The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program (Gilman Program) supports undergraduate students of limited financial means from across the Unites States to intern or study abroad. Applicants must be receiving or about to receive the Pell Grant in order to be eligible. There are supplemental awards for students who are either learning a critical need language, or have coursework/internship related to STEM.
Eligibility
- A citizen or national of the United States;
- An undergraduate student in good standing at an accredited institution of higher education in the United States (including both two-year and four-year institutions);
- Receiving a Federal Pell Grant during the time of application or provide proof that they will be receiving a Pell Grant during the term of their study abroad program or internship;
- In the process of applying to, or accepted to, a credit-bearing study abroad or internship program. Proof of program acceptance is required prior to award disbursement;
- Applying for credit-bearing study abroad programs in a country or area with an overall Travel Advisory Level 1 or 2, according to the U.S. Department of State’s Travel Advisory System, or is on the list of approved Travel Advisory Level 3 countries/areas. However, certain locations within these countries or areas may be designated within the Travel Advisory as either “Do not travel to” (Level 4) or “Reconsider travel to” (Level 3) locations, as such; students will not be allowed to travel to these specific locations.
Scholarships
- Gilman Scholarship
- Open to all Pell Grant recipients.
- Gilman-McCain Scholarship
- Open to child and spousal dependents of active or activated United States military personnel during the time of application.
- Critical Need Language Award
- A supplemental award to the Gilman for students studying a critical need language.
- STEM Supplemental Award
- A supplemental award to the Gilman for students in relavant STEM coursework or internships.
Events
The Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards (OMSFA) holds Gilman workshops and information sessions every application cycle. View the latest OMSFA events here. If you do not see any upcoming Gilman events, you will see more events closer to the application deadline.
Application deadlines
There are two application deadlines each year:
- The March deadline application will open in mid-January for applicants whose in-person programs or internships start between May to April of the following year. This cycle encompasses Summer, Fall, Academic Year, and Spring programs or internships.
- The October deadline application will open in mid-August for applicants whose in-person programs or internships start between December to October of the following year. This cycle encompasses Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Academic Year programs.
FAQs
Yes, students are encouraged to apply more than once if they did not receive an award before.
You may choose any study abroad & financial aid adviser listed. You do not have to meet with an adviser. They will be notified once you submit your application for certification.
No – you state your intent for a location and term. If you get into a program that has different details, we will update that information on your behalf and you still receive the award as normal.