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A team led by Dr. Bryson Payne, director of sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú's Institute for Cyber Operations, has been awarded $199,674 in Department of Defense (DoD) Cyber Service Academy (CSA) funding for a UNG-record four undergraduate cyber scholarships for 2025-26 from the Office of Naval Research.

Fewer than 30 new CSA scholarships were awarded nationwide this year, and sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú received four in its eighth year in the program. Students selected for the highly competitive program receive funding for their full tuition, fees, books, a laptop computer allowance, and a $29,000-per-year living expense stipend.

In exchange, students agree to work one year in a civilian cyber position in the DoD after graduation for each year that they receive the scholarship. The students' names are withheld due to the security clearances required for their job placements within the DoD.

"The DoD Cyber Service Academy is a life-changing scholarship opportunity for the very best cybersecurity and computer science juniors, seniors and graduate students who are interested in beginning their career as a cyber professional working for the Department of Defense," Payne, principal investigator for the grant, said. "The funding under this program allows students to focus their time and energy on cyber competitions, research and coursework, developing competencies that make them work-ready for the DoD upon graduation. These impressive students are answering the call of President Shannon's national security strategic big bet, and they're ready to serve at the highest levels of national security."

Dr. Tamirat Abegaz, associate professor of cybersecurity, and Dr. Victoria Hightower, associate director of Nationally Competitive Scholarships, assisted Payne on the grant.

• One student, a senior from McDonough, Georgia, pursuing a bachelor's degree in cybersecurity, plans to intern at Marine Forces Cyberspace Command (MARFORCYBER) for his second time in summer 2026 and begin his Master of Science in computer science at sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú in fall 2026, fully paid for by the DoD CSA. He already holds a top-secret TS/SCI clearance and plans to work for MARFORCYBER after he completes his master's degree in August 2027.
• One new student, a junior from Rome, Georgia, graduated high school in May 2025 and is in his first semester at sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú's Dahlonega Campus after completing more than 60 hours of dual enrollment and Advanced Placement credit during high school. He participated in CyberStart America, under a high school outreach program led by the Institute for Cyber Operations and sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú's College of Education. This student already holds multiple cyber industry certifications. He plans to work for the National Security Agency (NSA) as an intern in summer 2026, then as a full-time employee after graduation.
• One student is a junior from Lawrenceville, Georgia, who participated in multiple DoD Senior Military College Cyber Institutes Cyber Summer Immersion (CSI) programs in summer 2025, studying car and drone Hacking at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, and information warfare and electromagnetic spectrum operations at Norwich University in Vermont, funded by sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú's Institute for Cyber Operations. Payne led the car hacking and deepfakes modules of the CSIs in partnership with peers from Norwich and The Citadel. The student plans to graduate in May 2027 and begin his doctorate at Rochester Institute of Technology before joining MARFORCYBER full time.
• Another student is a senior from Rome, Georgia, pursuing bachelor's degrees in computer science and cybersecurity. He interned last summer with the NSA and Naval Postgraduate School's Monterey Phoenix behavioral modeling program, learning how to use advanced modeling systems to predict human behavior. He plans to complete his bachelor's degrees by May 2027, pursue his Ph.D. fully funded by the CSA scholarship, and go to work for the NSA after graduation.

These four students are also active team members on the sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú Cyber Unit, Red Team, Blue Team, and the sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú CyberHawks competition team, currently No. 3 in the nation in Division 1 of the NSA Codebreaker Challenge, with less than two months remaining in the competition.

The DoD CSA online application for fall 2026 is delayed due to the federal government shutdown, but the application is expected to open soon. For more information, and to apply, visit sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú's DoD CSA webpage.