CyberAICorps Scholarship for Service

Overview

The CyberAICorps Scholarship for Service (CyberAI SFS) program a new program based on the CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service program. The CyberAI SFS program at Texas A&M provides scholarships for 2 years of support for MS in Cybersecurity or MS in Artificial Intelligence or three years for PhD students. The scholarships are funded through grants awarded by the National Science Foundation. In return for their scholarships, recipients are contracted to work after graduation for the U.S. Government, in a position related to cybersecurity or artificial intelligence, for a period equal to the length of the scholarship. CyberAI is defined broadly to include (a) the use of AI in cybersecurity operations and (b) the security and resilience of AI systems themselves.

The CyberAI SFS Program at Texas A&M is a federal scholarship program which cover expenses normally incurred by full-time students at the institution, including tuition and mandatory education-related fees in exchange for a federal work commitment following graduation. The program is based on two academic tracks in the Computer Science & Engineering Department–MS in Cybersecurity (MS-CSEC) with approved AI electives or the MS in Artificial Intelligence (MS-ARIN) with approved cybersecurity electives.

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The Texas A&M Cybersecurity Center is very focused on engaging with the Federal Government.  For examples of this outreach, please review the presentation Dr. Hamilton was invited to present at the 2026  SFS PI Conference in January of 2026.

Benefits

• Scholarships are awarded as follows:
  • 2 years of funding for MS students
  • 3 years of funding for PhD students
• CyberAI SFS scholarship awardees recieve:
  • Coverage of expenses normally incurred by full-time students at the institution, including tuition and mandatory education-related fees.
  • A professional allowance of $6,000 per academic year for participation in job fairs, other travel, conference fees, research materials, books, and supplies, including a one-time laptop purchase, professional training, certifications, etc.
  • Academic year stipends of $37,000 per year for graduate students.

Recipient Responsibilities

In return for receiving scholarship benefits, each scholarship recipient incurs certain
obligations:

• During the summers while enrolled in the program, each student will be responsible for securing an AI or cybersecurity-related internship position at a federal, state, or local government agency.
• Upon graduation, scholarship recipients incur a legally binding service obligation in the Federal Civil Service; committing to 6 months of obligated service for each semester of support. For example, a full two-year scholarship requires two years of federal employment. Each student is responsible for identifying, applying for, and securing a qualified position. Click here for a list of qualifying Federal Executive & Non-Executive Agencies.
• Participate in regular research and academic development meetings and/or seminars.
• Students who withdraw from or do not meet their obligations to Texas A&M’s Scholarship for Service Program will need to repay the portion of the scholarship they used through a conversion of the scholarship to an educational loan.
• Prior to starting the program, students will accept these obligations and terms, including repayment, through signed agreements with OPM and with Texas A&M University.

Requirements and Eligibility

Students interested in participating in the SFS program must be:

• A United States citizen or permanent resident.
• Have demonstrated academic success on a full-time basis at Texas A&M University
• University classification of senior undergraduate or graduate student.
• Enrolled in, or have been accepted into, the M.S. in Cybersecurity
• Able to meet selection criteria for federal, state, or local government employment. As final job placement is likely to require a security clearance, each scholarship recipient may be required to undergo the background investigation required to obtain such a clearance.
• Competitive students will have a strong GPA in an engineering-based AI or Cybersecurity program for their major (Minimum 3.0).
• Will have successfully applied to the FBI InfraGard program: https://www.infragardnational.org/
• Must not have received a CSA/CySP/IASP or SMART Scholarship
• Must not be an ROTC Scholarship or contracted student
• Must forfeit any other tuition scholarships if accepting the CyberAI Scholarship

Frequently Asked Questions