“The success for UCEAP students results in a significant financial contribution to the University of California and is a testament to the quality of the UC education system as well as the students themselves,” Associate Vice Provost and Executive Director of UCEAP Jean-Xavier Guinard said in a UCOP statement.
According to its website, Gilman Scholars must be UC students, already receiving a Federal Pell Grant and planning to study abroad for at least four weeks. Applicants go through an application process, which includes submitting an essay. This academic year, 34 UCSD students were named Gilman Scholars.
According to the UCSD Program’s Abroad Office, approximately 1,200 UCSD students are expected to study abroad in some capacity in 2011-12.
UCSD Programs Abroad Office Director Kelly O’Sullivan said the federal grant would help many students with financial troubles that may otherwise have prevented studying abroad.
“We are extremely appreciative of the State Department’s commitment to the Gilman Scholarship Program, especially in light of the fact that 40 percent of UC San Diego students who study abroad rank as High Need for financial aid eligibility,” O’Sullivan said. “Our office has increased the number of Gilman Scholarship information sessions and scholarship essay writing workshops to improve the competitiveness of our UC San Diego students’ applications.”