Landscape Architecture Scholarships: Investing in the Future of Design

Landscape architecture is a field that profoundly impacts the environment and society's connection to it. Recognizing the importance of supporting future leaders in this industry, numerous scholarships are available to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in landscape architecture. These scholarships not only provide financial assistance but also celebrate academic accomplishment, creative design ability, and a commitment to addressing critical issues such as sustainability, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Landscape Forms Scholarships

Landscape Forms, in partnership with the Landscape Architecture Foundation, offers two annual scholarships: The Landscape Forms Scholarship in Memory of Peter Lindsay Schaudt and the Landscape Forms Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Scholarship. These scholarships reflect Landscape Forms' commitment to supporting and elevating rising leaders in the field.

The Landscape Forms Scholarship in Memory of Peter Lindsay Schaudt

This scholarship celebrates the 30-year career of Peter Lindsay Schaudt, a founding principal of Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architecture and a dedicated member of the Board of Directors for Landscape Forms. It is awarded based on academic accomplishment and creative design ability to undergraduate landscape architecture students enrolled in a LAAB- or LAAC-accredited program in the US or Canada.

Past recipients include:

Emily Pham: A landscape architecture student at the University of Guelph with a strong interest in art, sustainability, and collaborative urban solutions. Pham was inspired by a high school teacher to pursue landscape architecture, finding it the ideal space to merge her creative and environmental passions. She aims to improve the sustainability of ecosystems while contributing to social wellbeing and helping people enjoy life in healthy environments.
Minnue Uhm: A landscape architecture student at Cornell University who found his passion in the interdisciplinary challenge of the field. Uhm appreciates the combination of his interests in architecture, environmental science, and climate change that landscape architecture provides. He is excited to be at the forefront of a changing field, thinking about the empirical and physical dimensions of landscape design in a way that makes sense economically and socially for communities.
Cheryl Zeng: A third-year landscape architecture student at Cornell University who found a calling in landscape architecture's combination of art and science. Zeng's appreciation for nature grew after moving to Ithaca and experiencing the beauty of the natural landscapes. She is inspired to use landscape architecture to bring these experiences to cities, address the inequitable distribution of green space, and share the beauty she found in the natural world.
Najla Said Lopez: A fourth-year landscape architecture student at the University of Florida with varied interests and a diverse professional background brought together by a passion for helping those in need. Lopez is inspired by the way that a connection to and love for nature is universal. She believes that improving sustainability, equity-based design, and advocating for equitable access to green spaces can serve underprivileged communities in important ways.
Jordan Chiang: A landscape architecture student graduating from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, who is profoundly intrigued by the natural world and the interdisciplinary aspects of landscape architecture. Chiang's passion is accompanied by a keen eye for detail in the landscape, and he enjoys exploring new neighborhoods, identifying native plants, and appreciating the subtle differences in architecture.
Claire Jarvis: Winner of the 2020 Landscape Forms Scholarship in Memory of Peter Lindsay Schaudt.

The Landscape Forms Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Scholarship

This scholarship reflects Landscape Forms' aim to help create a society where social justice and racial diversity are the norm. It supports Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students pursuing landscape architecture to advance their education and careers. The scholarship is open to undergraduate landscape architecture students who identify as BIPOC and are currently enrolled in a LAAB- or LAAC-accredited program in the US or Canada.

Past recipients include:

Veronica Cuapio: A student at the University of Connecticut pursuing degrees in Landscape Architecture and Construction Engineering & Management. Cuapio is drawn to landscape architecture's interdisciplinary nature and its capacity to bring meaningful change to communities. She combines her engineering background with a deep interest in equitable design to improve lifestyles and ecosystems.
Aisha Malik: A landscape architecture student at the University of Rhode Island (URI) with a creative spirit and determined drive to take on some of the field’s most pressing challenges. Malik aims to dedicate part of her career to addressing climate change in the Arctic, bringing new ideas back home to help deal with Alaska’s pressing climate change issues.
Kareem Harris: A landscape architecture student at the University of Wisconsin Madison who combines entrepreneurial expertise with a love of landscape to drive positive community change. Harris aims to connect people, especially African Americans, to nature, improving access to nature to provide immense, long-lasting benefits to his community.
Jakobi Johnson: A second-year landscape architecture student at Michigan State University whose interests span the design fields of historical preservation and restoration, plaza design, and parks and recreation. Johnson is interested in combining her design passions in ways that can positively influence Detroit's youth, revitalizing communities, improving economic mobility, and promoting diverse racial integration while also promoting ecological health and environmental justice.
Tairiq Mansfield: A landscape architecture, sustainability, and architecture student at Clemson University whose appreciation for design, creative thinking, and community sparked a passion for landscape architecture. Mansfield believes that people need better connections with who they really are and where they're really from.
Victor Cizik: A third-year landscape architecture student at the University of Connecticut who seeks a future for streetscapes and urban design that is more sustainable, more pedestrian friendly, and filled with the beauty of nature. Cizik aims to share his passion and provide opportunities especially for low-income communities to experience the inspiration and beauty that he finds outside, introducing better ways to express these ideas in the urban streetscape.
Adriel Jimenez: A landscape architecture student at the University of Florida inspired by regenerative landscape design utilizing 3D modeling programs, data from GIS, CAD, and site-specific local research. Jimenez is inspired by the idea of using local context to inform landscape design, combining an area’s cultural heritage and natural features and expressing this in the landscape.
Diamond Owens: A landscape architecture student from the University of Georgia pursuing the profession to discover meaningful new connections with the outdoors, building on her own experiences with nature to help enhance the experiences of others. Owens strives to be an activist and an educator, believing that her contributions to the world will change the lives of people of all ages and races.

Other Scholarship Opportunities

In addition to the Landscape Forms scholarships, numerous other external scholarships, fellowships, and grants are available to landscape architecture students.

Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF)

The Landscape Architecture Foundation sponsors numerous scholarships and fellowships for landscape architecture students, with over $150,000 available every year through 17 different scholarships. Each scholarship has its own webpage detailing its purpose, criteria, and application requirements. Winners are chosen through a competitive process by leading academics and practitioners in landscape architecture. The LAF also partners with sponsors and organizations seeking to improve the environment through student support. One such scholarship is given to a student with financial needs, a 3.0 GPA, junior or senior standing with one year remaining, design excellence, and professional promise.

Garden Club of America (GCA)

The Garden Club of America offers scholarships in landscape architecture as well as specialized fields within the discipline such as garden history and design, ecological restoration, and urban forestry. Since 1928, the GCA has funded more than 1,200 scholars through the Rome Prize Fellowship in Landscape Architecture. Today, the GCA offers 27 merit-based scholarships, fellowships, and awards in areas such as horticulture and its related disciplines, botany, native bird habitat, conservation and ecological restoration, desert studies, landscape architecture, urban forestry, garden history and design, coastal wetlands, and pollinator research. These include:

The Garden Club of America Fellowship in Ecological Restoration: Supports research that will advance knowledge and increase the number of scientists in the important field of ecological restoration.
The Sara Brown GCA National Parks Scholarship: Funds SCA Apprentice Crew Leaders, Leaders, and/or Apprentices annually, who provide support, encouragement, and mentorship of high school crews engaged in hands-on conservation projects in National Parks.

National Garden Clubs (NGC)

The National Garden Clubs offers approximately 35 college scholarships annually, each in the amount of $3,500. These one-year scholarships are available to juniors, seniors, and graduate students pursuing a Master's Degree in fields of study related to horticulture and the environment.

American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)

The American Society of Landscape Architects and its chapters offer various scholarships and grants. For example, the Connecticut Chapter of the ASLA offers the Karen Ann Shopis-Fox Memorial Scholarship. The ASLA also administers the Olmsted Scholars Program, which recognizes one outstanding student leader from each university with an accredited landscape architecture program.

Other Organizations and Programs

Asian American Architects and Engineers Foundation (AAa/e): Offers scholarships to students pursuing careers in architecture (including landscape architecture), engineering, or construction.
AIGA Worldstudio Scholarships: Benefit minority and economically disadvantaged students who are studying photography, illustration, and design disciplines in colleges and universities in the United States.
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: Offers scholarship programs designed to encourage and support outstanding students who work hard and have financial need, including the Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship and the College Scholarship Program.
The Rotary Club of Miami Richard J. Pagliarulo, Landscape Architecture Scholarship: Awarded to students currently enrolled at FIU and pursuing a degree in Landscape Architecture.
Sigma Lambda Alpha (SLA) Honor Society in Landscape Architecture: Created a travel grant program to support and enhance students' education through travel to professional or educational meetings, natural and built environments for independent research, or to offset the costs of field trips and study abroad.
American Academy in Rome: Supports innovative artists, writers, and scholars living and working together in a dynamic international community, offering fellowships that provide room and board, a study or studio, and a stipend.
Dumbarton Oaks: Offers fellowships to nurture emerging ideas and to think deeply, providing fellows with room and board, a study or studio, and a stipend.

University-Specific Scholarships

Many universities also offer scholarships specifically for landscape architecture students. For example, Florida International University (FIU) offers the Richard J. Pagliarulo, Landscape Architecture Scholarship through the Rotary Club of Miami, as well as the Barry Miller and Adriana Savino Scholarship for Black/African-American students. The University of Minnesota offers the Mary T. Scholarship to students enrolled in or accepted for admission to the University who are majoring in landscape architecture.

Tips for Finding and Applying for Scholarships

Start early: Begin researching and applying for scholarships well in advance of deadlines.
Research thoroughly: Carefully review the eligibility criteria, application requirements, and deadlines for each scholarship.
Tailor your application: Prepare application materials specific to the award being sought, highlighting your relevant skills, experiences, and goals.
Seek recommendations: Request letters of recommendation from professors, mentors, or employers who can speak to your abilities and potential.
Proofread carefully: Ensure your application is free of errors in grammar and spelling.
Apply for FAFSA: Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine your eligibility for federal financial aid.
Explore university resources: Contact the financial aid office and the Department of Landscape Architecture at your university to learn about available scholarships and grants.

Read also: Landscape Designer Education

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