Scholars in the CyberCorps Scholarship for Service program frequently secure federal jobs through job fairs organized by the program in partnership with the National Science Foundation and the Office of Personnel Management.
However, several reports have indicated that some recruits have been notified of cancellations for job offers at agencies such as NASA, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Defense Contract Management Agency.
More troublingly, their scholarship funds have been converted into loans, requiring them to repay the full amounts received.
One student expecting to complete an advanced cybersecurity degree by May 2026 told NextGov that they already carry $100,000 in undergraduate debt and are dreading the prospect of an additional $150,000 loan they never agreed to.
Another report highlights that the federal government’s premier cybersecurity talent initiative has been hampered by hiring freezes, job offer cancellations, and the discontinuation of its annual career fair.
In December 2024, the National Science Foundation announced the awarding of CyberCorps Scholarship for Service grants to four academic institutions, investing nearly $15 million in training the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.
The 2024 award recipients and their projects include Washington State University, Iowa State University, George Mason University, and The Ohio State University.
The CyberCorps Scholarship for Service Program was launched in 2000 as part of the Federal Cyber Service Training and Education Initiative, awarding its first scholarships in 2001. Scholarship recipients are selected based on academic achievement, the likelihood of degree completion, and suitability for government cybersecurity positions.
The program involves up to 89 universities and four-year colleges across 43 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Students in the Scholarship for Service CyberCorps program receive full scholarships that cover tuition, books, laptops, and supplies. The program helps scholars secure paid summer internships and provides an annual stipend, along with a professional development allowance for certifications and travel to cybersecurity conferences and competitions.
In exchange for their scholarships, recipients must agree to work for the government in a cybersecurity-related position for a duration equal to the length of the scholarship—up to two years for undergraduate and master's degree students, and three years for doctoral students.
Full scholarships and stipends are awarded to students who agree to serve in federal, state, local, or tribal government cybersecurity roles after graduation.
Students receive scholarships of $27,000 annually for undergraduate studies and $37,000 annually for graduate studies for up to three years, in return for a commitment to an equivalent period of paid government service. Additionally, students benefit from free tuition and a yearly professional allowance of $6,000, which covers expenses such as equipment, travel, certifications, and supplies.
In August 2025, Louisiana State University announced that its cybersecurity program, which was designated a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations by the National Security Agency in 2022, received a $2.4 million award from the National Science Foundation.
LSU's latest award includes $600,000 in supplemental funding to help 18 students progress toward graduation, along with $1.8 million to renew LSU's program through 2028, allowing new students to enroll as soon as this fall. This raises the total CyberCorps funding to LSU to $6 million since the university joined the program in 2020.
According to LSU, CyberCorps Scholarship for Service students engaged in paid government internships during the summer with agencies such as the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Energy’s national laboratories.
For example, one student interned with the Idaho National Laboratory last summer, graduated from LSU with a master’s degree in computer science in May, and is now employed full-time as a cybersecurity researcher at INL, where they are working alongside another LSU Scholarship for Service (SFS) graduate who previously interned there.
A current LSU SFS student is pursuing her Ph.D. while teaching cybersecurity courses at LSU, including Malware Analysis and Reverse Engineering.
In September 2025, the Pennsylvania State University announced that the National Science Foundation had awarded $1.5 million to the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) for the CyberCorps Scholarship for Service Program.
According to the Penn State press release, this award marks the third CyberCorps SFS grant received by the College, which initially received $4.4 million in 2017.
Dongwon Lee, professor and interim head of IST’s Department of Privacy and Cybersecurity Informatics, is the principal investigator for the grant. According to Lee, the first two CyberCorps grants have successfully demonstrated IST’s capability to fulfill the NSF’s goal of fostering interdisciplinary cybersecurity programs.
This year’s selection criteria introduced an additional requirement: a focus on artificial intelligence (AI). This award also serves as a three-year pilot program designed to educate students in both AI and cybersecurity skills.