SFS: Prospective Scholars

Students in the cybersecurity lab

What is Scholarship for Service?

Scholarship for Service is a unique program designed to recruit and train the next generation of information technology professionals, industrial control system security professionals, and security managers to meet the needs of the cybersecurity mission for Federal, State, local, and tribal governments. This program provides scholarships for up to three years of support for cybersecurity undergraduate (B.S. in computer science - cybersecurity option) and graduate (M.S. or Ph.D. in cybersecurity) education. The scholarships are funded through grants awarded by the National Science Foundation. In return for their scholarships, recipients must agree to work after graduation for the U.S. Government, in a position related to cybersecurity, for a period equal to the length of the scholarship.

Scholarship Benefits

  • Covers tuition and education-related fees
  • Academic-year stipends of $27,000 per year for undergraduate students and $37,000 per year for graduate students
  • Professional allowance of up to $6,000 for Scholarship for Service job fair, other travel, professional certification, laptop purchase, etc.
  • Assistance finding a job post-graduation with an eligible public-service (government) agency
  • Renewable for up to three years of support

Eligibility

  • U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident
  • Full-time Oregon State University students in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
    • Undergraduate students within three years of graduation and enrolled in B.S. in computer science - cybersecurity option
    • Preference will be given to students enrolled in the cybersecurity option - practicum track 
    • Graduate students pursuing M.S. or Ph.D. degrees with a focus in cybersecurity.
  • Student in good academic standing with at least a 3.0 GPA
  • Interest in a cybersecurity career
  • Passionate about public service

Program Participation Requirements

  • Accept and sign the SFS Student Service Agreement
  • Actively participate in OSU SFS Scholars activities 
  • Enroll in SFS portal, keep resume and profile up-to-date, and respond to agency communications
  • Attend and participate in SFS job fairs, including travel to Washington, D.C. once a year
  • Successfully complete a summer internship in cybersecurity field for each year of support
  • Actively participate in OSU Security Club
  • Engage in research with a cybersecurity faculty member
  • Get a cybersecurity job post-graduation with an approved agency and work for the number of years you received the scholarship (e.g. two academic years = two calendar years of work)

Getting a Job Post-Graduation

  • Any federal-executive job related to: information security, cybersecurity, information assurance, or intelligence
    • The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education National Cybersecurity Workforce Framework defines cybersecurity work as: Strategy, policy, and standards regarding the security of and operations in cyberspace, and encompass[ing] the full range of threat reduction, vulnerability reduction, deterrence, international engagement, incident response, resiliency, and recovery policies and activities, including computer network operations, information assurance, law enforcement, diplomacy, military, and intelligence missions as they relate to the security and stability of the global information and communications infrastructure.
  • Other government employment may be eligible, but will require pre-approval by recipients prior to job offer acceptance: state, local, tribal, educator at an SFS institution, FFRDCs/other, interstate agencies, CI non-profits, and Federal non-executive agencies

  • The United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will act as a direct liaison between students and hiring agencies. 
  • OPM maintains the SFS Student Portal where OSU SFS Scholars will maintain their resume and regularly update their profile. 
  • OSU SFS Scholars will participate in two SFS job fairs per year.
  • Hiring agencies will actively recruit OSU SFS Scholars, but OSU SFS Scholars are also expected to actively search for qualified internships and post-graduation jobs.

  • Applied Physics Laboratory
  • Central Intelligence Agency
  • Department of Air Force
  • Department of Defense
  • Department of Energy
  • Department of Homeland Security
  • Department of Justice
  • Department of Navy
  • Department of the Army
  • Federal Research Labs
  • Federal Reserve
  • National Security Agency
  • Public Universities
  • State/Local/Tribal Government
  • And many more

Next Steps