Defense Department Awards $1.85 Million to Embry-Riddle for Full-Ride Cybersecurity Scholarships

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has been awarded a $1.85 million Cyber Service Academy grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to develop the next generation of cyber defenders over the next five years.

“A key reason for winning this award is the confidence the Cyber Service Academy has in our students,” said Dr. Krishna Sampigethaya, chair of the Department of Cyber Intelligence and Security (CIS). “This award showcases Embry-Riddle’s national leadership in cybersecurity education and is a major milestone for our department and the Prescott Campus.”

The grant will support four to five students annually, providing them with full-ride scholarships to Embry-Riddle and living stipends, provided they commit to serve in vital cyber intelligence and defense roles within the DoD after graduation. The students will also receive specialized mentoring, hands-on learning opportunities and advanced training.

Since 2020, Embry-Riddle has secured more than $3.5 million in Cyber Service Academy funding. The new grant runs for a five-year period.

Specific areas of focus for program enrichment include artificial intelligence security, cyber resilience, and aviation and aerospace cybersecurity. Students and faculty may also leverage the Center for Aerospace Resilient Systems (CARS), a Center of Excellence at Embry-Riddle. The center supports collaboration with U.S. government agencies and industry on cybersecurity challenges, including workforce development.

The Prescott Campus was redesignated last year as a  National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense, a designation under the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity program sponsored by the National Security Agency (NSA). A nearly $4 million grant awarded to Embry-Riddle in 2022 was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) CyberCorps Scholarship for Service program, which aims to bolster the cybersecurity workforce. The university is also part of the  U.S. Cyber Command Academic Engagement Network.

These resources raise Embry-Riddle’s cybersecurity students to the top of the talent pool, according to Sampigethaya. “Our students consistently stand out during internships,” he said. “Embry-Riddle graduates are routinely selected for full-time roles defending the nation in cyberspace.”

The need for skilled cyber professionals is urgent. According to the DoD, more than 500,000 cyber positions remain open across public and private sectors. Within the DoD alone, about 250,000 cyber professionals are employed, yet the department remains short by roughly 20,000.

“This is not just an opportunity — it’s a calling,” Mark Gorak, director of the DoD’s Cyber Academic Engagement Office, recently told a group of 50 Cyber Service Academy scholarship recipients at a boot camp at George Washington University in D.C.  This year, only 50 Cyber Service Academy Scholars were selected nationwide from nearly 700 applicants — an acceptance rate of just 7%. Embry-Riddle was proud to have one of these 50 distinguished scholars chosen.

“You are the future,” Gorak added, “and the agencies that selected you are eager to bring your talents into their missions.”