Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships for Study Abroad
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and offers awards of up to $5,000 to defray the costs of study abroad for US citizen students who are receiving federal Pell Grant funding at a 2- or 4-year college or university. In the granting of awards, some preference is given to students applying for study-abroad destinations in non-traditional locations (i.e., destinations other than Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand).
To be eligible for a Gilman International Scholarship:
- Applicants must be citizens of the United States. (Permanent resident aliens are not eligible.)
- Applicants must be recipients of federal Pell Grant funding during the academic term of their application.
- Applicants must be applying to or been accepted for a program of study abroad eligible for credit at UK. The study abroad program must be country-based in nature. Applicants must not currently be on the study-abroad program for which they are applying.
- The program must be at least four weeks in duration; multi-country programs are acceptable if the applicant will be in one country for at least four weeks.
- Applicants may not be applying for study in Cuba, nor in any other country that is currently under a Travel Warning issued by the United States Department of State. (A list of these countries is available at http://travel.state.gov/warnings_list.html.)
Gilman Scholarships are available for study abroad for the Fall or Spring semester or for the full academic year. Summer study-abroad programs are not eligible for the Gilman awards.
The Gilman scholarship aims to support a diverse range of students who have been traditionally under-represented in study abroad, including but not limited to students with high financial need, students interested in studying in diverse countries, especially those outside of Western Europe and Australia, students attending community colleges, students with diverse ethnic backgrounds, students from diverse range of institutions including two-year, four-year, public, private, minority-serving etc., and students with disabilities.
The selection criteria for the Gilman Scholarship Program are based upon the Gilman Scholarship Program goals that may differ from other scholarship programs. Meeting one or more of the above criteria does not guarantee acceptance. In sum, applications are reviewed in their entirety - no one criterion outweighs another. Award recipients are selected using the following criteria:
- Diversity of Applicant
- Statement of Purpose Essay (the impact that the study abroad program will have on the applicant's academic, professional and personal goals and the impact that receiving the Gilman Scholarship would have on the achievement of these goals)
- Follow-on Project Proposal Essay
- Academic Progress and Performance
- Fields of Study
- Country of Destination
- U.S. Institution and State Distribution
- Length of Study
- Lack Previous Undergraduate Study Abroad Experience
Applications are made online; three copies of transcripts (1 official, 2 copies) must be sent in hard copy to the Gilman International Scholarship Program. There are three online components to the application: the student's portion, the financial aid advisor certification, and the study abroad advisor certification.
Fall 2006 Timeline
The Fall 2006 cycle is for programs beginning between July 15 and October 15, 2006. The fall cycle encompasses fall semester, quarter and academic year study abroad programs that are a minimum of four weeks in length. If your study abroad program begins immediately prior to or after these dates please contact the Gilman Program at gilman@iie.org.
- Mid-January 2006 Online Application available for Fall application cycle.
- April 4, 2006 *Student Deadline* for submission of online application.
- April 6, 2006 Postmark Deadline for official, university undergraduate transcript/s. All applicants must submit three copies of their official transcript from the institution where they are currently enrolled and their most recently attended transfer institution, if applicable.
- April 6, 2006 Advisor Deadline for submission of online Study Abroad Advisor and Financial Aid Advisor section.
- April 2006 Complete Applications are processed and distributed to selection panels for review.
- Early June All Applicants are notified of the status of their application via email. Study Abroad and Financial Aid advisors will be notified of scholarship recipients only via email.
- June 30, 2006 Award Recipients must accept/decline their award and send in required documentation.
Students interested in the Gilman Scholarships are urged to consult the Office of External Scholarships and/or the Study Abroad Office. For additional information about these awards and the application process, see http://www.iie.org//programs/gilman/index.html.
