Gilman Scholarship
Funding for a study abroad program or internship with academic credit.
Eligibility
- U.S. citizen, an undergraduate student in good standing.
- Receiving a Federal Pell Grant at the time of application or or provide proof that will be receiving a Pell Grant during the term of their study abroad program or internship.
- Applying for credit-bearing study abroad programs in a country or area with an overall Travel Advisory Level 1 or 2.
- In the process of applying to, or accepted for, a study abroad program or internship program eligible for credit from the student’s home institution. Multi-country/area programs are allowed. Proof of program acceptance is required prior to award disbursement.
- The Gilman Program no longer has a minimum program length requirement.
- The U.S. Department of State has a Travel Advisory that lists the levels for each country of the world. Students are eligible to apply for programs in countries that have Level 1 and Level 2 Travel Advisories. For more information about the revised travel policy, please go to the USA Study Abroad website or go to Travel.State.gov.
Travel Advisory Level
Please note that if the country where you choose to study abroad is at a level 3 or 4 at the time of application, the Gilman program will still consider review applications. In the event that an applicant is selected for the Gilman scholarship and if the destination country is still at a level 3 or 4, even if only due to COVID-19, by the time the program starts, then the recipient will be required to change their program or defer their award.
About the Gilman Scholarship
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship offers grants for U.S. citizen undergraduate students of limited financial means to pursue academic studies abroad or credit bearing career-oriented internships abroad.
The program encourages students to choose non-traditional study and intern abroad destinations, especially those outside of Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand and aims to support students who have been traditionally under-represented in study abroad (i.e. students with high financial need, students in under-represented fields such as the sciences and engineering, students with diverse ethnic backgrounds, and students with disabilities).
Over 3,000 scholarships of up to $5,000 will be awarded annually. Award amounts will vary depending on the length of study and student need with the average award being $4,000 for fall and spring programs and $3,000 for summer programs. Students propose a follow-on service project to promote study abroad and the Gilman scholarship after their program.
Amount Awarded
$3,000-$5,000
Application Process
Applications must be submitted online by the campus deadline and do require online certifications from 1) a study abroad advisor and 2) a financial aid advisor. We encourage you to begin your application early.
Critical Need Language Award for Gilman Recipients: Applicants who are studying a critical need language while abroad in a country in which the language is predominantly spoken can apply for a supplemental award of up to $3,000, for a combined total of $8,000. These are competitive and limited in number. To be considered for the Critical Need Language Award, a brief additional essay is required and can be submitted in the same Gilman application.
Gilman-McCain Scholarship (New)
The Gilman-McCain Scholarship provides awards of $5,000 for child dependents of active duty service members who receive any type of Title IV federal financial aid to study or intern abroad on credit-bearing programs. See deadlines on the official Gilman-McCain Scholarship website.
Timeline Details
The Gilman Scholarship has a campus process. Therefore, you need to be aware of two deadlines: a campus deadline and a national deadline. The campus deadline is early March for summer/fall/academic year programs and early October for winter/spring programs and the advisors deadlines fall a few days after the campus deadlines.
Campus Application Deadline
Early March for summer/fall/academic year programs and early October for winter/spring programs.
National Application Deadline
Additional Info
Number Awarded: 2,900+ per year
Find more information, including application criteria, at the Gilman Scholarship website.