You can apply online here.
Important Notice: The Australasian region will not be awarding a scholarship in 2025. This decision has been made to allow time to strengthen our volunteer network and support base within the region, ensuring the long-term sustainability of the program. We remain committed to providing meaningful opportunities for young people passionate about the underwater world and will use this time to regroup and build a stronger foundation for the future of the Australasian Scholarship.
PLEASE NOTE NEW APPLICATION CLOSING DATE: 31 January 2025.
The online application will start accepting applications on 1 December 2024.
Please complete the online application to apply for any scholarships and/or internships offered by the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society™.
Completed scholarship applications must be RECEIVED via the online application no later than 31 January 2025 for the North American and European Scholarship applications to be considered for the 2025 scholarship. Applications for the 2025 scholarships will be accepted starting 1 December 2024.
*To be eligible for any of the 2025 Scholarships an applicant must have a birth date from 16 January 1998 to 31 January 2004 (inclusive). Those whose birth dates are outside of this range are not eligible.
Scholarship applicants are required to submit the following information within the online application:
1) Copy of dive scuba diving certification card(s)
2) Copy of dive logs for the last six months. If you have fewer than 25 dives in the last six months, extend the time period of your dive logs sufficient to include your 25 most recent dives.
3) Completed diving medical history form: Click 'Here'. The scholarship frequently involves strenuous surface and subsurface physical activity, often in remote locations away from medical care or pharmacies, and it is thus in the applicant’s best interest to disclose any known conditions. Upon selection, scholars will be required to complete a full diving medical evaluation completed by a licensed physician with knowledge of diving, or provide a current diving medical evaluation. All medical information provided is confidential and will be seen only by a diving medical professional that reviews applications and not the wider selection panel.
4) Four letters of recommendation:
Two letters of recommendation from teachers or professors from whom you have taken classes and can comment on your academic background and accomplishments, and two letters of recommendation from persons in your community who can comment on your character, leadership potential, and communication skills.
Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society™ can only accept recommendation letters directly from the referees. In the application, you will need to provide the name and email address for each of your referres. They will be emailed a request for a letter of recommendation on your behalf and provided instructions on how to login and easily upload the recommendation to the system. For more information, please see FAQ.
5) Statement from certifying agency (or school) or most recent scuba instructor regarding diving proficiency
6) Current resume including any extracurricular activities
7) Copy of official transcript or unofficial transcript. Finalists will be required to physically mail an official transcript to the appropriate regional office.
8) [NEW] Statements (maximum 800 words): {Please read closely, these have changed}
1) Describe how your background, life experiences, motivations, and life/career objectives position you to become a leader in the underwater world.
2) What goals do you have for the scholarship year and how will achieving these help you create positive impact beyond the scholarship?
* A personal biography is no longer required for the initial application. Finalists will be required to provide a personal biography (maximum two pages, double-spaced) detailing relevant activities.
All scholarship and internship application fees are payable online within the application system via the Stripe payment processing system.
North America:
The North American Scholarship application fee is $30.00.
Europe:
The European Scholarship application fee is $30.00.
Your application will be complete after all materials have been submitted and payment has been received.
A personal interview will be required of all scholarship finalists. Finalists will also be required to submit official transcripts directly to the correct regional office from your school’s registrar. Official transcript(s) must present grades through the most current semester.
If you are having trouble viewing the online application, please email us at:
info@owuscholarship.org for North America,
VicePresident-EU@owuscholarship.org for Europe, or
Australasia@owuscholarship.org for Australasia applications.
If you are experiencing problems uploading documents onto your online application, please email all supplemental materials and documents to the appropriate email address (above) by the scholarship deadline.
It is the applicants' responsibility to confirm receipt of application materials sent via email.