Salt Lake City, Utah—Continuing its commitment to student success while addressing national needs to prepare students for careers in cybersecurity, Western Governors University’s College of IT (WGU) is proud to announce its participation in the Department of Defense (DoD) Cyber Scholarship Program. This nationwide scholarship and job placement program will award recipients a full-ride scholarship, living stipend, and guaranteed job placement within the United States National Security Agency upon graduation. Executed by the National Security Agency (NSA) on behalf of the Department of Defense, this competitive scholarship program is designed to recruit and retain well-qualified cyber personnel to cultivate continuing capacity for cyber workforce development throughout the United States.
As WGU is designated as a National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C), our junior and senior undergraduate, and graduate students in cybersecurity studies are eligible to apply. All full-time students in B.S. in Cloud Computing, B.S. Cybersecurity and Information Assurance, B.S. Network Engineering and Security, and M.S. in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance programs at WGU can submit for a high value scholarship that provides the following incredible benefits:
- Fully Paid Tuition
- $27,000.00 stipend (for bachelor’s degree) and $32,000.00 stipend (for master’s degree)
- U.S. National Security Clearance
- A full-time job upon graduation
“This scholarship recognizes excellent cybersecurity students by creating a direct pathway to a career in national security,” said Mike Morris, associate dean and director of cybersecurity academic programs. “We are in critical need of information security professionals and the demand for skills front line responders and analysts will continue to rise for years to come. Very few scholarship programs offer such a robust student-to-career opportunity, and we are excited to possibly offer this scholarship to a deserving WGU student.”
Eligible students must submit their application by Feb. 1, 2023 to be considered. The DoD Cyber Scholarship Program is highly competitive and eligibility restrictions may apply. It is recommended that all interested individuals consult https://www.dodemergingtech.com/cyber-scholarship-program-cysp/ or visit https://www.wgu.edu/lp/it/wgu/cyber-scholarship-program.html
Employment projections reinforce the urgent need for more information security analysts. Cyberseek notes that there are currently over 700,000 open cybersecurity positions in the United States alone, and with a projected growth of 35% over the next decade from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics with continued high demand, all sectors will require cybersecurity specialists for the foreseeable future. In 2022, WGU's Cybersecurity Master's Program was ranked #3 by Fortune.com for online cybersecurity programs in the country. Our programs are created by professionals to help students be prepared for a career in cyber and WGU has been a CAE designated institution by the NSA for its B.S. in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance program since 2021. WGU’s College of IT currently serves over 30,000 students and has awarded more than 6,000 degrees.
