Department of Defense Cyber Scholarship Academy (CSA)

What Is CSA?

The Cyber Scholarship Academy (CSA) is designed to recruit the nation’s top cybersecurity talent to the Department of Defense (DoD) workforce to secure our nation against the threats to its information systems and networks.

Pace University recommends the most qualified student applicants to the DoD, and the DoD selects students to participate in CSA. The CSA is a highly competitive and prestigious scholarship program.

Award Benefits

• Academic scholarship covering full tuition, fees and books;
• Stipend - $29,000 for undergraduate students; $34,000 for graduate students;
• Paid summer internships in cybersecurity-related roles; and
• A cybersecurity-related job with the Department of Defense following graduation (pending security clearance).

Scholarship recipients are required to work in the DoD a minimum of one year for each year of scholarship support they received under the CSA. Internships do NOT count towards the post-graduation obligation requirements.

Eligibility Requirements

Before applying, students must determine whether they meet the eligibility requirements. Verify your eligibility.

View detailed information about the program

Application Procedure

• Verify your eligibility.
• Verify your ability to pass a background investigation.
• Create a CSA online application account.
• Fill out the Applicant Interest Form.
• Attend one virtual scholarship info session. Email cyberscholarship@pace.edu with subject "Information Session Registration" to register for an information session.
• Schedule an appointment with the faculty point of contact (PoC) to review your application packet before January 20. Any follow-up appointments with the PoC must also be completed by January 20.
  • Your PoC are professors Joe Acampora and Andreea Cotoranu. For program-related questions, or to arrange appointments with the PoC, email cyberscholarship@pace.edu.
• Upload all application documents to the CSA application system by January 20.
• Submit the application in the CSA application system by February 1, 2025. Applications may not be received or changed after this date.

Applicants should thoroughly review the application instructions and documents. The DoD requires several documents along with the application, and obtaining some of these documents may be time sensitive (*). All these documents must be obtained and uploaded to the system by the student before January 20.

• Two letters of reference*
  • Letters must be on University letterhead and contain the full name and contact information of the faculty member (phone, email, and address). See the application package for instructions about the content of this Letter of Reference.
• Transcripts
  • Official or certified transcripts from all the institutions of higher learning you have attended. Electronic transcripts may be accepted as long as they are certified by the institution.
  • Should include course grades for Fall 2024, and complete course registration for Spring 2025.
• The application will ask students to complete additional information similar to that included on a resume including employments, skills, courses, recognitions, honors, awards.
• Supplemental Competency Statement: Knowledge, Skills and Attributes. These narrative responses describe the level of your attainment of six knowledge and ability factors. See the application package for details.

Application Deadline

February 1, 2025

Contact Information

Your University Points of Contact (POCs) are professors Joe Acampora and Andreea Cotoranu.

Please direct all cybersecurity scholarship-related inquiries, including for application advisement to cyberscholarship@pace.edu.