Usrey Family Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by Horticulture Research Institute

Introduction — The Usrey Family Scholarship
The Usrey Family Scholarship honors a family legacy of involvement in horticulture and leadership within the industry. Created by the Usrey family, the endowment helps students preparing for careers in the green industries and aims to foster their continued participation in the field. This award carries forward the family’s ongoing commitment to education, opportunity, and career development as foundations for a resilient and thriving horticulture sector.

Overview — HRI Scholarship Program
HRI administers a collection of donor-established scholarship funds, each reflecting the donor’s particular interests and priorities. To streamline access, HRI uses a single, unified application so qualifying students can be considered for several scholarship opportunities at once. Through this same application process, applicants may also be evaluated for the Sidney B. Meadows Scholarship Endowment Fund thanks to a partnership between HRI and that program.

Funding Priorities
Industry contributors to HRI scholarships concentrate their support in these areas:
- Nursery and greenhouse production
- Landscape firms and services
- Garden retail operations
- Ornamental plant breeding and propagation
- Horticulture-related business roles, including sales and supply chain positions
- Applied research or extension work that directly benefits environmental and ornamental horticulture

Who Should Apply — Eligibility Summary
Although some individual funds may have extra preferences or restrictions, all scholarships offered through HRI share baseline eligibility standards described below.

Accepted Degree Programs
HRI scholarships are intended primarily for students enrolled in horticulture or programs with a clear connection to the horticulture industry. Typical degree programs considered directly relevant include:
- Horticulture
- Horticultural Science
- Nursery or Greenhouse Management/Production
- Landscape Design, Construction, or Management
- Ornamental Horticulture
- Sustainable Horticulture

Related majors may also qualify if applicants can demonstrate concrete links between their studies and horticulture careers. Examples of such closely related disciplines include:
- Plant Science
- Plant Pathology
- Landscape Architecture
- Forestry
- Business or Marketing (when applied specifically to horticulture businesses or industry roles)

Applicants in related fields must clearly explain how their coursework, practical experience, and career objectives translate into direct, practical contributions to the horticulture industry.

Academic and Enrollment Requirements
- Minimum cumulative GPA: 2.25 or higher.
- GPA is reviewed as part of the full application and considered in context with other materials.
- Applicants must be enrolled full time and in good academic standing during the semester that the scholarship would be awarded.
- Eligible degree levels:
- Undergraduate: Associate or Bachelor’s degree programs
- Graduate: Master’s or Doctoral degree programs

Note: Individual scholarship funds may indicate preferred degree levels or further limit eligibility. Unless a specific fund states otherwise, applicants at any of the degree levels listed above are eligible.