The New Jersey Space Grant Consortium runs a series of exciting fellowship and internship programs for students enrolled in New Jersey universities who are U.S. citizens. Our goal is to promote STEM and space science research among our college students and to encourage these students to undertake graduate study in STEM or to join the STEM workforce.

NJSGC actively invites participation from all college students in STEM fields, but especially students from underserved groups (women and the disabled), as well as from underrepresented minorities (African American, Hispanic, Native American).

All NJSGC programs are financially supported by NASA and require direct alignment with one of the six (6) Mission Directorates:  

The award recipients will be asked to pledge to provide NJSGC information of their progress and career selection for a period of ten years after the end of the internship/fellowship.

Pledge Form


Following is a listing of our internship and fellowship programs. Please feel free to contact us if you need more information.

Academic Year Internship

The Academic Year Internship Program awards one year internships with a stipend of $2,000 to undergraduate students in N.J. universities to conduct research in STEM and space science related fields. This program is administered by participating academic institutions on a competitive basis.

View the Academic Year Application:

2024-2025 Academic Year Application

If you are an interested undergraduate student in a New Jersey university, please contact your campus representative, whose name and contact information can be found in our affiliates page.

Undergraduate Summer Internships

NJSGC awards summer internships for undergraduate students in New Jersey universities to conduct research in space sciences at N.J. universities or industry. The internship is for ten weeks, with a stipend of $500 per week for a total amount of $5,000 per student. Interns are expected to begin their internship on or around June 1, 2024. Flexibility in the start date can be accommodated by consent of the advisor.

The research conducted by the academic intern must align with one of NASA's missions as outlined under the NASA Mission Directorates.

Applicants must identify a mentor who will supervise their research. The application package must include a letter from the mentor agreeing to supervise the applicant.

The internship recipients are required to present a summary of their research work during the yearly internship conference (held at the end of summer) and submit a final report (of about 1000 words) that includes a summary of their findings as well as recommendations for future work. A survey of the internship recipients indicates that approximately 75% pursue graduate work in science and engineering, with the rest joining STEM industry.


Your application package should consist of the following material:
 

1) Application; click link below.

Summer Internships 2024 applications are now closed.

2) Transcript (official transcript not required; can be downloaded from the university website),

3) Personal statement describing career goals, research topic, and NASA Mission Directorate Alignment (<500 words),

4) A letter from the mentor agreeing to supervise the applicant’s research, in-person or remotely, and the reason why mentor chose to work with applicant.

.

NASA Academy

NJSGC provides opportunities for New Jersey undergraduate or graduate students to conduct research at one of the NASA Academy sites or at a NASA research center.

Applications are due in January.  Additional details and application forms for NASA Academy can be obtained from: http://www.academyapp.com. NASA Goddard runs its own program and their web site is http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/education/

Graduate Student Fellowships

NJSGC provides fellowships for graduate students conducting research in STEM and space science fields. Fellowship amount can be used to pay tuition or as a stipend. The fellowship is open to all graduate students pursuing a degree that involves research and the writing of a thesis. The graduate student fellowship requires a match of 100% from the academic institution of the graduate student, in the form of tuition waiver, or additional stipend. 

The application package should consist of the following material:

a) Application:

2023-24 Grad Fellowship applications are now closed.

b) All transcripts, undergraduate and graduate;

c) Personal statement of less than 400 words, which should include the following material:

  1. A biographical sketch describing colleges/universities attended with dates and overall GPA; list of honors obtained, and a summary of all recent employment including military service.
  2. A brief statement of what you hope to accomplish as a Space Grant Intern.
  3. A statement of your career goals, including their relationship to space science, aeronautics or aerospace, as well as plan for the immediate future (e.g., employment in academia or industry, if not Ph.D. student, whether Ph.D. will be pursued).

d) A letter of recommendation, preferably from a faculty advisor or another individual who is familiar with your capability to learn, to conduct independent work, to research a topic.

e) A letter from an authorized academic official of the applicant's university, describing and certifying the match.