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. To be eligible for the Gilman Program, 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. 

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. A Gilman Scholar’s final award amount will be determined by financial need, program length, overall program costs and the strength of the application during the selection panel recommendation process.

Please review the selection criteria, and address these details, to strengthen your application: https://www.gilmanscholarship.org/applicants/selection-criteria/. Additional submission tips are at https://www.gilmanscholarship.org/applicants/tips/. 

• 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.

• freshman
• sophomore
• junior
• senior

• US Citizen

The Gilman Scholarship website provides critical details about the application process, and significant advice and guidance for the application essays. Please use all of the excellent resources at https://www.gilmanscholarship.org/applicants/application-overview/ to prepare your strongest application.

There are TWO deadlines annually.

• 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. 

Please see https://www.gilmanscholarship.org/ for more specific details.

UW Seattle Undergraduates planning to apply for the Gilman Scholarship can get advice and guidance on the application essays from:

Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards

MGH 171, scholarq@uw.edu 

https://expd.uw.edu/scholarships/