CyberCorps穢 Scholarships for Service
Applications for Fall 2024 are closed. The applications will reopen early SPring 2025.
Students are highly-encouraged to assist to one of the information session before applying. Click here to see the next informaton session. Click to see the latest information session slides.
Students must read the rest of this website and the before applying.
Send your questions about the 蹤獲扦's SFS program and application to sfs@wichita.edu.
Overview of the CyberCorps簧 Scholarships for Service Program at 蹤獲扦
蹤獲扦has been awarded funding from the National Science Foundation
to help increase the number of qualified cybersecurity professionals in the US federal
government. The scholarships cover tuition, provide a bi-monthly stipend and pay for
professional development expenses. In exchange, scholarship recipients work in a cybersecurity
federal job after graduation for a period equivalent to the length of their scholarship.
For most students, the length of the scholarship will be two years.
Scholarship recipients can fulfill their service obligation in a variety of cybersecurity
positions in the federal government. Applicants must be committed to the federal service
aspect of the SFS program, as the success of the 蹤獲扦program
and the national SFS program as a whole is dependent on successful completion of this
service. Since its inception, many SFS scholarship recipents have gone on to work
for the National Security Agency, Department of Defense, the Department of Energy,
the Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigations, and many other
federal agencies.
Benefits, Eligibility, and Obligations at a Glance
Benefits |
Eligibility |
Obligations |
- Academic-year stipends of $27,000 per year for undergraduate students
- Academic-year stipends of $37,000 per year for graduate students.
- 100% Tuition and education-related fees .
- Professional allowance of $6,000 for SFS Job Fair and other travel, professional certification,
etc.
- Up to three years of scholarship support. For most students, the length of the scholarship
will be two years.
|
- US Citizen or lawful permanent resident.
- Ability to secure federal employment, and if needed, successfully obtain a security
clearance.
- Minimum GPA of 3.0 for undergraduate students.
- Minimum GPA 3.3 for graduate students.
- Currently pursuing a degree in the School of Computing or in Computer Engineering.
- Expected graduation date of Spring 2026 for undergraduate and graduate students.
- Expected graduation date of Fall 2024 or Spring 2025 for undergraduate students planning
to enroll in the accelerated BS to MS program.
- Students with different graduation dates will be considered as long as they have junior,
senior, or graduate standing phase and have at least 2 years left to complete a degree
by the start of the scholarship phase.
|
- After graduation, seek and secure a full-time cybersecuity job at a federal agency
for a period of time that is at least equal to the length of the scholarship. Relocate
if needed.
- Maintain minimum GPA and full-time student status.
- Complete the designated cybersecurity curriculum and graduate in a timely manner.
- Complete a research or service-learning project wiht a research component.
- Participate in required events and activities.
- Serve as executive officer in a cybersecurity-focused student organization.
- Seek and secure a summer cybersecurity internship at a federal agency. relocate if
needed.
|
Detailed Benefits, Eligibility, and Obligations
Benefits
Scholarship recipients receive the following benefits.
- Academic-year stipends of $25,000 per year for undergraduate students and $34,000
per year for graduate students
- Tuition and education-related fees (does not include items such as meal plans, housing,
or parking--these must be paid from the stipend)
- Professional allowance of $6,000 for SFS Job Fair and other travel, professional certification,
conferences, etc.
- Participation in-person job fairs in Washington, D.C specifically for SFS students
- Personalized career mentoring and job hunting advise
- Up to three years of scholarship support. For most students, the length of the scholarship
will be two years.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must meet all of the following requirements to be considered for the scholarship.
- U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residence in the U.S.
- See this if you are unsure about what pemament residency means.
- Ability to secure federal employment, and if needed, successfully obtain a security
clearance.
- See this if you are unsure if you have the ability to obtain a security clearance.
- Cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 for undergraduate students and 3.3 for graduate students.
- Currently enrolled in the BS in Cybersecurity, BS in Computer Science, BS in Computer
Engineering, MS in Computing, or MS in Computer Science program.
- Undergraduate students
- Planning to graduate with a BS degree in the Spring 2026 semester;
- OR Planning to graduate with a BS degree in the Fall 2024 or Spring 2025 semester
AND enroll in the acclerated BS to MS program.
- Graduate students planning to graduate with a MS degree in the Spring 2025 semester.
- Express a strong interest in cybersecurity and be able to articulate this interest
in the application's personal statement and in a subsequent screening interview.
- Commit to all the requirements for scholarship receipients outlined in the next section,
including the requirement to accept federal employment in exchange for participation in the
program.
Obligations for Scholarship Receipients
All scholarship receipients must fulfill the following obligations.
- Sign CyberCorps簧: Scholarship For Service (SFS) Service Agreement.
- Maintain the ability to secure federal employment, and if needed, successfully obtain
a security clearance.
- Maintain full-time student status and refrain from employment during the course of
the scholarship so that full attention can be given to completing the requirements
of the program.
- Maintain good academic standings and a cumulative GPA equal to or grater than 3.0
for undergraduate students and 3.3 for graduate students.
- Complete the designated cybersecurity curriculum for their major.
- Complete the chosen degree in a timely manner.
- For B.S. students, complete an undergraduate research project, or service-learning
project with a research compoenent, supervised by a cybersecurity faculty member designated
by the professor in charge of the scholarship program. You can see potential projects
.
- For M.S. students, complete a thesis or project targeting a research area in cybersecurity
under the supervision of a cybersecurity faculty member designated by the professor
in charge of the scholarship program. You can see potential projects .
- Actively participate, and become executive officer for at least one year, in a student-led
cybersecurity-focused student organization, such as WuLUG.
- Prepare for and obtain at least one cybersecurity-related approved certification,
such as Security+, CEH, GIAC, etc. The training and testing cost will be coevered
with grant funds.
- Participate in required events including mentorship programs, professional development
events, carreer events, etc.
- Travel to the SFS student carreer fair in Washignton, DC during Janurary of each year
the student is enrolled in the program.
- Seek and complete cybersecurity internships with federal agencies each summer the
student is enrolled in the program
- If needed, relocate during the summer months to fulfill the internship obligation.
- After graduation, seek and secure a full-time cybersecurity-related job at a federal
agency for a period of time that is at least equal to the length of the scholarship.
- If needed, relocate to fulfill the federal job employment obligation.
Note that students who withdraw or fail to meet their obligations to the 蹤獲扦
University's Scholarship for Service program will be required to repay the amount
they received by their scholarship to an educational loan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Where can I learn more about the Scholarship for Service program?
A: The Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Program website includes additional details and information for future and current
students.
Q: What type of information is considered in background checks and granting clearance
for federal positions?
A: The government uses the to conduct background checks for national security positions. You can see a summary
of requirements .
Q: What if I want to change my major?
A. If you do not graduate with a degree in cybersecurity and work for the federal
government for the required amount of time, you will need to repay all funds received
in the scholarship award.
Q: What if I am not certain about wanting to work for the federal government?
A: You should not apply if you are not committed to working for the federal government.
Q: Am I required to join the military to fulfill my service requirement?
A: No. You can complete your degree and your service obligation as a civilian, even
you work in a branch of the military.