Twenty-one UNC-Chapel Hill students received the U.S. Department of State’s Gilman International Scholarship for study abroad this summer and fall. The number of awardees is a new record for Carolina, three times higher than the usual count of recipients in an award cycle compared to pre-pandemic numbers.
The Gilman program enables students with financial need to study or intern abroad, gaining skills the State Department deems critical to national security and economic competitiveness. The Carolina recipients will study abroad in 16 countries, and more than half will study languages including Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Spanish.
Collectively, the Tar Heels won $74,500 with each receiving up to $5,000 to fund tuition, room and board, books, local transportation, insurance, airfare, and passport and visa fees.
Jason Kinnear, associate dean of study abroad and exchanges in the Study Abroad Office, recognized study abroad advisors August Armbrister, Ken Nesbett and Sharon Hudik as instrumental to the increase in Gilman recipients. “They poured so much time and energy into reviewing essays and coaching students throughout the application process. This achievement demonstrates their investment in students, Carolina’s strength in language and area studies, and the caliber of our Tar Heels.”
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. Gilman alumni are eligible for 12 months of noncompetitive eligibility hiring status within the federal government, meaning a Gilman scholar who meets the qualifications for an open position will be given preference in hiring.
The Gilman Scholarship is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and is supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education (IIE).
The next deadline for the Gilman Scholarship is Oct. 5, 2023.
By UNC Global