From newcomer to national leader in access to education abroad

UC Davis now ranks sixth nationally among large institutions — schools with more than 15,000 students — after just 10 years of participation in the 25-year history of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program. 

From 2015 to 2025, 574 UC Davis students received Gilman scholarships that totaled more than $2 million in funding to support international education experiences. In 2025 alone, 60 students secured a combined $183,000 through the program.

Kaityln Glenn, a fourth-year statistics major and Japanese minor from American Canyon, California, applied to Gilman to help pay for a summer research program in Japan. 

“I received around $4,000 and I remember that I felt so happy because I was worried about my flight costs,” Glenn said. “I spent a lot of time calculating how many hours I needed to work and how much I needed to cut back on my spending to make it work. The scholarship helped me focus on my time in Japan and build cultural connections I might have otherwise missed.”

Going global with Gilman

This recognition places UC Davis among the Gilman Program 25^th Anniversary Top Producing Institutions, which honors colleges and universities that produce the highest number of Gilman Scholars nationwide. 

Congress established the Gilman Program in 2001 to lessen financial barriers for Pell Grant-eligible students with scholarships of up to $5,000 for study, research and internship opportunities abroad. 

Scott Palmer, UC Davis Prestigious Scholarships advisor, encourages students to apply for the scholarship, which historically funds about one in five applicants nationwide — and UC Davis students at an even higher rate.

Producing impact

Some UC Davis students use Gilman as a starting point for international research, graduate study and other prestigious programs such as Fulbright.

“These introductory abroad experiences help shape a student’s global perspective,” Palmer said. “They also often kickstart further studies and create future career opportunities.”  

Recent UC Davis graduate Keller Kramer from Laguna Beach, California, redirected his Gilman Scholarship toward an independent agricultural research project after political uncertainty canceled his initial study abroad program just weeks before his departure. Kramer traveled across Kathmandu, Nepal, for three weeks to interview local farmers and agricultural leaders about modernization, community farming and food systems.

“The autonomy the Gilman Scholarship provided showed me that I can conduct this kind of fieldwork,” Kramer said. “Now I’m headed to Brazil for a Fulbright scholarship, where much of my work will follow a similar interview-based structure. I would not have reached this massive opportunity without Gilman.”

Global education for all

UC Davis expanded support for Gilman and other global learning scholarships in 2018 through the launch of the Global Education for All initiative. The university’s broader commitment to international education helps connect more students with study abroad programs and funding. 

Staff from the UC Davis Prestigious Scholarships and UC Davis Global Learning Hub offices advance those efforts through informational workshops, essay support and one-on-one advising that help students identify programs and submit competitive applications for scholarships like Gilman.

“We place a great emphasis on global learning for our students,” Palmer said. “UC Davis offers many pathways abroad through faculty-led study programs, UC Davis-specific internships and University of California Education Abroad Programs, or UCEAP. Strong campus partnerships also assist students with personalized scholarship support that turns study abroad from a goal into a reality.”