LEXINGTON, Va. Feb. 5, 2026 — Col. Jeff Kendrick, director of the Office of Global Education at Virginia Military Institute, announced the U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship is currently accepting applications. The Gilman and Gilman-McCain Scholarships are merit-based awards for American undergraduate students with high financial need who want to study or intern abroad for academic credit.

Josiah Farrell ’28 and Anderson Robles Rodriguez ’28 both benefited from the scholarships when they participated in the Taiwan Huayu BEST Program to study Mandarin Chinese at the National Chengchi University in Taipei last summer.

Farrell, who is double majoring in international studies and modern languages and cultures, shared studying abroad was a lifelong dream come true. “The funding provided by Gilman kept my parents and myself from worrying about how my summer studies would be funded, and allowed me to focus on learning Mandarin. Additionally, with the funds I had left over, I was able to completely fund my follow-on service project to hold a Chinese Moon Festival last October.” 

Robles Rodriguez, a mechanical engineering major, said his summer studying Mandarin in Taiwan was one of the most meaningful experiences of his life. “Through daily immersion, I gained confidence using Mandarin in night markets, on public transportation, and while traveling independently throughout the country. Without the Gilman Scholarship, studying abroad in Taiwan would not have been an option for me, and its support allowed me to fully enjoy the experience without financial stress. I was incredibly happy during my time abroad, and it reinforced how powerful and life-changing studying in a foreign country can be.”

Gracie Harlow ’27, who is double majoring in history and English with a concentration in literature, has been awarded a Gilman Scholarship to study Spanish at Universidad de Alcalá in Madrid, Spain, this summer for four weeks.

“As a Pell Grant student, I already come from a low-income background, so I never believed that studying abroad at another university would be in the cards for me. But this scholarship is covering half of the program costs, which relieved a lot of financial stress. VMI has made this amazing opportunity possible for me, and I couldn’t be more thankful.”

Kendrick reported VMI has enjoyed a 100% success rate in applications submitted and funded over the last year, and credits it to the hard work cadets put into drafting, editing, and refining their applications.

“Having served on the national review panels for both awards, I can testify that the competition is stiff. These cadets must tell a compelling story and thoughtfully connect their study abroad plans to future career goals. Over 17,000 applications were submitted nationwide last year in the March cycle, and of those, roughly only one-fourth were funded. Last year’s October cycle had 7,700 applications and only 20% were selected. This speaks to the high quality of our outstanding cadets. Furthermore, our two cadet awardees from 2026 maxed out the award at $5,000 each, and were awarded an additional $3,000 for the study of a critical language. This is a significant contribution and makes studying abroad a reality for cadets who might not otherwise have the opportunity.”

Cadets interested in studying abroad should visit the Office of Global Education on post to learn the requirements of the Gilman and Gilman-McCain Scholarships or other available awards, or email GlobalEd@vmi.edu for more information and to start on their application.

Marianne Hause
Communications & Marketing
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE