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Top 32 Cybersecurity Scholarships in December 2022
Cyber security, or information security, is quickly becoming a popular major for many students. This is not surprising, because according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, information security jobs are growing “much faster than average” and the median salary is over $100,000 per year.
If you are passionate about technology and enjoy problem solving, cybersecurity could be a great career pathway for you. Keep on reading to learn more about cybersecurity scholarships to pay for your education! We’ve included a variety of cybersecurity scholarships for those studying in undergraduate, graduate, or other certification programs.
Jump ahead to…
- Top cybersecurity scholarships
- How to win cybersecurity scholarships
- Need-based financial aid for cybersecurity students
- Frequently asked questions
- Explore these additional scholarship categories
Top 32 Cybersecurity Scholarships in December 2022
The Scholarships360 Research Team reviews all scholarships individually and strives to exclude any scholarship where any of the below applies:
- The scholarship requires a fee to apply
- The scholarship provider’s privacy policy allows for the misuse of student data
- The scholarship requires paid membership in an organization (with certain exceptions for reputable trade organizations and others)
- Student are required to sign up for a site or service to apply*
- The scholarship seems primarily used for lead generation** or idea harvesting purposes***
- The scholarship website has many grammatical errors and/or advertisements
- The scholarship or scholarship providing organization seem untrustworthy
- There is no evidence the scholarship was previously awarded
- The scholarship has not been awarded in the past 12 months
- There is no available contact information
If you believe a scholarship has been published in error, please reach out to [email protected] and we’ll take a look!
* There are certain exceptions to this, for example if the sponsoring organization is a major corporation or nonprofit with its own scholarship application system.
** Lead generation scholarships will require students to sign up for an app or website and require minimal (if any) application requirements.
***Idea harvesting scholarships will require students to submit blog posts or other materials that companies may use for marketing purposes.
$10,000 “No Essay” Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Easy scholarship open to all US-based high school, college, community college and graduate students.
$2,000 Nitro College Scholarship – No Essay
Sponsored
Easy scholarship open to all high school, college, community and graduate students.
Niche $50,000 “No Essay” College Scholarship
Sponsored
Open to high school and college students, as well as anyone looking to attend college or graduate school in the next year.
MPOWER Women in STEM Scholarship
Offered by MPOWER Financing
International and DACA female students who wish to study in the U.S. or Canada and pursue a career in STEM, the medical field, or education.
“Tuition Solution” Scholarship for STEM Students
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Open to current high school seniors and current university students pursuing or planning to pursue a STEM degree.
“Follow Your Own Path” Essay Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Open to all postsecondary students, regardless of the type of training/education they are pursuing.
“Outstanding Undergraduate” Essay Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Open to current undergraduates at four-year universities in the U.S.
Flatiron School Access Scholarship
Offered by Flatiron School
Flatiron School students from underrepresented communities who are in need of financial assistance to afford their educational costs.
Microsoft Cybersecurity Scholarship Program
Offered by The Last Mile Education Fund & Microsoft
Open to students at community colleges or technical schools who are Pell Grant-eligible and studying cybersecurity.
SMART Scholarship Program
Offered by U.S. Department of Defense
Open to postsecondary students studying one of SMART's 21 approved STEM disciplines.
$10,000 CollegeXpress Scholarship
Sponsored
Annual $10k scholarship from CollegeXpress open to all high school students.
Paliwal Club of 100 Scholarship
Offered by 1,000 Dreams Fund & Ila and Dinesh Paliwal Foundation
Open to female college and graduate students who plan to major in science, technology, engineering, the arts, or math.
Account SPARK STEM Scholarship Fund
Offered by Center for Arab American Philanthropy
Open to Arab American/MENA students who have been accepted to an undergraduate Data Science or Data Analytics program at a U.S. university.
CIA Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarships
Offered by Central Intelligence Agency
Postsecondary students who are willing to work 1-2 90-day sessions at the CIA before graduating and for a few years after graduating.
Jasin Undergraduate Scholarships
Offered by Association of Former Intelligence Officers
Open to undergraduate students majoring in National Security, International Relations and/or Intelligence.
Jasin Graduate Scholarship
Offered by Association of Former Intelligence Officers
Open to graduate students studying National Security, International Relations, or Intelligence who intend to serve in the U.S. government.
Raytheon’s Intelligence & Space Underrepresented Minorities in Cybersecurity Scholarship
Offered by Center for Cyber Safety and Education
Open to historically underrepresented minorities in STEM who will be pursuing a cybersecurity or related degree at university.
KnowBe4 Scholarship for Black Americans in Cybersecurity
Offered by Center for Cyber Safety and Education
Open to African American or Black undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in cybersecurity or a related field.
$25k “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship
Sponsored
Easy scholarship open to high school students, college students, community college students, and graduate students.
Niche $2,000 “No Essay” College Scholarship
Sponsored
Easy scholarship from Niche open to all high school, college, and graduate students.
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How to win cybersecurity scholarships
Now that you’ve got some great opportunities to apply to, it’s time to begin thinking about your applications. While many students will immediately dive into essay-writing, we suggest a different approach. Before you start your essays, you can benefit from taking some time for reflection. Sit down and jot down the first things that come to your mind when you consider the following questions:
- What inspired me to study cybersecurity?
- Which of my accomplishments speak to the skills that would make me an effective cybersecurity professional?
- What career goals do I have in the field of cybersecurity?
- Where do I see myself in my career ten years from now?
- What is my dream job?
Remember, you don’t have to worry about making the answers to these questions readable or succinct. You can even jot them down in bullet points. The point of the exercise is to get some perspective without the added pressures of writing a strong essay. That way, once you have your material sorted out, it’ll be easier to write the essays later on.
Resources for writing a great scholarship essay
- How to write an essay about yourself
- Tailoring your essays to fit 250 and 500 word limits
- How to respond to “Why do you deserve this scholarship?” prompts
- How to start a scholarship essay
Need-based financial aid for cybersecurity students
If you are a current or prospective cybersecurity student, you may also qualify for need-based financial aid through your college or through the government. There are two major financial aid applications you should know about:
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (or FAFSA) which is how students can access financial aid through the government. This financial aid can include federal student loans, Federal SEOG Grants, and Pell Grants. CSS Profile which is how some colleges and universities award institutional financial aid.
You should check-in with your college to see what applications are required for need-based financial aid! If you are enrolling in a certificate program, make sure to contact your school to see what financial aid opportunities are available.
Don’t miss: Top coding bootcamp scholarships
Frequently asked questions about cybersecurity scholarships
Does Microsoft give out cybersecurity scholarships?
Microsoft has partnered with Last Mile Education to offer a cybersecurity scholarship program. It covers emergency financial assistance or the cost of certification exams. Notably, it is only available for those studying at community colleges or vocational schools; students in a bachelor’s or master’s program cannot apply. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Do I need a college degree for cybersecurity?
You do not need a college degree for cybersecurity. There are a wide variety of cybersecurity jobs out there, some of which only require certificates or a 2-year degree. However, many higher-paying cybersecurity jobs do require a bachelor’s, and some even require a master’s. That being said, you can certainly break into the field without a four-year college degree.
What type of degree should I get for cybersecurity?
Many bachelor’s degree holders who work in cybersecurity major in fields such as computer science, information technology, or cybersecurity. That being said, there is some flexibility, and they can compliment their degree with certificates and other credentials. Many cybersecurity professionals don’t hold a bachelor’s at all, and instead get their credential through a certificate program.
