The cost of studying abroad stops more American students than any academic requirement or language barrier. A semester in Europe, Asia, or Africa runs $8,000 to $25,000 depending on the program, and that figure sits on top of regular tuition. Federal financial aid travels with you to approved programs, but the gap between what aid covers and what programs cost is real. Scholarships exist specifically to close that gap, and the largest one -- the Gilman Scholarship -- funds over 3,000 students per year. Most applicants never apply because they assume they will not qualify or that the process is too competitive. Both assumptions are wrong.
The Gilman Scholarship: What It Actually Is
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship is funded by the US Department of State and administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE). It provides awards of up to $5,000 for semester-length programs and up to $8,000 for a full academic year abroad. Students studying a critical-need language (Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Russian, among others) in the host country can receive an additional $3,000 supplement.
Eligibility requires three things: you must be a US citizen, you must be receiving a Federal Pell Grant at the time of application, and you must be enrolled at a two-year or four-year institution in the US. Community college students are explicitly eligible and historically underrepresented in the applicant pool, which works in their favor. There is no GPA minimum published by the program, though competitive applicants typically hold a 2.5 or above.
The acceptance rate hovers around 25-30%, which is significantly higher than most named scholarships. In the 2024-2025 cycle, roughly 11,000 students applied and approximately 3,100 received awards. These are not lottery odds. With a well-prepared application, your chances are real and measurable.
The Gilman Application: What Reviewers Actually Look For
The application has two essay components: a Statement of Purpose (up to 7,000 characters) and a Follow-on Service Project proposal (up to 3,000 characters). The Statement of Purpose is where most applications succeed or fail.
Reviewers are trained to evaluate three dimensions: the clarity of your academic and career goals as they connect to international experience, the specificity of your engagement plan in the host country (what will you actually do beyond attending classes), and the evidence that you have thought seriously about challenges you might face and how you will manage them.
The most common mistake is writing a generic essay about wanting to experience another culture. Every applicant wants to experience another culture. The winning essays describe concrete plans: a specific research project at a partner university, a particular internship or volunteer placement arranged through your program, or a defined language-learning goal with measurable milestones. Specificity signals preparation, and preparation signals that the investment will produce results.
The Follow-on Service Project is a plan for what you will do after returning to promote study abroad on your campus or in your community. Successful proposals are modest and achievable: a presentation series at your university, a social media campaign documenting your experience for prospective applicants, or a mentorship program pairing returned students with first-generation applicants. Avoid grandiose plans you cannot realistically execute.
Application Timeline and Strategy
Gilman runs two cycles per year: one for spring and summer programs (deadline typically in early October) and one for fall and academic year programs (deadline typically in early March). Results are announced approximately eight weeks after the deadline.
Start your application at least six weeks before the deadline. The essay drafting process benefits enormously from revision cycles, and your campus study abroad office can review drafts if you give them enough lead time. Many universities have a Gilman advisor or a study abroad office staff member who has reviewed dozens of successful applications. Use that resource. Their feedback is free and directly calibrated to what reviewers want to see.
One tactical note: the program explicitly encourages applications from students studying in non-traditional destinations. Western Europe receives the most applications per slot. Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East receive fewer applications relative to available funding. If your academic goals genuinely align with a less-common destination, your application faces less statistical competition.
Fund for Education Abroad (FEA)
The Fund for Education Abroad is a private nonprofit that awards $1,250 to $10,000 per student for study abroad programs. Unlike Gilman, FEA does not require Pell Grant eligibility. Their criteria focus on financial need more broadly, including students whose family contribution is low but who fall above the Pell Grant threshold.
FEA awards approximately 100 scholarships per cycle, with an acceptance rate around 15-20%. The application requires a personal statement, a budget breakdown of your program, and two letters of recommendation. Their review process places significant weight on the budget section -- they want to see that you have researched actual costs and have a realistic plan for covering the gap between the scholarship and total expenses.
FEA is particularly strong for students going to programs in the Global South, students from minority backgrounds, and students attending community colleges or minority-serving institutions. If you fit any of these categories, FEA should be on your list. Pour en savoir plus, consultez destinations dog-friendly en France.
Boren Awards: For Students Interested in National Security
The Boren Scholarship (undergraduate) and Boren Fellowship (graduate) fund study of languages and cultures critical to US national security. Awards range from $8,000 for a summer program to $25,000 for a full academic year. The catch: Boren recipients commit to working in the federal government for at least one year after graduation. This is a binding service requirement, not a suggestion.
If a career in government, intelligence, defense, or diplomacy aligns with your plans, Boren is one of the most generous study abroad awards available. Priority languages include Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Swahili, and Turkish. Priority regions include Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.
The application is more involved than Gilman: it requires a detailed language study plan, a statement connecting your study abroad to national security broadly defined, and strong faculty recommendations. Approximately 200 awards are made per year from around 800 applications.
Lesser-Known Grants Most Advisors Miss
Beyond the big three, several smaller grants fly under the radar. The Tortuga Backpacks Study Abroad Scholarship awards $1,000 twice yearly through an essay competition open to any enrolled US student. The CIEE Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship covers full program costs for students from historically underrepresented groups. The Phi Kappa Phi Study Abroad Grant awards $1,000 to members of the honor society. The NSEP David L. Boren Scholarship supplements are available for students already receiving other NSEP funding.
State-level grants are the most overlooked category. California, New York, Texas, and several other states fund study abroad through dedicated programs or through allocations within existing financial aid frameworks. Check with your state higher education authority -- many students discover funding they never knew existed.
Your university itself may offer institutional grants for study abroad. These are often small ($500-$2,000) but stack with federal and private scholarships. The study abroad office and financial aid office sometimes maintain separate lists of these opportunities, so check both.
Stacking Scholarships: How to Fund the Entire Trip
Most study abroad scholarships allow stacking -- receiving multiple awards for the same program. A realistic funding stack for a semester abroad might look like: Gilman ($5,000) + FEA ($2,500) + university grant ($1,500) + existing Pell Grant and federal loans. This combination can cover or nearly cover a $12,000-$15,000 semester program.
The key is applying to multiple scholarships simultaneously and treating each application as a separate, tailored effort. Recycling the same essay across applications is the fastest way to produce mediocre applications. Each funder has different priorities, and your writing should reflect that you understand what each one values.
Start a spreadsheet in September of the year before you plan to go abroad. List every scholarship with its deadline, requirements, and award amount. Work backward from deadlines to create a writing schedule. This level of organization is what separates students who fund their entire experience from those who assume they cannot afford to go.
What Happens If You Do Not Get Gilman
Rejection from Gilman is common and not final. You can reapply in a subsequent cycle, and reapplicants who incorporate feedback often succeed on the second attempt. The program provides brief feedback on unsuccessful applications if you request it through your campus advisor.
If funding remains a barrier, consider shorter programs (summer intensives cost $3,000-$6,000 and are easier to fund), programs in lower-cost countries (a semester in Senegal, India, or Ecuador costs significantly less than one in London or Paris), or exchange programs through your university where you pay home tuition and only cover living expenses abroad.
For students exploring travel options on a budget, resources like Hospitalidee can help identify affordable accommodation and local services in various destinations. The point is this: cost is a real barrier, but it is not an absolute one. The funding exists. The work is in finding it and applying well.