Fiscal year 2025 department of defense chief information officer cyber service academy scholarships: western governors university

The Office of the Secretary of Defense awarded Western Governors University $164,788 on September 10, 2025, under the Information Security Grants program (CFDA 12.902) to support the Department of War Cyber Service Academy scholarship initiative. The award funds scholarships for students pursuing cybersecurity-related degrees and capacity-building activities to enhance institutional cyber education infrastructure. The recipient distributes scholarship funds to cover tuition, fees, and stipends for selected scholars and expends capacity-building grant funds on approved institutional projects. Performance occurs in Utah and runs through September 9, 2030. The Cyber Service Academy is a merit-based scholarship-for-service program that recruits exceptional undergraduate and graduate students in cybersecurity fields and supports current Department of War civilian and military personnel advancing their expertise, with all academic tracks aligned to the Defense Cyber Workforce Framework. Scholar selection follows separate pathways: recruitment students are selected by Department of War agencies based on organizational cyber talent and mission needs; retention students (current DoW personnel) are selected by a formal panel of academic faculty and government cybersecurity experts. Capacity-building project proposals are evaluated by government subject-matter expert panels on their potential to strengthen cyber education and research capacity.