UIUC National and International Scholarships Program

We are proud to share that University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign junior R. Fisher Houston is one of 65 students nationwide awarded the Udall Undergraduate Scholarship! 💫

🍃 Fisher is completing his junior year in the integrative biology honors program. He studies the survival strategies of drought-resistant grasses in Rose Marks’ lab, serves as president of the Illinois Beekeeping Club, and contributes to campus sustainability through grant-funded prairie restoration and a new student-run sustainability council. He plans to pursue a doctorate in plant biology, researching mechanisms of stress tolerance in plants that survive in extreme conditions. Read more about Fisher's work here: https://news.illinois.edu/illinois-junior-receives-prestigious-udall-scholarship/. Congratulations, Fisher!

🎓️ This highly competitive scholarship program identifies future leaders in environmental, Tribal public policy, and healthcare fields. The Udall Foundation is committed to core values of integrity, civility, consensus, public service and nonpartisanship, grounded in honoring the legacies of Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall, whose careers had a significant impact on Native American self-governance, healthcare and the stewardship of public lands and natural resources.

📣 Future environmentalists at Illinois – check out this scholarship and reach out to [email protected] to talk about applying. The next competition cycle takes place in January 2027. Be on the lookout for our information sessions & workshops this December!

NIS is proud to share that two University of Illinois undergraduates have been selected for Boren Awards! 💫 Boren scholarships provide U.S. graduate and undergraduate students the opportunity for intensive language study and cultural immersion in world regions critical to U.S. interests. 🌐

🎖️ Sameer Abbasi, senior in molecular and cellular biology, will study Swahili at the State University of Zanzibar in Tanzania this summer. After graduation, he plans to attend medical school and to work in a role that bolsters U.S. diplomacy by coordinating health programs and strengthening local health systems.

🎖️ Lyndon Shi, sophomore in history and East Asian languages and cultures, will study Mandarin at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan this summer, followed by a year at National Taiwan University for additional language study. His goal is to work as a foreign service officer at the Taiwan Coordination Desk for the U.S. Department of State in order to help the U.S. agricultural industry and develop Taiwanese markets.

📰 Read more about these awesome students’ work here: https://news.illinois.edu/two-illinois-students-receive-boren-scholarships/! Congratulations to Sameer and Lyndon!

Current Illinois students interested in future governmental work: check out this award! The next cycle opens this fall with an early January priority deadline. Be on the lookout for our info sessions in October, and reach out to [email protected] to make an appointment with David or Dani to learn more 😎

We are proud to share that four Illinois students have been awarded Critical Language Scholarships for immersive language study in summer 2026! 🌍️

🎖️ Di Lan Johnson | Mandarin | BA in Global Studies, 2025
🎖️ Karel Pene | Swahili | Senior in Global Studies
🎖️ Adam Syed | Mandarin | Senior in Food Science & Human Nutrition and Community Health
🎖️ Christine Nguyen | Japanese | Master’s student in Library & Information Science

These students will receive full scholarships to spend 8-10 weeks abroad studying one of 14 critical languages. The Critical Language Scholarship program is highly competitive, with approximately 7% of the 4,500 applicants nationwide receiving an award in 2026. 💫

Read more about these awesome students’ work here: https://news.illinois.edu/four-illinois-students-receive-critical-language-scholarships-2/

We are very happy to introduce the 2026 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign recipients of the Goldwater Scholarship! 🤩

Sophomore Maxwell Mamishev and juniors George Bayliss, Peter Golemis, and Cliff Sun are among the 454 recipients of the $7,500 award, chosen from 1,485 nominees for their potential to contribute to the advancement of research in the natural sciences, mathematics or engineering 🎖️ You can read more about their work here: https://news.illinois.edu/four-illinois-students-receive-goldwater-scholarship/.

The University of Illinois has had THIRTEEN Goldwater winners in the last three years -- that's more than any other university 😎

Current freshmen and sophomores in the sciences: Will you be our next Goldwater awardees? Visit topscholars.illinois.edu for more information! The 2027 campus competition deadline is November 30.

We are proud to announce that the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a Top Producer for the Gilman Program over the program's entire 25-year history! The National and International Scholarships Program team are honored to work with our students and the Gilman Program to support talented American undergraduate students to study or intern abroad. 🌎️ And we are grateful for the invaluable support Illinois applicants receive from the Office of Student Financial Aid and study abroad offices across campus!

Gilman's Fall 2026 cycle opens in August! 💫 Applications for study abroad during winter break 2027, spring 2027, summer 2027 and fall 2027 are due October 1.

Illinois named a top producer of Gilman Scholars – News Bureau Illinois named a top producer of Gilman Scholars March 12, 2026 1:40 pm by Maeve Reilly Writer/Editor Announcements Campus News Share on Facebook Share on X Share via email The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs recognized Illinois for the 400 students who have r...

📣 Faculty and Staff at Illinois who work with outstanding undergraduates, this one’s for you!📣

Help us assist your best and brightest current students, from freshmen to seniors, in applying for nationally competitive awards – Fulbright, Rhodes, Goldwater, and more!

Top Scholar Telltale Signs:
🤝 You have a noteworthy mentoring relationship with this student
🔍️ Student conducts independent study or research
🙋‍♂️ Student displays leadership and/or participates in service
📜 Student goes beyond coursework by reading journals or attending seminars
🏅 Student is among the top 3% you have encountered, generally 3.7+ GPA
🎓️ Student would benefit from graduate work at a world-class institution

Next Steps:
📩 Write to [email protected] with the Illinois email address of your top students

OR

🌐 Check out the “For Faculty” page on our website (link in bio) for email templates to write directly to your nominees -- students respond best with “tapped on the shoulder” by a mentor they already know and respect.

We can’t wait to meet your top scholars! 🤩

🎉We are excited to share that the University of Illinois has 17 semifinalists in this year's Fulbright U.S. Student Program competition!! 🎉

Wish our applicants luck as their materials are forwarded to Fulbright panels in thirteen host countries – we hope to share more good news later this spring 🍀

Until then, be on the lookout for our spring Fulbright programming. The application cycle for 2027-28 will open in early April.

Do you aim to be a future leader and changemaker? Are you applying for graduate school for MD, MBA, JD, MPP, MPH, or MS/MA in social sciences or STEM?

Attend our Samvid Scholars information session this Thursday 2/19 at 3:30pm in the IUB Building, room 514!

💲The Samvid Scholarship provides $100,000 for two years of study toward a graduate
degree.
👤 Applicants must be seniors or alumni and U.S. citizens or DACA recipients.
📧 If you can’t make it to the info session, email [email protected] to make an appointment with David or Dani – we’d love to talk with you!

Join us at the LAS Experience Expo to explore scholarships, opportunities, and resources to support your academic journey. We’d love to see you there! 💻

We’re excited to share Part 2 of our Fall 2025 Gilman Scholarship award recipients ⭐️

Congratulations to all recipients, and we wish you the best in your experiences abroad!!

Spring 2026 Gilman applications are due March 5! Check out our website for more info (link in bio) and email your drafts to [email protected] for an app review appointment with David or Dani ⭐