1. When is the scholarship opening and deadline?
The scholarship process opens around March 15 of every year. The announcement is posted on the A&WMA Gulf Coast Chapter (henceforth abbreviated as GCC) website at https://www.awma-gcc.org/index.php/available-schols/ as soon as it opens. The application deadline is usually May 15, except when it is extended.  

2. Who is eligible to apply?
Only undergraduate and graduate students who are admitted into a university in Texas to pursue a degree in Environmental Engineering, Environmental Science, or a related degree in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines are eligible. Also, students must meet certain minimum criteria, such as GPA of at least 3.00, fulltime student status, minimum ACT/SAT score of 11, etc.

Note: Students from Texas neighboring states (e.g. Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana etc.) are NOT eligible.

3. GCC stated that students pursuing a degree in Environmental Science or Engineering, or a related STEM discipline are eligible. What are these eligible STEM disciplines?
The purpose of the GCC (a 501(c)(3) non-profit) is to promote better understanding of air pollution and its control, waste management, and other environmental issues such as clean water, energy, and environmental sustainability. GCC scholarships are awarded to foster and support education in every field related to this purpose with the aim of providing assistance for tomorrow’s professionals. In lieu of this clarification, a related STEM discipline includes but is not limited to Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Atmospheric Science, Geosciences, Earth Science, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Agricultural Science, and Agricultural Engineering etc. GCC welcomes applications from students in all related STEM fields, who are able to demonstrate their involvement and/or engagement in projects, research, volunteer activities, and/or career interests that align with GCC’s purpose.

4. Membership Expectation

All successful candidates that are awarded schloarships are expected to become A&WMA Gulf Coast Chapter Student Members.  The annual membership fee of $21 will be automatically deducted from the amount awarded.  Submitting an application is a confirmation of your agreement to this expectation.  Additionally, upon your acceptance of the award, the organization will expect participation in at least one event, eg. the monthly luncheon or the Annual Conference and Exhibition (ACE).  GCC hopes that you will share your experience with fellow Environmental majors and continue your membership upon graduation.

5. What constitutes a “complete application package”?
An application is considered complete when every applicable item listed below has been received. The complete application package includes:

    • Filled out, signed and dated application form Note: Make sure that every question on the application form is answered.  If a question is not applicable, put NA.
    • Test scores
      ACT/SAT test scores are required for undergraduate students, while GRE test scores are required for graduate students. Students can submit a scanned copy of their original test scores. Note that all test scores must be included in one PDF file.
    • Official transcript(s)
      Incoming freshmen should provide high school transcripts, while undergraduate students currently enrolled in college will provide the current college transcripts (i.e., current undergraduate students are not required to submit high school transcripts). All undergraduate students transferring from one college to another must provide the transcript(s) of previous college(s). Graduate students must provide transcripts of all previous university education, in addition to the current graduate degree transcripts. For example, a PhD student should provide the bachelor’s and master’s degree transcripts, as well as the transcript of their current PhD program. GCC accepts official transcripts only. 

Note: Please see further explanation regarding official and international transcripts below.

    • 3 reference letters (graduate students only)
      Reference providers must send letters directly to GCC. A reference provider must be someone who is not a family member and who is familiar with your academic work, volunteer activities, and/or employment.

Important: It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure GCC receives the complete application package on or before the deadline. GCC accepts application packages ONLY by email.

The PDF files contained in the application package must meet the naming criteria specified in the application instructions (where Lastname is the applicant’s lastname/familyname/surname).

  • Complete Undergraduate Application files expected:
    • Lastname_undergraduate_application.pdf
    • Lastname_transcripts.pdf
    • LASTNAME_SAT-ACT_score.pdf
  • Complete Graduate Application files expected:
    • Lastname_graduate_application.pdf
    • Lastname_transcripts.pdf
    • LASTNAME_GRE_score.pdf
    • Three (3) reference letters send by each reference provider directly to GCC Scholarship Chair (scholarship@awma-gcc.org).

6. What is an official transcript?
A transcript is considered official if it is marked official by the issuing institution (even if it is downloaded by the student). GCC will accept scanned copies of official transcript from applicants.  All  transcripts should be legible and included in a single PDF file. For applicants with international degrees, please see additional information regarding international transcripts below.

7. What do I do if I have transcripts from universities outside of the United States?
GCC requires transcripts showing the United States equivalency of international academic degrees. Therefore, applicants with international degrees need to submit transcripts that have been verified, evaluated, and translated (if the language is not English). GCC does not and cannot verify or evaluate international transcripts. Transcripts evaluation must be conducted by reputable organizations that are current members of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES, see http://www.naces.org/members.html), such as World Education Services (WES) or Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE, see http://aice-eval.org/members/ ). GCC will accept the scanned copy of the original course-by-course evaluation report provided by such reputable organizations.

8. How do I submit the complete application package?
The application form and all accompanying documents (i.e. transcripts and GRE or SAT/ACT) should be uploaded to the GCC Application Portal (the link is provided in the application instruction).  Reference letters can be sent to the GCC Scholarship Chair by email to scholarship@awma-gcc.org.

9. How are applicants ranked?
GCC ranks applicants based on a set of criteria that is consistently applied across all candidates. Some of the factors include an outstanding academic performance, research related to the environment, passion for the environment, interest in the environmental field, and community involvement through participation in professional organizations (such as GCC), and/or involvement in environmental activities. In addition, ensure that essays are coherent and free of grammatical, punctuation, and typographical errors.

10. How much is awarded to recipients?
The scholarship amount awarded varies from year to year.  In the past five years, it ranged from $2,000 to $4,000, depending on the availability of funds. Visit the scholarship recipients’ page at http://www.awma-gcc.org/index.php/available-schols/ for links to scholarships awarded in previous years.

11. Is the scholarship paid to the institution or to the students?
The GCC Scholarship is for the payment of tuition and other school fees/dues. Therefore, GCC will pay the scholarship directly to the institution. Any money left unused in a school year can be carried over to the next school year. GCC does not impose any restriction on the semester in which the scholarship can be used.

12. Are past recipients eligible to apply in current year?
Yes. Past recipients are eligible and are encouraged to apply as long as they can demonstrate eligibility as stated above. In addition, past recipients need to demonstrate (e.g. in their essay) how the scholarship has benefited them.

13. I applied in the past and was not selected. Can I reapply?
Yes. GCC strongly encourages past applicants to reapply in the current year.

14. Have any additional questions?
For any additional question(s) not answered above, please contact the GCC Scholarship Chair at scholarship@awma-gcc.org. The email subject should be Undergraduate/Graduate Scholarship Inquiry (please indicate whether your inquiry is regarding undergraduate or graduate application).