To Apply
The application period for Fall 2024 scholarships has closed. Please check back in early 2025 for information on applying for scholarships beginning Fall 2025.
Undecided whether to apply? See the ICSSP site’s home page for three video testimonials from ICSSP scholarship recipients.
Eligibility
This merit scholarship is available to undergraduate and graduate UIUC students. The goal of the scholarship is to increase the national workforce in the field of cybersecurity and to place graduates in federal agencies, national labs, and state, local, and tribal government organizations.
To be eligible to apply, you must be:
- An admitted full-time undergraduate or graduate student on the UIUC campus.
- A citizen or permanent resident of the United States of America.*
- You must be either a College of Engineering undergraduate or graduate student with a focus on cyber or information security and privacy (undergraduates must be within 4 semesters of completing their degree to apply), or a School of Information Sciences graduate student in the MSIM or PhD degree program.
- Transfer students are eligible to apply after they have been admitted to the UIUC College of Engineering and have completed at least one semester on campus.
*Security clearances, and many federal agencies, require U.S. citizenship. It is the recipient’s responsibility to attain such a position in state, local, tribal or territorial governments given these limitations.
FAQ
- I am an international student. May I apply for the ICSSP program?
No, international students are not eligible for the ICSSP program. ICSSP is a National Science Foundation Scholarship for Service opportunity and is open only to US citizens and permanent residents.
- I am interested in cybersecurity. Is ICSSP a cybersecurity degree program at UIUC?
No, ICSSP is a scholarship program, not a standalone degree program. You must be admitted to a full-time undergraduate or graduate program on the UIUC campus to be eligible for an ICSSP scholarship. The University has excellent undergraduate and graduate programs in which many students focus on cybersecurity. More resources may be found at the links below:
- Department of Computer Science
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- School of Information Sciences (see MS/IM and PhD programs)
- Should I upload my letters of recommendation with my application?
No, do not upload the letters. Please provide your references’ contact information (i.e., e-mail addresses) in your application. We will reach out to your references for the letters of recommendation.
- Can I apply for the ICSSP program if I am not a UIUC student?
No, an undergraduate applicant must be a current full-time student at UIUC with two years remaining in the undergraduate program, with a focus in information assurance or computer security fields. If you are pursuing a graduate degree, you must show proof of admission to a graduate program in the UIUC College of Engineering, iSchool PhD program, or MS/IM program to be eligible to apply.
- Do I have to complete the application in one sitting?
No, the application system allows you to save your progress and come back later. You will be able to review the application in full before submitting it. The system also allows you to return to your application post-submission to edit your responses, upload new documents, and resubmit your application before the application deadline.