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Department of Defense Cyber Scholarship Program 2022

Metropolitan State University is designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (NCAE-CD) by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). NCAE-CD institutions receive formal recognition from the U.S. Government and opportunities for prestige and publicity for their role in securing our nation’s information systems, including this scholarship opportunity.

About the Scholarship Program

The Department of Defense Cybersecurity Scholarship Program (DoD CySP) provides accredited National Centers of Academic Excellence (NCAE) in Cybersecurity the opportunity to identify talented, high-achieving students with interest in cyber careers and submit scholarship applications on their behalf. This scholarship program is one of the most competitive and prestigious in the nation that helps enhance the DoD’s ability to recruit and retain cyber specialists to strengthen the nation’s cyber posture.

Applications are being accepted now for the 2022-2023 academic year. Please read all the requirements and application process below and apply before the deadline.

Application Deadline

The application deadline is Tuesday, February 1, 2022, 11:59 PM Eastern time. You must have your application and all materials submitted by that date and time.

Information Session

An information session webinar was held on Friday, December 17, 2021. The recording is available here.

Benefits

All selected participants will receive the following benefits:

  • The full cost of tuition and all related fees (including healthcare) for the academic year
  • A generous annual stipend to cover room and board
    • $27,000 for undergraduate students
    • $32,000 for graduate students
  • Cost of all required books (up to $1,250 per year)
  • A laptop (up to $1,500)

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants interested in applying for a DoD CySP Scholarship must:

  • Be a U.S. citizen and be at least 18 years or older at the time of application
  • Be starting their junior or senior year of a bachelor’s program (BS in Cybersecurity preferred) in Fall 2022 OR entering the graduate program (MS in Cyber Operations preferred) in Fall 2022
  • Have and be able to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.2 (undergraduate) and 3.5 (graduate) for the academic year
  • Sign a written agreement obligating themselves to work for the DoD as a civilian employee for one calendar year for each scholarship assistance year. Applicants will also be required to participate in internships arranged by DoD during the summer terms or other semester breaks
  • Have a clean background and be able to obtain a security clearance

How to Apply

  1. Before applying, make sure you are eligible and satisfy all basic requirements as listed above and by going over the DoD CySP Program details available at the DoD Emerging Technology Portal
  2. Fill out the Metro State’s specific application for this program using this link
  3. Please familiarize yourself with the scholarship program and its requirements by carefully reading the Scholarship Application Requirement document
  4. To prepare your application, make sure you read and comply with all the instructions in the Student Application Preparation document
  5. Use the Quick Start guide to understand the application process.
  6. If you are a new scholarship applicant, sign up and start applying using the DoD CySP Portal maintained by Avue Digital Services. Do not forget to include all the requested documents.
  7. If you are a returning scholarship applicant (one with a current scholarship) and would like to renew for an additional year, download the Returning Student Application and complete it in its entirety

Student Selection and Award Notification

The Metropolitan State review committee will initially screen all applicants. These applicants will be scored based on their application packages and submitted for consideration to the DoD review board. The DoD participating agencies will review the submitted applications and select candidates based on their respective agency’s mission needs and goals. DoD makes the final determination for all scholarship awards and relays the information back to Metropolitan State, who will notify the students within a May–June 2022 timeframe.

For DoD CySP program-related questions, please contact Metropolitan State University Cybersecurity Program Coordinator Professor Faisal Kaleem at cyber.scholarships@metrostate.edu.

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