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The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration (ASD (NII)) annually
announces a Department of Defense Information Assurance (IA) Scholarship Program (IASP) grant and scholarship
competition. The program is designed to: 1) increase the number of new entrants to DoD who possess key
Information Assurance (IA) and IT skill sets; 2) serve as a mechanism to build the nation’s IA infrastructure
through grants to colleges and universities jointly designated by the National Security Agency
(NSA) and Department of Homeland Defense as Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education; and 3) serve as a tool
to develop and retain well-educated military and DoD civilian personnel who support the Department’s critical
IT management and infrastructure protection functions.
Grant Competition: The grant competition to establish an IA Scholarship Program, or to continue
an IA Scholarship Program begun in a prior year, is limited to regionally accredited U.S. institutions of higher
education designated as Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAE/IAE, also known
as "CAEs"). Every year, in the October/November timeframe, NSA provides all CAEs a current Solicitation for
Proposal. The deadline for Proposals for the 2009-2010 academic year is February 28, 2009.
- The grants enable CAEs and their collaborating partners to establish a scholarship program for students enrolled in their institutions to pursue bachelor's, master's or a doctoral degree, and graduate (post-baccalaureate) certificate programs in information assurance disciplines.
- CAEs may also receive support for capacity-building activities and for establishing a partnership with the Information Resources Management College (IRMC) to allow DoD civilian employees and military officers to transfer from IRMC to CAEs to complete a master's or doctoral degree.
Scholarships for Current College Students: Students currently enrolled at,or accepted to,
designated CAEs may be eligible for the IA Scholarship Program. Application criteria is sent to each CAE
each October/November. Selectees for the 2008-2009 academic year were announced in May 2008. The application
deadline to DoD for the 2009-2010 academic year is February 28, 2009. Individual schools may have earlier,
internal deadlines and procedures that must be met.
- Competition is limited to full-time students entering their third or fourth years of undergraduate education; students in their first or second year of a master’s degree program; students pursuing doctoral degrees; and students enrolled in graduate certificate programs.
- Relevant academic disciplines for the scholarship program include, but are not limited to, Mathematics, Biometrics, Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Programming, Computer Support, Data Base Administration, Computer Systems Analysis, Operations Research, Information Security (Assurance), and Business Management or Administration. All academic disciplines must include a concentration in Information Assurance.
- Students selected for the program will receive full scholarships (including tuition, books, fees, and a stipend). During breaks in their academic studies, Information Assurance Scholars will receive progressive, hands-on experience in information security internships. In return, scholars must agree to some restrictions and obligations regarding curriculum, GPA and post-program employment.
- Recipients of scholarship aid, in exchange for financial assistance, are required by the statute establishing the program (chapter 112, title 10, United States Code), to serve a period of obligated service in DoD as a civilian employee or a member of one of the armed forces. Scholars selected for the program may elect to serve as a civilian employee, a member of the Armed Forces, or as a member of the National Guard or Reserves. Service commitment will depend on the length of the scholarship period and the type of service selected (DoD civilian, Armed Services, National Guard/Reserves).
Scholarships for Current DoD Military and Civilian Personnel: The DoD Components are
responsible for determining requirements for both recruitment and retention scholarships. They nominate current
employees for scholarships and select recruitment scholarship recipients who will later become employees within
their organizations. The Components are also responsible for setting aside billets for these future employees,
providing necessary backfills for current employees who are selected for scholarships, developing training programs
for recruitment student internship periods, providing FTEs for the internship period, assigning mentors to interns,
submitting security clearance paperwork, and identifying the compensation strategy necessary to retain students
beyond their commitment period of service.
- Military officers and DoD civilian employees may apply for a master’s or doctoral degree program; enlisted personnel may apply for a master’s program through their Component or Agency channels.
- There are three DoD Centers of Academic Excellence that sponsor graduate programs in information assurance under the IA Scholarship Program. These three institutions are the Information Resources Management College (IRMC) of the National Defense University (NDU), the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), and the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT). Typically, new students attend IRMC at NDU prior to attending a Partner University to complete remaining degree requirements or they are directly admitted to NPS or AFIT. Students who previously completed IRMC requirements may be directly admitted into a Partner University if they meet established criteria.
- Application procedures have typically been announced in the Fall. A new DoD instruction will be available in Fall 2008 to assist in the application process.
- Recipients for scholarships for Academic Year 2008-2009 were announced in March 2008. Application packages endorsed and submitted from the DoD Components for Academic Year 2009-2010 will be due January 31, 2009 to NSA. Individual member packages sent directly to NSA will not be accepted.
- Scholarship funding for the AFIT, the IRMC, and the IASP Partner Universities, and the NPS includes tuition costs, selected fees, books, and pre-approved, limited temporary duty (TDY) costs. Other TDY and/or permanent change of station costs must be paid by the nominating DoD Component.
- Relevant academic areas of study are similar to those listed for non-DoD students above.
- All scholarship recipients incur a service commitment.
This website is currently under construction.
A new website will debut in Fall 2008.
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