2026

GAEP Environmental Scholarship

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Scholarship Program Overview

The Georgia Association of Environmental Professionals (GAEP) seeks to identify and recognize deserving students in our state by soliciting applications for scholarship aid. To support students' academic advancement in the environmental field, we offer at least two (2) scholarship grants of $1,000 to qualified undergraduate students. The scholarships will be awarded in September for the 2026-2027 academic year.

About GAEP

Formed in 2005, GAEP is a chapter of the National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP). Its primary function is to enhance, maintain, and protect the quality of the natural and human environment through cooperation with the NAEP.                                                          

The purpose of GAEP is to:

• Promote standards and ethics throughout the professions that comprise environmental management.

• Provide a forum for the exchange of ideas among professionals.

• Advance the professionalism in environmental planning and reporting in the State of Georgia.

Qualifications

To qualify for the 2026 GAEP Scholarship grant, applicants must meet ALL  qualifications listed below. Please note: Student membership in GAEP is encouraged, but not required, and will not factor in the selection of scholarship recipients. 

1. Scholastic Enrollment - Applicants must be full-time students in good academic standing at an accredited college or university located in the State of Georgia for the current 2026 Spring academic semester. Applicants must continue with this full-time status for the 2026 Fall academic semester. 

2. Major/Degree - Students must be majoring in an environmental or related field, such as (but not limited to) ecology, biology, botany, wildlife and/or fisheries, forestry, geology, geography, environmental science/engineering, environmental planning, air and noise, cultural resource management, environmental law, natural resource management, or conservation. Environmental medicine, while an important field, does not qualify as an environmental major. 

3. Career Interests - Applicants should be planning to have a career in an environmental field. 

4. GPA- A minimum overall GPA of 3.0 is required for all applicants.

Application Period

The application period opens on May 1, 2026. All submissions must be received no later than 11:59 pm on June 15, 2026.

Application 

The following items should be submitted on or before the due date listed above.

1. Cover Letter - Tell us a little bit about yourself. What makes you you? Please do not repeat material used in your essays. (No more than one page, 12-point Times New Roman font, double spaced)

2. GAEP Scholarship Application Form - This is the last page of the downloadable application. 

3. Short Essays - Write a response to each of the following prompts. Each prompt should be answered on a separate page. Please include the copied prompt number and prompt before each response. Each response must be 200-250 words. Formatting should be 12-point Times New Roman font with double spacing. 

• Essay 1 - Describe your previous experiences and involvement in the environmental field or profession. How have these experiences helped or changed you?  
• Essay 2 - Describe the type of environmental work you hope to pursue in your future career. Explain why this interests you. 
• Essay 3 - What do you think is the most pressing environmental issue facing the State of Georgia today? Support your argument.  

4. Resume - Include any work experience, education, honors/awards, and applicable clubs or organizations (maximum one page). 
5. Transcript(s) - Submit a transcript for each college or university you have attended, including the Spring 2026 final transcript. Unofficial (e.g., web-based) transcripts are acceptable.

Selection

Top applicants will be selected by a committee based on a combination of your submitted materials. The essays will be scored based on a rubric. Relevance to GAEP’s purpose as well as spelling and grammar may also be used to select scholarship winners.

Winners

There will be two scholarship winners. Provisional scholarship winners will be contacted by email in mid-August and will have one full week to submit proof of full-time enrollment for the Fall 2026 academic semester. Failure to provide proof of enrollment in this timeframe will result in the scholarship being awarded to someone else. Final scholarship winners will be announced on or before September 1, 2026. Scholarship funds will be mailed directly to the recipients in the Fall.

Additional instructions can be found on the downloadable application.

Please send all questions or inquiries to gaep.listserve+scholarship@gmail.com.