What is it?
Flickr user Isaac Kohane
In 1966 Congress passed an act called the National Sea Grant College Program Act. In partnership with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the program would promote research, education, training, and projects in relation to conservation of coasts, marine areas, and Great Lakes resources.
There are 33 colleges and universities taking part in this national program, most of which are located on the coasts. The name “sea grant” was chosen as a direct parallel to the land grant colleges—schools founded on government land to promote agriculture and mechanical education.
When the Act first came into effect, it was initially overseen by the National Science Foundation (NSF) but the responsibility was transferred over to NOAA in 1970 underneath the Reorganization Plan.
Sea grant colleges and universities study, research, and educate in fields relating to marine science, in hopes of bolstering conservation efforts, awareness, and continued scientific interests in the coasts, Great Lakes, and marine areas.
Learn more about the Sea Grant College Program here!
List of Sea Grant Colleges:
*Some schools featured on the list are part of a consortium. Some schools also participate in more than one region.
Pacific Region
University of California, San Diego
Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (California State University)
University of Southern California
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Southeastern Atlantic / Gulf of Mexico Region
University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Southern Mississippi
University of Puerto Rico
Medical University of South Carolina
South Carolina State University
Mid-Atlantic Region
University of North Carolina at Wilmington
North Carolina State University
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Virginia Commonwealth University
University of Maryland, College Park
Atlantic Cape Community College
Burlington County College
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Marine Academy of Science and Technology
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Saint Peter’s College, New Jersey
Stevens Institute of Technology
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
Northeast Region
State University of New York at Buffalo
University of Connecticut at Avery Point
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Great Lakes Region
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Minnesota Duluth
Interested in any of these colleges? Use our free college match tool to see your acceptance odds and discover what financial aid you might receive from them!
