Laurentians Outearn Prestigious Off-Campus Study Scholarships
St. Lawrence University students continue to outpace the national average for receiving prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship award funds, which provide critical support to students participating in off-campus programs.
This Spring, 60 percent of St. Lawrence applicants to the Gilman Scholarship successfully received the award money. That’s more than double the national average recipient rate of about 25 percent.
The 12 successful applicants this spring are among a total of 18 Laurentian awardees throughout the 2024-2025 academic year Gilman application cycle. In total, they received $63,000 in funding to support off-campus study planned for Summer 2025, Fall 2025, or Spring 2026, says Kim Longfellow, assistant director of off-campus programs.
That’s an average of more than $3,000 per student, which will help them study in places like Ireland, Ghana, Italy, Australia, Spain, Germany, and more. One of the recipients, Leila Benhammou ’27, plans to use the financial assistance to explore the culture, traditions, and vast ecology of Australia, as well as to study its health care systems and practices.
“The Gilman Scholarship gives me the opportunity to explore a variety of health centers,” she says.
Since 2012, St. Lawrence students have been awarded more than $200,000 in Gilman Scholarship money. But the commitment to making off-campus experiences a possibility for all St. Lawrence students extends beyond Gilman Scholarships.
Each year, the University provides over $500,000 in additional funds, made possible in part by generous alumni gifts, to support students studying off campus. These funds cover everything from visas and passports to immunizations and transportation costs.
This robust support system has elevated St. Lawrence’s reputation on a national scale. The University climbed to 16th place in national rankings for participation in semester-length study abroad programs for the 2022-23 academic year, according to the 2024 Open Doors Report. This marks a two-spot rise from the previous year and places St. Lawrence among the top 35 baccalaureate institutions nationwide for overall participation in credit-bearing study abroad opportunities.
“The Center for International and Intercultural Studies (CIIS) is committed to supporting any qualified student integrate off-campus study into their academic goals,” says Matt Carotenuto, history professor and Hanson associate dean of international and intercultural studies. “Don’t let finances, major requirements or other barriers prevent you from coming in to talk with a CIIS advisor. Let’s make it happen together.”
