https://www.cia.gov/careers/student-opportunities/graduate-scholarship-program.html

Applicants should be entering either their first or second year of graduate studies when applying to CIA’s Graduate Scholar Program. We invite you to participate in our Graduate Scholarship program by applying now. This unique program is designed to give promising graduate students, particularly minorities and people with disabilities, the opportunity to gain practical work experience that complements their graduate studies.

The Graduate Scholar Program was developed, in part, to assist minority and disabled students, but application is open to all students who meet the requirements. The program offers unmatched experience. You’ll complete at least one 60 to 90-day work experience prior to graduating, increasing your knowledge and job responsibilities while assisting intelligence professionals and applying your academic skills.

We believe in challenging our Scholars with meaningful work that relates to their college major. An IT major, for example, might be given increasingly complex projects involving sophisticated computer systems. An engineering major might help produce a piece of state-of-the-art equipment. A finance major could be involved in developing and analyzing budgets for a worldwide operation. A foreign language major might be instrumental in translating documents for US policymakers. As a final example, a human resource major could have the opportunity to develop and implement personnel policies and procedures.

Once selected, you will be given up to $18,000 per calendar year for tuition, mandatory fees, books, and supplies; an annual salary; and an optional benefits package that includes health, dental and vision insurance, life insurance, and retirement. You’ll be required to work at an Agency facility in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area for at least 60 to 90 days before graduation and to maintain full-time college status during the school year with a minimum cumulative 3.0/4.0 GPA. We will pay the cost of transportation between school and the Washington, D.C., area for your work experience and provide a housing allowance.

Because the Scholar Program is an investment in you, accepting an offer means making a career choice. We ask that you agree to continue employment with the Agency after college graduation for a period equal to 1.5 times the length of your college sponsorship.

All applicants must meet the following requirements:

• US citizenship
• 18 years of age
• 3.0/4.0 scale college GPA or higher
• Full Time Student taking at least 9 credits per semester
• Financial need as demonstrated by the household income ceiling up to $70,000 for a family of four, and $80,000 for a family of five or more for applicants that have been listed as dependent (full-time student for at least five months of the year) for the previous tax year
• If the applicant has not been listed as a dependent for the previous tax year, the household income ceiling is $35,000 or less
• After completing a 60 to 90 day work tour student should still have at least one year remaining of full time classes prior to graduation
• Meet the same employment standards as permanent employees, successfully completing both security and medical processing.

The following are desired, but not required, critical languages that the CIA are looking for: Arabic, Chinese, Dari, Indonesian, Korean, Kurdish, Pushto (Pashtu), Persian (Farsi), Russian, Somali, Turkish, Urdu.

The Scholar Program is extremely competitive, so attention to detail is critical. If you meet the minimum requirements listed above for this program, apply online between July 1 – October 15. All applicants must provide the following information with their online application or they will not be considered for the program:

• Names and ages of all family dependents and your gross family income for current and previous years
• A copy of your most current Federal Application for Financial Student Aid Form (FAFSA) or SAR upon request along with your 1040
• A copy of your school transcripts
• Two letters of recommendation
• Preliminary tests, if required for your area of interest.
• Scholarship Program Application [PDF 918KB*]
• Qualification Supplement [PDF 1042KB*]

ALL POSITIONS REQUIRE RELOCATION TO THE WASHINGTON DC METROPOLITAN AREA.

All applicants must successfully complete a thorough medical and psychological exam, a polygraph interview and an extensive background investigation. US citizenship is required.

To be considered suitable for Agency employment, applicants must generally not have used illegal drugs within the last twelve months. The issue of illegal drug use prior to twelve months ago is carefully evaluated during the medical and security processing.

Important Notice: Friends, family, individuals, or organizations may be interested to learn that you are an applicant for or an employee of the CIA. Their interest, however, may not be benign or in your best interest. You cannot control whom they would tell. We therefore ask you to exercise discretion and good judgment in disclosing your interest in a position with the Agency. You will receive further guidance on this topic as you proceed through your CIA employment processing.

To Apply:

Save the position(s) that interest you in the job cart. You can add up to four (4) positions. Job cart selections will only be retained during this site visit, so be sure to click “Apply Now” before closing the browser window. After clicking “Apply Now” you will be taken to the application account creation page. The positions will appear in the cart once you have created an account.DO NOT submit multiple applications; this will only slow the review of your application and delay processing. Please read the Application Instructions carefully before you begin the online application process.

Application Instructions

An equal opportunity employer and a drug-free work force.

*Adobe® Reader® is needed to view Adobe PDF files. If you don’t already have Adobe Reader installed, you may download the current version at www.adobe.com (opens in a new window). [external link disclaimer]