IASP: Minimum Eligibility for Scholarship and Appointment

To be eligible for the IASP opportunity described in this announcement, you must meet all of the following minimum requirements:

a) You must be 18 years of age or older.
b) You must be a citizen of the United States at the time of application. Note, if family members are not U.S. Citizens, some DoD Agencies may be unable to process the applicant (student) to the security clearance level required. Every effort will be made to assign eligible students at an Agency without such restrictions.
c) You must be enrolled (or accepted for enrollment) at Dartmouth College.
d) You must have completed (or by August 2013 will have completed) at a minimum the first two years of an undergraduate degree program and be eligible to (a) begin either the third or fourth year of an undergraduate degree program; (b) begin the first or second year of a master’s degree program; (c) pursue doctoral studies; or (d) complete a graduate certificate program in information assurance.
e) You must be pursuing a course of study and/or have a declared major in one of the scientific, technical or managerial disciplines related to computer and network security, with a concentration in an information assurance function, such as (for a full list see pages 3-4 of the Scholarship Announcement):

• • Computer Science; Computer Engineering; Electrical Engineering; Electronic Engineering; Information Security (Assurance); Mathematics; Systems Security Engineering

f) You must be able to obtain the required security clearance for the position selected. See the web page information below, which provides more information about fulfilling the necessary security requirements. Failure to be able to obtain a security clearance is grounds for dismissal from the DoD IASP. You must be able to obtain the required security clearance for the position selected. You may be required to undergo certain tests, including drug and polygraph tests, to obtain and maintain a clearance. Before you may be awarded a scholarship or hired by DoD, you will be required to complete certain forms to initiate the security clearance process. Some of these forms will require that you reveal extensive information about your background, such as potentially sensitive information about your financial circumstances and any arrests and/or convictions for offenses of any kind. You must agree to all of these conditions of employment and you must complete these forms as a condition of financial assistance and appointment.

• • The following web page from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) highlights frequently asked questions regarding security clearances. This is provided for your review and consideration in determining whether you will be eligible for a security clearance. This and the following web pages may not be all inclusive, however.  It is highly recommended that you review and understand the requirements prior to signing up to participate in the DoD IASP.

FAQs about OPM Background Investigations

• • The following web pages contain additional information about security clearances, which also may be useful when determining whether you will be eligible for a security clearance. These are provided for informational purposes only:

About.com - Security Clearance Secrets
ClearanceJobs.com
TAOnline.com - Security Clearances

g) You must be recommended by the Dartmouth-ISTS Review Panel for a scholarship.
h) Undergraduates must have a minimum 3.2 grade point average (GPA); Graduate, students must have a minimum 3.5 GPA.