CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service | University of Cincinnati
CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service (SFS)
SFS Scholarship Application Re-Opened
Due to recent guidance from the Scholarship for Service (SFS) office and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Scholarship for Service will
begin
accepting new applications for the schoalrship.
The application window will be in Sping 2026 (deadline May 15th, 2026), and the award will begin in Fall of 2026.
There will be an online scholarship informational session on Wednesday, March 11th at 6pm. Please join using the link below.
Join Online Information Session
About
To support the U.S. National Cyber Strategy, the CyberCorps®: Scholarship for Service (SFS) program is funded by the National Science Foundation to develop a superior cybersecurity workforce at institutions of higher education. All scholarship recipients must work after graduation for a federal, state, local, or tribal government organization in a position related to cybersecurity for a period equal to the duration of the scholarship.
The University of Cincinnati is privileged to receive a $4M SFS grant from 2021 to 2027. The award was based on UC’s outstanding national impact on cybersecurity education. It was truly a university-wide effort to grow the cybersecurity programs across campus in three colleges and increase the enrollment in cyber-related degrees by ten-fold in the past decade. UC’s SFS scholarship will be available to students pursuing bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees at the following UC departments:
The
School of Information Technology
under the
College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH)
The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science under the
College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS)
; and
The
School of Public and International Affairs
under the
College of Arts and Sciences
Pay $0 tuition and education-related fees;
Receive a stipend of $27,000 per year for undergraduate programs or $37,000 per year for graduate programs;
Receive additional professional development allowance up to $6,000 per academic year. Students can use this fund for travel, professional certification preparation, books, purchasing or renting equipment, or other expenses upon approval; and
Receive personalized academic advising, open to unique government internship and job opportunities, SFS community supports through the study at UC.
To be eligible for consideration for the SFS scholarship, the student must meet all of the following requirements:
1. United States citizen or lawful permanent resident;
If you are a permanent resident, you must have a clear plan of obtaining United States citizenship before graduation;
2. Meet selection criteria for United States federal employment;
You must have a clear plan of obtaining a security clearance before graduation;
This is often completed by the spnsoring agency during onboarding to a qualifying job;
3. Applicants must meet the following GPA requirements:
3.0+ for undergraduate applicants; or
3.5+ for graduate applicants;
4. Current students in the following degree programs at the University of Cincinnati:
School of Information Technology (CECH)
i.
B.S. in Information Technology
ii.
B.S. in Cybersecurity
(only open to rising junior students)
iii.
M.S. in Information Technology
iv.
Ph.D. in Information Technology
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (CEAS)
i.
B.S. in Computer Engineering
ii.
B.S. in Computer Scienc
B.S. Cybersecurity Engineering
B.S. Electrical Engineering
B.S. Electrical Engineering Technology
iii.
Master of Engineering (MEng) in Computer Engineering
iv.
Master of Engineering (MEng) in Computer Science
v.
M.S. in Computer Engineering
vi.
M.S. in Computer Science
vii.
Ph.D. in Computer Science & Engineering
*Please note that the graduate degrees from CEAS Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Electrical Engineering all eligible programs for the scholarship.
School of Public and International Affairs (College of Arts & Sciences)
i.
B.A. in Political Science
ii.
B.A. in International Affairs
iii.
B.A. in Law and Society
iv.
M.A. in Political Science
v.
Social Justice Master’s of Public Administration (SJMPA)
vi.
Ph.D. in Political Science
Please ensure you meet the above criteria for the scholarship before applying. After review, please submit your full application packet online (including your transcripts, essay, letters of reccomendation, etc.).
The deadline to apply is Friday, May 15th, 2026 at 5pm.
We wish you the best in your application!
SFS Application
Learn more from our current and past SFS scholars here!
Scholarship for Service (SFS) Testimonials
Want to know more?
For any questions regarding the SFS program requirements and details or the Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CD), please contact Dr. Chengcheng Li.
Chengcheng Li
Professor (F2)
li2cc@ucmail.uc.edu
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