Scholarship for Service

Scholarship for Service is a federally-funded program to train and place qualifying students as cybersecurity experts in federal, state, local, and tribal government positions. SFS provides full tuition, a stipend, professional development funds, and more in exchange for an equal-length commitment of post-graduate employment at an SFS-approved agency.

Applications are currently closed.

Benefits

  • Full tuition
  • $27K/year stipend for B.S. students
  • $37K/year stipend for M.S./Ph.D. students
  • $6K professional development funds
  • Cybersecurity career advising and mentoring

Obligations

  • Complete your degree program
  • Complete a summer internship at an SFS employer
  • Serve in a post-graduate position at an SFS employer for an equal amount of time to the support received
  • Attend the annual SFS job fair in the Washington D.C. area
  • Report your job search progress to OPM

Eligibility

  • CS, CY, IS, and ECE full-time majors
  • Last 4 semesters of B.S. or M.S. supported
  • Last 6 semesters of B.S./M.S. or Ph.D. supported
  • Minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA
  • US citizens or permanent residents
  • Ability to obtain a security clearance

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there conditions on where postgraduate obligations can be met?

Yes. SFS employers are drawn from a list of approved agencies across the Federal executive branch, state/local/tribal agencies, national laboratories, academic institutions, and FFRDCs. In addition, Congress and NSF requires 80% of all placements to be at federal executive branch agencies.

Are students with an international visa eligible?

Students must be either a US citizen or permanent resident and able to obtain a security clearance.

Can SFS students take classes across the Northeastern network?

Yes, with the caveat that we require students to take technical cybersecurity courses that might only be available at particular campuses. Applicants must submit a proposed plan of study with a suitable course sequence.

What is the acceptance rate? How many students are accepted per cohort? What is the distribution of students by degree program?

We do not have a strict acceptance rate target. We aim to build a strong cohort each year that will succeed in obtaining internship and postgraduate placements at SFS employers and contribute to filling national cybersecurity needs.

Can students be supported for less than 4 (B.S., M.S.) or 6 (B.S./M.S., Ph.D.) semesters?

We will consider such applications, but strongly prefer full applications.

Has SFS been affected by recent federal budget cuts?

Yes. NSF has halted processing of new applications, and has not indicated when they will resume.