Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program

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At-a-Glance

The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, providing them with skills critical to our national security and economic prosperity. The program provides up to $5,000 for American students to pursue overseas study or internships for college credit. To be eligible, applicants must be 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.

The Gilman Program broadens the student population that studies and interns abroad by supporting undergraduates who might not otherwise participate due to financial constraints.  The program aims to encourage students to study and intern in a diverse array of countries or areas and world regions. The program also encourages students to study languages, especially languages deemed important to national security. Veterans of military service are encouraged to apply, and preference is given to veterans when other factors are equivalent. By supporting undergraduate students who have high financial need, the program has been successful in supporting students who have been historically underrepresented in education abroad, including but not limited to first-generation college students, ethnic minority students, students with disabilities, students attending HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) or other minority-serving institutions, students attending community colleges, rural students, and students coming from U.S. states with less study abroad participation. Critical Need Language Need Award.

Students studying critical need languages are eligible for up to $3,000 in additional funding as part of the Gilman Critical Need Language Supplement program (not to be confused with the Critical Language Scholarship Program). Those critical need languages include:

  • Arabic (all dialects)
  • Chinese (all dialects)
  • Bahasa Indonesia
  • Japanese
  • Turkic (Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgz, Turkish, Turkmen, Uzbek)
  • Persian (Farsi, Dari, Kurdish, Pashto, Tajiki)
  • Indic (Hindi, Urdu, Nepali, Sinhala, Bengali, Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati, Sindhi)
  • Korean
  • Russian
  • Swahili
  • Portuguese
    ​​​​​

Consult the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page for further details.

Program Length

The Gilman Scholarship program does not have a minimum program length requirement, so short-term programs are eligible. However, the program must otherwise meet the eligibility requirements, including being credit-bearing.

Eligibility and Application Overview

The scholarship program is open to all U.S. citizen undergraduates, in good academic standing who have received a Federal Pell Grant and meet the following criteria.

Eligible Applicants Must Be:

  • Receiving a Federal Pell Grant or provide proof that he/she will be receiving a Pell Grant at the time of application or during the term of his/her study abroad program or internship.
  • Applying to or has been accepted into a study abroad program or internship eligible for credit by the student's accredited institution of higher education in the U.S.
  • Programs going to more than one country are eligible if the student will be in one country for at least four consecutive weeks.
  • Studying or interning in any country with an overall Travel Advisory Level 1 or 2, according to the U.S. Department of State’s Travel Advisory System. Certain areas within these countries may be designated within the Travel Advisory as either “Do not travel to” (Level 4) or “Reconsider travel to” (Level 3) locations; students will not be allowed to travel to these areas. Students are not eligible to apply for programs in a country with an overall Level 3 or 4 Travel Advisory.

For more information visit Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship website

Contact Information
Gilman Scholarship Program
Institute of International Education
1800 West Loop South, Suite 250
Houston, TX 77027

Contact email and phone number varies by participant status and last name.

Applicant and Recipient Inquiries:
A - D
Phone: 832.369.3477 
Email: gilmanforms@iie.org

E-K
Phone: 832.369.3484 
Email: gilman@iie.org

L-Q
Phone: 832.369.3475
Email: gilmandocs@iie.org

R-Z
Phone: 832.369.3485
Email: gilmanapp@iie.org

For Gilman Alumni and Scholars Currently Abroad:
Phone: 832.369.3496
Email: gilman_scholars@iie.org

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