Recognizing Top
Producing Institutions
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs congratulates the Gilman Top Producing Institutions for academic year 2020-2021.
We recognize this period marks unprecedented challenges for the higher education community, including with respect to student mobility and are proud to have supported nearly 800 Gilman scholars from 48 U.S. states and territories to study or intern, including virtually, in 77 locations around the world.
The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program aims to expand the U.S. student population that studies and interns abroad, helping more young Americans to gain the professional skills, language abilities, and knowledge of the world needed for successful careers and contributing to our country’s economic prosperity. The outstanding and diverse American undergraduate students who study overseas with support from the Gilman Program build relationships, foster mutual understanding, and represent American culture and values, including in developing countries and countries critical to U.S. national security.
We applaud U.S. higher education for their perseverance and attention to these shared goals during this challenging period. We appreciate their dedication and commitment to developing globally minded future leaders. Together, we will continue to support more diverse U.S. students to study and intern in more countries around the globe.
Foreign Policy in Focus:
Gilman Climate Leaders Spotlight
This year, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs spotlights institutions diversifying study abroad by supporting more students who are focused on Climate Change. Over the past five years, the Gilman Program has supported 254 American students studying climate change to study or intern abroad in 63 unique countries. These students came from 131 U.S. colleges and universities and represented 42 states while overseas.
Top Producing Colleges and Universities
1 – Mercer University
2 – Spelman College
3 – Washington and Lee University
“At Mercer, 30% of our population is Pell-grant recipients. Being able to prioritize and help students with this scholarship has been life-changing for them, even allowing some of them to leave the country or fly for the first time. Because of our success with this scholarship, we have seen a huge growth in not just Pell students going abroad, but all students because of the ease of access this scholarship has created. It means a lot to our office and university to be recognized for this. We are a small office of two full-time staff, so to be able to be recognized for the work and advising we do with students in receiving Gilman is fantastic. It also helps motivate us for a new cycle and to hopefully get even more students abroad next year!”
Dr. Scott Davis, Provost, Mercer University
1 – Wright State University
2 – University of Alabama at Birmingham
3 – Albany State University
4 – George Washington University
5 – Cornell University
“Prioritizing accessible education abroad opportunities for every student is a priority at UAB. With over 30% of our student population Pell-eligible, we believe the Gilman Scholarship is a gateway to removing financial accessibility barriers for our student population. Since 2018, we have focused on strengthening partnerships across campus with National and International Fellowships and Scholarships and the Writing Center to support students in their Gilman Scholarship application. Utilizing campus technology and Education Abroad’s application software, we have created targeted outreach to Pell-eligible undergraduates bringing the Gilman Scholarship to the forefront early in their college career and hosted recruitment information sessions with our on-campus Gilman alumni. To further support our Gilman efforts, UAB has developed study abroad programs to specifically support Gilman eligible students, such as our UAB in Wales and our TRIO summer study abroad programs. Receiving this award demonstrates our students’ desire and commitment to international experiences, even when travel was on pause, and UAB’s commitment to support our students to have a global experience. We are truly honored to receive this recognition!”
Dr. Pam Benoit, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost, University of Alabama at Birmingham
“Wright State University makes it a priority to provide accessible study abroad and international internship opportunities for every student. We are especially proud of the collaborative efforts of our University Center for International Education and Office of Disability Services to expand education abroad experiences for students with disabilities. Wright State’s strong participation in the Gilman scholarship program is a testament to our students’ desire to enhance their education with life-changing learning experiences around the world.”
Dr. Susan Edwards, President, Wright State University
1 – University of California – Berkeley
2 – University of Arizona
3 – Arizona State University
4 – The University of Texas at Austin
5 – University of California – Davis
“Our undergraduate population at UC Berkeley is quite diverse. In terms of financial aid, nearly 70% of our undergraduate population receives financial aid; and around 37% receive the Pell grant. These numbers are reflected in our study abroad population as well. We prioritize the Gilman Scholarship because it is a generous, attainable, and prestigious scholarship with an important mission to broaden and diversify the population of students that studies abroad, and our priority is for our study abroad population to mirror the diversity we have on our campus. We feel honored to be recognized for our engagement with the Gilman program. The Gilman scholarship has helped to make study abroad a reality for many UC Berkeley students.”
Professor Carol Christ, Chancellor, University of California-Berkeley
1- Skyline College
2- Portland Community College
3- Austin Community College District
4- Central Piedmont Community College
5- El Camino Community College District
6- Grossmont College
7- Lane Community College
8- Kirkwood Community College
9- Madison Area Technical College
10- Peralta Community College District
11- Pima Community College
12- San Diego Mesa College
13- Santa Barbara City College
14- Seattle Central College
“The Gilman Scholarship is an integral opportunity for the underrepresented populations served at a community college like Kirkwood. The Gilman helps us to achieve equity and access to global learning opportunities. Being awarded this honor is an illustration of our commitment to our vision that Kirkwood students all engage in global learning as part of their Kirkwood educational experience.”
Dr. Lori Sundberg, President, Kirkwood Community College
Concordia University – Nebraska
Florida Southern College
Magdalen College
Ohio Northern University
University of the Sciences
Adelphi University
Arkansas Tech University
El Camino Community College District
El Camino Community College District
About the Gilman International Scholarship Program
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education (IIE).
