NGC College Scholarships

Scholarship Sponsored by National Garden Clubs

Introduction
The National Garden Clubs (NGC) offers annual one-year scholarships to support students pursuing careers connected to gardening, horticulture, landscape design, floral design, and related environmental fields. Below are the program details, eligibility requirements, selection process, funding procedures, and application instructions.

Details of the Award
- Each year the total number and value of scholarships is determined by NGC. Up to 45 scholarships are available annually, with individual awards of up to $4,000.
- One-year awards are offered to juniors, seniors and graduate students. Sophomores may apply early for consideration for their junior year.
- Equal opportunity is provided to all applicants.
- The recipient’s college or university must be accredited and listed on the U.S. Department of Education’s official website.

Who May Apply (Eligibility)
Applicants must satisfy all of the following:
- Be a U.S. citizen or a United States Permanent Legal Resident.
- Be enrolled full-time as defined by NGC: undergraduates a minimum of 12 graded credit hours; graduate students a minimum of 6 graded credit hours.
- Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 on a 4.0 scale.
- Be a junior, senior, or graduate student (sophomores may submit applications for their upcoming junior year).
- Intend to pursue a career related to gardening, landscape design, horticulture, floral design, or environmental concerns.
- Previous applicants (whether previously awarded or not) are eligible to apply again.
- If studying abroad, the coursework must be an approved component of the degree plan and the tuition payment must continue to be paid to the accredited U.S. institution.

Acceptable Majors (must be majoring in one of the following)
- Agronomy
- Agriculture
- Education
- Floriculture
- Horticulture
- Landscape Design
- Botany / Biology
- Forestry
- Wildlife Science
- Plant Pathology / Plant Science
- City (Rural & Urban) Planning
- Habitat or Forest / Systems Ecology
- Environmental Concerns (management: environmental, horticulture, resource/environmental behavior)
- Environmental Conservation (including engineering, law, etc.)
- Land Management and other related or allied subjects

Selection Process and Timeline
- Applications received by February 1 will first be reviewed at the state level. Each state will select one winning application (states with 8,000+ members may select two).
- After state-level judging, applications progress to national review by the NGC Scholarship Committee following the March 1 deadline.
- Final judging is conducted prior to the annual NGC Convention; winners are announced at the Convention. NGC Headquarters staff will notify all applicants in writing immediately after the Convention.

Who Evaluates Applications
The NGC Scholarship Committee conducts national selection. The committee is composed of the NGC Scholarship Chairman plus the eight NGC Regional Directors.

Evaluation Criteria (sample scoring)
A sample point distribution used in evaluating applications is:
- Academic record: 40%
- Applicant’s letter (personal statement): 25%
- Honors / Extracurricular activities / Work experience: 13%
- Financial need: 15%
- Recommendations: 5%
- Conformance to requirements: 2%

Use of Funds
- Scholarship checks are mailed in late July from NGC Headquarters directly to the Financial Aid Office of the institution where the student is enrolled. No payments will be sent directly to students.
- The student and the Financial Aid Office will decide how the award is applied (tuition, housing, meals, books, etc.).
- If the recipient changes majors to one not listed above, or withdraws from school, any remaining scholarship funds must be returned to National Garden Clubs, Inc.

Application Checklist and Document Requirements (front side only)
The following items are required (all documents submitted on the front side only):
1. NGC Scholarship Application form
2. NGC Financial Aid Form
3. Complete academic transcripts
4. One-page letter from the applicant (front side only)
5. List of extracurricular activities, honors, and recognitions received within the last three years (front side only)
6. Two letters of recommendation, one page each (front side only)

How and Where to Submit
- Submit all documents online at https://gardenclub.org/college-scholarships, by email, or by U.S. mail. If mailing, place everything together in one large envelope; do not bind or staple materials.
- Applications should be sent to the State Garden Club Scholarship Chairman for the applicant’s legal state of residence, even if the student will attend an out-of-state institution. A list of State Scholarship Chairmen is available on the NGC website. Applications must be received by February 1.
- Applicants may also submit directly to the NGC Scholarship Chairman via the webpage: https://gardenclub.org/college-scholarships.
- Previous applicants must provide a new, updated application package for each year of consideration.

Important Deadlines
- State-level submissions must be received by February 1.
- National-level review follows after the March 1 deadline.
- Scholarship funds are disbursed in late July.

For additional questions or to confirm state contact information, visit https://gardenclub.org/college-scholarships or contact NGC Headquarters.