Minimum Qualifications:

• 18 years of age by date of application to the scholarship program
• Financial need as demonstrated by the gross annual household income ceiling up to $70,000 for a family of four or less, and $80,000 for a family of five or more
• If the applicant has not been listed as a dependent for the previous tax year, the gross annual household income ceiling is $35,000 or less
• 1000 SAT (new official score scale) or 1500 (old score scale); or 21 ACT scores or higher (high school students)
• Acceptance at a 4- or 5-year college/university; or pursing an undergraduate degree as a full time student enrolled in, or planning to take, at least 9 credits per semester
• GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for high school and/or college
• Availability to work at least two 90-day summer tours prior to graduation and willingness to work at CIA full time after graduation

Desired Qualifications:

• Academic excellence in core subjects related to your college major or desired major
• Relevant practical or job experience in your field of interest
• Proficiency in a foreign language. Languages of interest are listed on our Foreign Language page.
• Demonstrated leadership qualities
• Genuine interest in contributing to CIA's mission

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.

• 1st Year
• 2nd Year

• US Citizen

The Undergraduate Scholarship Program is a financial needs based initiative that offers undergraduate students an unmatched experience in a diverse and inclusive environment. Undergraduate students, serving as scholarship recipients with the CIA, attend an accredited college/university on a full-time basis and work during summer breaks at the CIA.

While working at the CIA, you will be exposed to intelligence challenges while performing meaningful work that relates to your 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, while a foreign language major might be instrumental in translating documents for US policymakers. An international relations major might brief a senior policymaker and, as a final example, a human resources major could have the opportunity to develop and implement personnel policies and procedures.

If selected as a scholarship recipient, you will receive a wide array of benefits, including:

• Tuition assistance up to $18,000 per calendar year for tuition, mandatory fees and books
• Daily allowance for meals and incidentals during summer tours
• Reimbursement for transportation costs between school and Washington, DC
• Annual salary
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Federal retirement plans
• Paid time off, as well as sick and holiday leave

Please get details about application components, resources and selection criteria via the program website.

Because CIA invests in scholarship recipients, accepting an offer means continued employment with the Agency for a specified timeframe. You are required to work at the Agency after college graduation for a period equal to 1.5 times the length of the college sponsorship you received from CIA. Students who leave earlier are required to reimburse the U.S. Government for their tuition. All positions require relocation to the Washington, DC area during summer work tours. See more information via the program website.

We do not routinely answer questions about employment beyond the information on this Web site, and we do not routinely answer inquiries about the status of job applications. Recruiting will contact applicants within 45 days if their qualifications meet our needs.