The study abroad experience is a wonderful one and something all students should at least consider in college.  The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program is a scholarship program that helps make studying abroad an option for students.  This scholarship is sponsored by the Bureau fo Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State and is administered by the Institute of International Education.  The goal of the Gilman International Scholarship Program is to support students who are interested in studying abroad in non-traditional locations (outside of Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand).

Additionally, the scholarships aims to support students who “have been traditionally under-represented in study abroad” including community college students, low income students, students with disabilities, students of color, and students who are studying in fields such as the sciences and engineering.

This opportunity is open for students in the United States and Puerto Rico.  Eligible students must be receiving Pell Grants at a two-year or four-year college/university in the United States.  This scholarship will award over 2,300 scholarships of up to $5,000 for students!  

The application for this scholarship can be found online.

There are several scholarships offered, based on three different timelines.  The one you will be looking at is the Spring 2015 deadline, which is due October 7, 2014.