In mid-January, applications for the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, a need-based scholarship for undergraduates with an award of up to $5,000, opened for Pell Grant eligible students.
Applicants must be in the process of applying to, or being accepted to a study abroad program or internship program that will count towards their overall degree program.
The application deadline is Thursday, March 6, and students will be notified of their status via email in May 2025.
Abby Sanders, current U student and 2024 Gilman recipient, studied in Melbourne, Australia, with the Committee for Melbourne, a non-profit organization that connects a network of individuals to talk about pressing issues in Melbourne.
Sanders said students considering applying for the scholarship should “definitely go for it and be thoughtful about what you want to give back when you are going through your application, specifically regarding the Follow-on Service Project.”
Sanders described the Follow-on Service as a rewarding part of her program that stretched beyond her study abroad internship.
“I think it was the best thing I have done to prepare myself for my career because it gave me a global scope of what I can do in my field,” she said.
Sanders completed her internship in the last semester of her undergraduate program before starting her master’s program in the fall.
“If you’ve never thought you could study abroad due to finances, give the Gilman Scholarship a shot,” she added.
Rejoice Potja, current U senior and Communication major, studied at the University of Utah Asia Campus (UAC) in Spring 2024.
“One of the main parts of the scholarship is to be an ambassador in your host country and Gilman provides the resources needed for that,” Potja said. “They have community events in your host country that you can attend as well.”
They added that the alumni program offers networking and job opportunities exclusive to Gilman scholars.
“For solo travelers, Gilman provides a lot of relief because not only do they check on you while you are on your study abroad, but they also check on you on your way back,” they said.
For Potja, studying abroad was their main priority in school and was the reason they chose the U. Gilman was able to help alleviate the financial burden of studying abroad. They mentioned that many scholarships were geared towards STEM majors, while Gilman was not major-specific.
When asked about their experience on campus at UAC, Potja mentioned that they enjoyed it because the campus is small and everyone gets to know one another. The smaller class sizes also helped in terms of quality of education and the ability to interact directly with professors in their classes.
“Meet with your advisers. Meet with the writing center. And a special edge that students might have, is if they are learning a critical language. There is a test to determine your fluency during the application process.” Potja said. “You need to be specific and clear in your goals when writing your essays.”
The Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships at the U has advisers with which students can schedule appointments to workshop their essays. Also available to students is the university Writing Center, where applicants can walk through their essays with a tutor. Both resources are offered in-person and online through Zoom.
Current and future students can visit the Affordable Programs page to find a program that meets their budgeting goals. This page also provides budgeting tools, tips to plan and save for a study abroad program, as well as ways to find flight deals.
The Learning Abroad page has resources for many other need-based and U specific scholarships.
The application consists of three primary essays: one Statement of Purpose and two Community Impact Essays.
The Statement of Purpose Essay asks the student to define how they expect their experience studying abroad to help achieve their academic goals, why they selected their program and host country, how they plan to be successful abroad and what knowledge they plan to draw on to navigate their new environment.
The first Community Impact Essay is titled Building Mutual Understanding and asks the student to detail how they plan to represent the United States during their program abroad as well as ways they will seek to build meaningful connections and engage in the culture of their host country.
The second Community Impact asks students to detail their plans for a Service Project to increase awareness of Gilman and study abroad in their home community.
Students learning a Critical Need Language may qualify for an additional $3,000. STEM applicants may qualify for a supplemental award of $1,000.
The Critical Need Language Award Essay asks students to discuss their motivations for improving language proficiency, plans for improving language skills while abroad, and intended use for learning the language.
The STEM (defined as agriculture, engineering, health professions, math and computer science and physical and life sciences) Supplemental Award Essay asks applicants to summarize the STEM-related research component of their study abroad program, their overall motivation for their STEM field, as well as how this will contribute to their future goals.
Students may only receive the Gilman scholarship once. However, if an applicant is not selected in the March 2025 cycle, they may re-apply for another cycle as long as they still meet the eligibility criteria and choose a program that falls within the new cycle’s start dates.
The current scholarship cycle includes applicants whose program starts between May 1, 2025 and April 30, 2026.
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