There are two categories of membership of the IAMRI:

Full Member: Institutions of higher learning, research, and a national or international network of universities shall be eligible for full membership.

Each full member shall be represented by its chief executive officer (the "Accredited Representative") at all General Meetings and shall be entitled to one (1) vote at such General Meetings.

Associate Member: An associate member is understood to be a business enterprise with an interest in co-operation on marine higher education and research.

An associate member shall have no voting rights at General Meetings. Any associate member, who is invited to the Steering Committee Meeting, shall not be entitled to vote at meetings of the Steering Committee.