The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship is accepting applications for the Summer 2014 and Fall 2014 terms.

The Gilman International Scholarship program offers grants for undergraduate students of limited financial means to pursue academic studies abroad. Ideally, the Gilman Scholarship aims to support students who have been traditionally underrepresented in study abroad, including, but not limited to, students with high financial need, students in underrepresented fields such as the sciences and engineering, students with diverse ethnic backgrounds, and students with disabilities. Award amounts will vary depending on the length of study and student need. To be eligible for the award, a student must:

-be a U.S. citizen,
-be receiving a Federal Pell Grant or provide proof that he or she will receive a Pell Grant during the term in which the award is received,
-be accepted to or applying to a study abroad program eligible for credit by the College, and
-be studying abroad for at least four weeks in one country
More than 2,300 scholarships of up to $5,000 will be awarded this academic year to study abroad. Award amounts will vary depending on the length of study and student need with the average award being approximately $4,000. Students who apply for and receive the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad are then eligible to receive a Critical Need Language Award from the Gilman Scholarship Program of $8,000. Applicants who are studying a critical need language while abroad in a country in which the language is predominantly spoken will automatically be considered for the Critical Need Language Award. (Visit the program Website for a list of critical need languages).

Applications and further information are available online.

The Summer 2014 and Fall 2014 application deadline for this scholarship is Tuesday, Mar. 4.

If you are interested in applying, please read the following notes very carefully:

-Students will not see a GPA requirement on the Gilman Scholarship Website, which can be misleading. Because of the high caliber of students applying for this award, most selected applicants have well over a 3.0 GPA. Generally, the lower the GPA, the more extraordinary or compelling the rest of the student’s background must be.
-Certain countries require a much more competitive application than others due to their popularity among students. The chances of being selected for a Gilman Scholarship increase if you are studying in a country that is not in Western Europe and that is not an English-speaking country. Countries with lesser-taught/studied languages will also increase your chances of being selected (think Arabic, Chinese, Swahili, Japanese, etc.). A multitude of students pick England, Italy, and France as their country of choice, making the competition to study in these countries increase significantly. A student who wishes to study in a popular country on the Gilman Scholarship needs to make an extremely strong case for wanting to do so.
-It is very important to show the scholarship selection committee exactly how studying abroad in the particular country and program you choose will benefit your discipline of study and career intentions. It is also important to show the committee that you are enthusiastic about studying abroad and that you have had a long-standing love of the country that you choose (provide concrete examples), even if you have never been there before.

The Service Proposal
Applicants who are selected are required to fulfill a service by promoting the benefits of study abroad to encourage other students to study overseas. Many students who are selected cite a combination of things that they will do in this regard, such as delivering presentations to groups of students along with a direct sharing of the host country’s culture. The more unique and creative the idea, the better the chances of being selected.

Students who are interested in applying and looking for assistance with their applications may contact Michele Galati in the Career and Scholarship Center (Building 1A, Room 105) at michele.galati@csi.cuny.edu or 718.982.2301. Further information can also be found by contacting Russell Davis in the Center for International Service (Building 2A, Room 106) at russell.davis@csi.cuny.edu or 718.982.2100.