Gilman-McCain Scholarship
The U.S. Department of State’s Gilman-McCain Scholarship provides awards of $5,000 for undergraduate child dependents of active duty service members to study or intern abroad on credit-bearing programs. Developed under the framework of the State Department’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, the John McCain International Scholarship for the Children of Military Families (Gilman-McCain Scholarship) is open to eligible students enrolled at accredited U.S. colleges and universities who receive any type of Title IV federal financial aid.
The Gilman-McCain Scholarship is a congressionally funded initiative of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State and named after the late senator John S. McCain from Arizona. With the support of the U.S. Congress, this scholarship honors the Senator’s legacy of public service by enabling undergraduate children of active duty military to develop the leadership and career readiness skills and global perspective to pursue careers of service and contribute to preserving the principles and alliances that are critical to an international order based on the rule of law, human rights, and democracy.
To be eligible for a Gilman-McCain Scholarship, an applicant must be:
- A citizen of the United States;
- An undergraduate student in good standing at an accredited institution of higher education in the United States (including both two-year and four-year institutions);
- Dependent child of an active duty military member(s) during the time of application in one of the following branches: Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard;
- Recipient of any type of Title IV federal financial aid during the time of application or provide proof that they will be receiving Title IV federal financial aid during their study abroad program or internship;
- In the process of applying to, or accepted for, a study abroad or internship program of at least two weeks for community college students and three weeks for students from four-year institutions, eligible for credit from the student’s home institution. Multi-country/area programs are eligible and have no minimum requirement on length of time spent in one country and no maximum requirement on number of countries in a program. Proof of program acceptance is required prior to award disbursement; and
- Applying for credit-bearing study abroad programs in a country or area with an overall Travel Advisory Level 1 or 2, according to the U.S. Department of State’s Travel Advisory System. However, certain locations within these countries or areas may be designated within the Travel Advisory as either “Do not travel to” (Level 4) or “Reconsider travel to” (Level 3) locations, as such; students will not be allowed to travel to these specific locations. Moreover, students are not eligible to apply for programs in a country or area with an overall Level 3 or 4 Travel Advisory.
The U.S. Department of State reserves the right to request program changes for specific countries or areas if deemed necessary during any stage of the application, selection process, or program period. Final awards are contingent upon the availability of funds and the security situation in country. Furthermore, programs in progress may be suspended at the request of the U.S. Embassy in country should security situation deteriorate during the course of the program.