The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship is a grant program that enables U.S. citizen undergraduate students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, thereby gaining skills critical to our national security and economic competitiveness.

The GVSU Fellowships Office is here to walk alongside you as you draft your essays - BEFORE you submit them via the application portal at the deadline for the national review process. Email [email protected] to set up a time to talk about the application process. It's best to start early in the application cycle, as competitive essays require reflection and revision. This State Department award opens doors to subsequent fellowships – Fulbright, Peace Corps and more. All IIE Gilman recipients will want to keep an eye out for future emails to the Gilman alumni community, as additional opportunities are open only to recipients. Recipients will also have, for a limited time, non-competitive eligibility for federal jobs at the conclusion of their Gilman-awarded study-abroad experience. That’s quite something, if you are looking at a career in federal service after you graduate!

Am I Eligible?

- I am a U.S. citizen.

-  I am a GVSU undergraduate in good standing (not on probation; with no conduct violations). Spring/Summer Applicants can walk at April graduation but their degree cannot be conferred until after they complete their study abroad program.

-  I am eligible for the Pell Grant.   Not sure?  Ask GVSU Financial Aid Office.

OR — dependent child of an active duty military member(s) during the time of application. Parent/guardian must serve in the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, or Coast Guard. Applicant must currently receive any type of Title IV federal financial aid. Study abroad program must meet all other Gilman eligibility. The Gilman-McCain Scholarship uses the same application as the Gilman Scholarship.

- I am planning to study/intern abroad for at least 21 days (this limit has now been lifted - study-abroad programs of fewer than 21 days are now included as eligible for funding but preference is still for longer programs)

- My host site has an overall Travel Advisory Level 1 or 2, according to the U.S. Department of State’s Travel Advisory System. 

NOTE:   Certain areas within Level 1 or 2 countries may be designated 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. This is especially true for some programs in Mexico, where travel warning levels vary by state.

Not sure about your study abroad plans? Visit the Padnos International Center, 130 Lake Ontario Hall

Best advice!

1. Visit the Padnos International Center (Lake Ontario Hall) to meet with your study-abroad advisor and move forward with the GVSU processes for study abroad. Once you have your study-abroad program chosen and are working with PIC, come visit the Meijer Office of Fellowships to explore external, competitive fellowships that help to defray the cost of undergraduate study abroad. (NOTE: Padnos International Center ALSO has many GVSU scholarships for which you can apply to help with the cost of study abroad. That's not what the Fellowships Office does.)
2. The IIE Gilman (State Department) International Scholarship program has two cycles. One opens in late July with an early October deadline. One opens in January with an early March deadline. Each corresponds to a window of time in which the study abroad experience occurs. The October deadline is for study-abroad programs running in what we would call Winter (what Gilman will call spring) semester, Summer semester and Fall semester. The March deadline is for Summer, Fall, Winter (Spring), and Full Academic Year.
3. Contact the GVSU Meijer Office of Fellowships to set up a time for a zoom or in-person meeting about the required three essays.
4. Explore the IIE Gilman website, which is full of great advice for writing successful essays.
5. Open an application account on the IIE Gilman website.
6. START WRITING (in a Google doc).
7. Share your google doc drafts with the Fellowships office and with writing mentors (the Writing Center is a fine resource for you).
8. Write, reflect and revise. Get feedback from the Fellowships Office.
9. Write and Revise Some More! Get more feedback from the Fellowships Office.
10. When you are finished with your drafts (and NOT BEFORE), enter them into the IIE Gilman application portal and hit the Submit button. Once you hit the submit button, you cannot revise any more. We cannot help you. Don't submit until just before the deadline so that you have plenty of time to revise.