Interested in pursuing a career that involves working with plants? If you love all aspects of plants and plant sciences, then botany may be a perfect career choice for you. One of the best ways to study and find specialized work is by completing your college education. It isn’t cheap though and that’s where winning botany scholarships can help.
Here are some of the top scholarships available to future botanists and plant scientists.
American Floral Endowment
Amount: Varies
Deadline: May 1
With 20 annual scholarships, American Floral Endowment pulls out all the stops to offer financial aid to students pursuing majors in horticulture and floriculture.
Some of the scholarships available for undergrad students include but are not limited to:
- American Florists’ Exchange Scholarship: awarded to students enrolled in an agriculture program with an interest in floriculture. Applicants must have a minimum 3.0 GPA.
- James Bridenbaugh Memorial Scholarship: reserved for qualifying students keen on pursuing careers in floral design and marketing fresh plants and flowers.
- Ball Horticultural Company Scholarship: awarded to qualifying students pursuing a career related to commercial floriculture.
- Jacob and Rita Van Namen Marketing Scholarship: awarded to students who have the potential to improve the floriculture industry. This scholarship gives preference to students pursuing majors related to agribusiness.
- Mike and Flo Novovesky Scholarship: reserved for young married students with a keen interest in horticulture. Minimum 2.5 GPA and demonstrated financial need are other requirements.
Each of these opportunities along with the others offered by the organization, have different application requirements. Read through them carefully to increase your chances of winning the award that you qualify for.
The most important requirement for all American Floral Endowment scholarships is that you must demonstrate a passion for the industry through past academics, extracurricular activities, and work experience.
ABC Humane Wildlife Control & Prevention, Inc. Academic Scholarships
Amount: Varies
Deadline: July 1, 2020
ABC Wildlife describes themselves as a ‘woman-owned corporation operating in a largely male field’. ABC Humane Wildlife Control offers multiple scholarships annually in an effort to promote diversity and encourage more women to pursue careers in a science, biology, biodiversity, or botany field.
Applicants for these awards must be currently enrolled or planning to study any STEM-related program in an accredited 4-year college or university in the U.S. All eligible applicants must submit an essay talking about their passion for science, engineering or technology and their plans for using their education in these fields to safeguard biodiversity, or protect our planet’s health. The winning essay will earn their writer a $1,000 award with up to 9 more essays earning their writers varying award amounts.
Environmental Studies/Natural Sciences Scholarship Program
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: March 28, 2020
Friends of Volo offers two $,1000 scholarships to high school senior or college undergraduate students who are attending an accredited college or university and would like to study environmental or natural science, including botany. Prospective students must submit a letter of recommendation from a non-relative who is familiar with their work habits and personal goals as they pertain to the scholarship. Applicants must also submit a 300-400 word essay regarding the fields of environmental or natural science. Students must submit their official transcripts from high school or university.
The Garden Club of America Scholarships
Amount: $3,000; $3,500
Deadline: January 31
The Garden Club of America offers multiple scholarships every year to support students pursuing any botany-related major. A majority of the scholarships available through the Garden Club of America are applicable to both undergraduate and graduate students with an emphasis on academics and field experience. If you love to travel, there are both national and international scholarships available for botanists and every type of plant agricultural major imaginable. Due dates and reward amounts vary by specialization and field of study.
The Garden Club of America’s scholarships include:
- The Zeller Summer Scholarship in Medicinal Botany: $3,000 is awarded annually to encourage students to pursue medicinal botany.
- The Garden Club of America Summer Scholarship in Field Botany: $3,000 is awarded annually to one student interested in participating in outdoor summer study to gain advanced knowledge and experience in field botany.
- The Joan K. Hunt and Rachel M. Hunt Summer Scholarship in Field Botany: similar to the previous scholarship but with an annual award amount of $3,500. The winner can choose their specific course of study as well as the location of the field study.
Thermo Fisher Scientific Antibody Scholarship
Amount: Up to $10,000
Deadline: May 5, 2020
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. awards up to $10,000 to any undergraduate student who has declared a major in chemistry, biology, biochemistry or a related science field such as botany. You must have a minimum 3.0 GPA in order to qualify.
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5.50%-16.12%* Variable
3.99%-15.61%* Fixed
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3.69% - 14.56% Fixed
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3.69% - 14.22% Fixed
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