U.S. Department of State Announces 2,100 Gilman Scholars, Expanding Access to Study Abroad for American Undergraduate Students

The U.S. Department of State announced today that it has awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to approximately 2,100 American undergraduate students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands who applied in the spring 2024 cycle. All are recipients of the Pell Grant, a federal grant for U.S. undergraduate students with exceptional financial need. On average, 70 percent of Gilman recipients self-identify as racial or ethnic minorities, 60 percent are from rural areas and small towns across America, and half are first-generation college or university students.

This cohort of Gilman scholars will study or intern in over 90 countries and represents more than 500 U.S. colleges and universities. It includes 70 recipients of the Critical Need Language Award and 60 recipients of the new STEM Supplemental Award, which supports selected Gilman scholars to conduct STEM-related research abroad as part of their overseas program. Additionally, there are 56 recipients of the John McCain International Scholarship for the Children of Military Families (Gilman-McCain Scholarship), which are awarded to child and spousal dependents of U.S. military personnel who are active or activated during the application period. The governments of France, Germany, through the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Israel, New Zealand, and Wales, as well as the Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD) in Portugal and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO), provide additional scholarships to Gilman scholars to study in these countries/locations.

Since the program's inception in 2001, more than 41,000 Gilman scholars have studied or interned in more than 160 countries around the globe. Supported by the U.S. Congress, the Gilman Scholarship is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and is aided in its implementation by the Institute of International Education (IIE). To learn more about the Gilman Scholarship, and its recipients, including this newest cohort, visit gilmanscholarship.org.