UNL has been very successful in preparing students for the Gilman scholarship, a national scholarship that supports Pell-eligible students to study abroad. For the 2018 spring semester alone, 13 UNL students received funding and just yesterday, 4 additional UNL students were awarded funding for this summer. The Gilman Scholarship provides generous support to students who receive it, offering awards of up to $5,000. Students studying a critical need language can earn an additional $3,000. The average semester award is $4,000 and the average summer award is $2,500.
Recently there have been some changes in the scholarship that make it even more relevant for UNL students, especially those considering faculty-led summer study abroad programs.
The first programmatic change allows students to attend programs 3 weeks in length. Previously the program had to last for at least 28 days. Many of the summer faculty led programs fall into this category.
The other development is a shift away from what the program has previously emphasized. Although the Gilman still encourages students to study and intern in a diverse array of countries and world regions and to study critical need languages, the program is supporting more and more students on programs in any part of the world as long as they are directly connected to a student’s academic program. For example, a student in ecology might be successful in selecting a program in France that offers courses on ecology and environmental studies.
There are upcoming Gilman information sessions offered by Education Abroad and the UNL Fellowships Office on Feb. 6 and Feb 7 from 3:30-4:30 in the Nebraska Union. In addition to those sessions, we also offer help on the essays. Students can make an appointment to speak with Dr. Laura Damuth, Fellowship Advisor at UNL (ldamuth1@unl.edu) or Haley French-Sloan, Education Abroad Coordinator (hfrenchsloan@unl.edu ).
More details at: https://go.unl.edu/oymf