is to support undergraduate or graduate students pursuing a degree related to marine conservation. In keeping with Caroline’s legacy, they’re looking for students with a passion and commitment to sustaining the Salish Sea through their studies, work and life. Three awards of $3,500 are given each year. Applications open September and close October, and awards can be used at any time during the academic year.
- The Udall Undergraduate Scholarship is a $7,000 scholarship for sophomores and juniors who are committed to making a difference in either the environment or Native American/Alaska Tribal Policy or Native Healthcare. U.S. citizenship or permanent residency is required for this scholarship. This fund is specifically committed to supporting Native American and Native Alaskan students.
- Scholars from Japan may apply to the special funding source available through the Morse Institute.
- The Libbie H Hyman Memorial Scholarship “provides assistance to students to take courses or to carry on research on invertebrates at a marine, freshwater, or terrestrial field station.” It is for advanced undergraduates and first or second year graduate students. The application deadline is typically in early February. Examples of FHL courses that would qualify include Marine Invertebrate Zoology and Comparative Invertebrate Embryology.
- Phycological Society of America Fellowships is for graduate students taking courses on algae at a field station. Follow the link above for application instructions (applications do not go through FHL).
- Pacific Northwest Shell Club is for enrolled senior undergraduates working with an advisor, graduate students, or post-doctoral scholars working on research relating to mollusks or understanding their role in the environment.
- UC Berkeley has a good list of biology-related funding, some of which could be relevant for students studying at FHL.
- Western Association of Marine Labs (WAML) offers a Student Support Award each year for undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in or visiting a WAML institution. Up to $2,000 is awarded for research. Up to $1,000 is awarded for conference attendance for students presenting their research. Applications are accepted each October, full or partial awards are announced in early December.