AY 2025-2026 Coale Graduate Scholar Awards (Formerly known as the COAST Graduate Student Research Awards) Grant

The AY 2025-2026 Coale Graduate Scholar Awards offer $4,000 scholarships to CSU graduate students engaged in marine, estuarine, and coastal research. These awards support the procurement of research materials and living expenses, equipping students with skills for a technologically advanced workforce. COAST emphasizes responsible research and education in ocean systems, encouraging diverse applicants and projects that align with its goals, particularly those addressing California's needs.

Program Description
The Dr. Kenneth H. Coale Graduate Scholar Awards are $4,000 scholarships intended to support CSU graduate students working on marine, estuarine, coastal and coastal watershed research projects. These awards provide students with valuable resources to procure critical research materials and supplies or to help defray living expenses while engaged in research. This allows students to obtain the skills necessary to join a highly skilled, technologically advanced workforce while promoting and supporting CSU research.
COAST promotes research and education to advance our knowledge of ocean and coastal systems and disseminates scientific information to stakeholders for the development of responsible policy. The scope of COAST includes:
The open and coastal ocean;Coastal zones (bays, estuaries, beaches); Coastal watersheds: the organism, material or process being studied in the watershed must have a clear and direct impact on the downstream marine environment (e.g., anadromous fish, surface and groundwater flow, water quality).

Eligibility

Applicants of any race, ethnicity, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, immigration status, national origin, age, dis/ability or veteran status are welcome.Applicants are required to:Conduct their thesis or Professional Science Master’s work under the direction of a CSU faculty member (“Advisor”).Define a project that supports one or more of COAST’s goals. COAST encourages all types of research. Clear connections to COAST goals must be identified.Work supported by COAST is NOT limited to California, but priority will be given to projects that are applicable to the needs of California.