Application Tips

Once you begin your Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship application you will receive by-weekly e-newsletters to assist you with the application process. If you have any questions as you prepare your application, please contact Christine Moss at gilman@iie.org or 1-888-887-5939 x 25.

Application Status:

Once you begin an application, your application status will become visible. You can click on "my application status" and see the percentage completed. You can also see what components of the application are missing, including if your advisors have certified your application and whether the Gilman Scholarship Program has received your transcripts. If you have questions regarding your application status, please contact Christine Moss at gilman@iie.org or 1-888-887-5939 x 25.

Gilman Emails:

Are you receiving them? You may not be receiving important emails from the Gilman Scholarship Program, because your email account is not allowing Gilman emails to enter your inbox. Often we see reset password and application status emails returned, because they are not allowed by the recipients email system. Please make sure that you are able to receive Gilman emails, because they are our main form of communication, and they include important information regarding your application. If you are using a university email account, you may have to contact the system administrator. If you are using a non-university email, such as AOL, Hotmail or Yahoo our emails may go to your junk folder. One way to reduce this occurring is to add our Gilman email, gilman@iie.org, to your address book.

Contact your Advisors:

The Gilman Scholarship Program highly encourages cooperation between advisors and applicants. Advisors are integral to your application. Your study abroad advisor can assist you with the application process, composing and proof-reading your essays, and in developing your follow-on project. Your financial aid advisor can inform you of your financial aid information, which is required on the application. Both advisors will be required to certify the information provided in your application in order for your application to be complete. Be courteous and start conversing with your advisors now if you have not already done so. If your advisors have questions, please have them contact Olga Tunga at gilmanadvisors@iie.org or 1-888-887-5939 x 16.

Request your Transcripts:

The Gilman Scholarship Program requires 3 transcripts to accompany your application in order for it to be reviewed by the selection panel and considered for an award. You may send 3 official transcripts, or 1 official transcript and 2 photocopies to the address below. Transcripts do not have to be received in their original envelope. If you are a first-year student and do not have a previous record at your home institution, then please also send either your high school transcript or previous institution’s transcript along with a letter from your home institution stating your current enrollment. Transcripts must be postmarked no later than the deadline assigned for the current application cycle.

Request your transcripts now to avoid delaying your application!

Send to:

Institute of International Education
Attn: Gilman Transcripts
1800 West Loop South, Suite 250
Houston, TX 77027

Tips for Writing Competitive Essays:

Have your essay proofread. One of the most important things to remember for any essay is to have it read by an advisor or professor. Spell check and grammar check are fine, but a good proofreader will find things that your word processing software won’t. For example, study abroad is often spelled wrong in an essay as study aboard. Both are spelled correctly according to spell check, but the latter is incorrect in context. In addition, a proofreader can often make suggestions on how to clarify a point that may not make sense to someone else.
Work with your advisors. It is important to talk with you study abroad advisor prior to completing your essays. Your study abroad advisor can give you ideas for subjects to cover in your statement of purpose essay. He/She can also help you develop a creative follow-on project. Remember your advisors may have participated in selection panels for scholarship programs and can give you some great insight into what makes an interesting and competitive essay.
Work with your writing center on campus. Take the first draft of your essay to your campus writing center or to a composition professor. These individuals have invaluable expertise in writing essays for scholarships and can be a great resource on your campus anytime you need to prepare an essay.
Be creative. Remember that this is a competitive scholarship program and the selection panelist’s only chance to get to know you is through your essay. The essays are your chance to tell the selection panelist about yourself and your decision to study abroad. It is important to develop an original and creative follow-on project. The most competitive applications are those that have creative and original essays.
Check for proper spelling, punctuation and grammar. Before submitting your application, be sure to double check your essay. Did you spell the names of cities correctly? Spell check will not always correct these mistakes. Be sure you have proper punctuation and do not type your essay in all lower case or all upper case letters. Most importantly check for correct grammar. Grammar check will not always correct your sentence properly so it is important to have someone else look at your essay thoroughly.

For more in-depth information regarding the Statement of Purpose and Follow-on Project Proposal essays, please visit the essay section of the Frequently Asked Questions.

Polishing Your Application:

As you prepare to submit your application, here are a few important tips to remember:

Are your name and contact information spelled correctly with proper punctuation and capitalization? All materials will be reviewed exactly as submitted. Please make sure your essays and all application questions are submitted using proper punctuation and grammar. Do not type in all caps or all lower case.
Are your study abroad program dates correct? Double check to make sure you have entered the correct year. For example, if your program begins in January, be sure to list the new year in your program dates. If you still have not received your exact program dates, please enter the best estimated dates. Once you are informed of the exact dates, notify the Gilman Scholarship Program immediately.
Has someone else, preferably your study abroad advisor, proofread your essay? Your advisors may have experience advising students for the Gilman Scholarship Program and will have good insight on what to include in your essay – or what not to include.
Have you selected the correct Study Abroad Advisor and Financial Aid Advisor to certify your application? It is important to meet with your advisors to let them know you will be submitting an application and that they will need to certify the application online. The advisors that you select in your application must come from your home institution.
Have you requested your transcripts? Many institutions require a few days to process your transcript before mailing or giving it to you. Transcripts must be mailed to the Gilman Scholarship Program by the postmark deadline found on the Deadlines and Timeline page. Please request your transcripts now to ensure you don't miss the deadline.

Congratulations on submitting your Gilman Scholarship application!

Now what? Once you have completed the online application, your advisors have completed the online certification, and your transcripts have been received, then your application is complete. Please visit the Deadlines and Timeline page for furhter information on when selection panels convene and award notifications are made for each application cycle. You can expect to hear from the Gilman Scholarship Program, whether you have been selected as a recipient or not via email in June. A message will be posted on the home page of the application once applicants have been sent an email with their application status. If any information that you provided in your application changes, please notify the Gilman Scholarship Program immediately.