About the Scholarship
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship aims to diversify the kinds of students who study and intern abroad and the countries and regions where they go by offering awards to U.S. undergraduates who are eligible for a Federal Pell Grant at a two-year or four-year college or university. Winners of the Gilman Scholarship receive up to $5,000 to study abroad for a minimum of 21 consecutive days up to a full academic year. Applicants may also apply for the supplementary Critical Need Language Award, which supports study of one of the 15 designated critical need languages while studying abroad in a country where the language is predominantly spoken. Consult with your academic department for available USC-affiliated study abroad programs.
Students who are eligible for Gilman and are interested in studying abroad in East or Southeast Asia should also look into the Freeman-ASIA Scholarship.
On November 29, 2016 President Obama signed an Executive Order giving alumni from the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship non-competitive eligibility for U.S. government jobs.
Requirements
Basic Eligibility
Candidates must:
- be a U.S. citizen.
- be an undergraduate student in good standing.
- be receiving a Federal Pell Grant at the time of application or during the term abroad.
- be in the process of applying to or accepted into a study abroad program or internship eligible for academic credit by USC.
- participating in a study abroad program or international internship that is no less than three weeks (21 days) – in one country and no more than an academic year.
- be applying for credit-bearing study abroad programs in a 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, as such; students will not be allowed to travel to these areas.
Veterans will be given preference during selection in cases where all other factors are equal.
Gilman-McCain International Scholarship for the Children of Military Families
New this year, Gilman-McCain Scholarship, a congressionally funded initiative providing $5,000 awards for child dependents of active duty service members to study or intern abroad on credit-bearing programs.
Selection Criteria
Award amounts range from $100 to $5000 (with the opportunity to receive a Critical Need Language Award of up to $8000). Financial need is based on the study abroad expenses provided by the applicant’s advisor and additional financial aid information submitted through the application.
Applications are reviewed holistically, with consideration of:
- Impact of program and destination on student’s academic and career trajectory
- Community impact abroad and upon student’s return home
- Academic preparedness
- Diversity of background and experience
- Commitment to proficiency in a critical need language (only applicable for CNLA applicants)
Advising
AHF does not provide feedback on application content for this award. Please consider reaching out to a faculty mentor and/or a previous Gilman Scholarship recipient for mentorship. A list of previous Gilman Scholarship recipients from USC can be found on our Recipients page.
We also recommend making an appointment with The Writing Center for feedback on statements.