CyperCorps Scholarships For Service

Section Menu

Overview of the CyberCorps® Scholarships for Service Program at WSU

Wichita State University 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 Wichita State University 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

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 link if you are unsure about what pemament residency means.
• Ability to secure federal employment, and if needed, successfully obtain a security clearance.
  • See this link 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®: 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 here.
  
• 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 here.
  
• 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 Wichita State 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) Scholarship for Service 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 SF-86 form to conduct background checks for national security positions. You can see a summary of requirements here.

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.