‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—Students shall 
complete participation in the Program 
within four years of starting the Program, 
or pursuant to participating institution 
rules if such rules are in effect at the time 
such a student begins such participation. 
‘‘(ii) PROCESS
FOR
UPDATED
COM-
PLETION TIMELINE.—A student who expe-
riences extreme hardship during participa-
tion in the Program may submit to the Di-
rector of CISA an application to waive the 
application of the timeline specified in 
clause (i). The Director, in consultation 
with the appropriate participating institu-
tion, shall determine on a case-by-case 
basis whether such student may be granted 
additional time to complete the Program. 
‘‘(2) INSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—A com-
munity college, technical school, or other institution 
of higher education is eligible to participate in the 
Program if such college or school is— 
‘‘(A) a participant in the National Centers 
of 
Academic 
Excellence 
in 
Cybersecurity 
(NCAE–C) program; or 
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‘‘(B) determined eligible by the Director of 
CISA, taking into consideration whether the 
virtual or in-person course offerings at such a 
college or school aligns with pathways as de-
fined by the National Initiative for Cybersecu-
rity Education (NICE) Cybersecurity Work-
force Framework (NIST Special Publication 
800–181, revision 1), and the presence of a cy-
bersecurity clinic on campus. 
‘‘(3) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—In accordance with 
subparagraph (C), students participating in the 
Program shall complete a minimum of four eli-
gible skills-based exercises described in subpara-
graph (B). 
‘‘(B) 
ELIGIBLE
SKILLS-BASED
EXER-
CISES.—Eligible skills-based exercises described 
in this subparagraph may include the following: 
‘‘(i) Laboratory work. 
‘‘(ii) 
Competitions 
such 
as 
hackathons, challenges, and capture the 
flag. 
‘‘(iii) Virtual programming. 
‘‘(iv) Table-top exercises. 
‘‘(v) Industry training workshops. 
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‘‘(vi) Exercises in a box. 
‘‘(C) PROVISION.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—The Director of 
CISA shall coordinate with participating 
institutions to provide at least one skills- 
based exercise under subparagraph (A) 
each semester. 
‘‘(ii) STUDENT REQUIREMENTS.—Stu-
dents participating in the Program shall 
complete at least one of the four skills- 
based exercises under subparagraph (A) 
in-person. 
‘‘(iii) ADMINISTRATION
OF
EXER-
CISES.—The Director of CISA, in coordi-
nation with participating institutions, shall 
offer at least one in-person skills-based ex-
ercise to Program participants every two 
years. 
‘‘(iv) COORDINATION.—The Director 
of CISA shall coordinate and may jointly 
offer the skills-based exercises under sub-
paragraph (A) with the following: 
‘‘(I) Other Federal agencies, such 
as the Department of Defense, the 
Federal Bureau of Investigation, the 
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National Security Agency, and the Of-
fice of the National Cyber Director, as 
appropriate. 
‘‘(II) Non-Federal entities with 
cyber or cyber-relevant expertise, in-
cluding cybersecurity clinics. 
‘‘(v) EXCEPTION.—A student partici-
pating in the Program who is unable to 
complete a skills-based exercise under sub-
paragraph (A) may submit to the partici-
pating institution a proposal for a com-
parable skills-based exercise, as determined 
by the Director of CISA. 
‘‘(D) INTERNSHIPS.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—The Director of 
CISA and participating institutions shall, 
as a core requirement of the Program, co-
ordinate with appropriate entities to place 
students participating in the Program in 
an approved cyber or cyber-relevant intern-
ship, as determined by the Director, with 
any of the following: 
‘‘(I) A State, local, Tribal, or ter-
ritorial government entity. 
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‘‘(II) A critical infrastructure 
owner or operator that is located in a 
rural community or is considered to 
be a high-risk sector, as determined 
by the Director of CISA. 
‘‘(III) A Federal department or 
agency, including with the CISA Re-
gional Security Advisors program. 
‘‘(ii) 
PRIORITIZATION.—A 
student 
who has communicated in writing to the 
Director of CISA or the participating insti-
tution during the internship placement 
process that such student intends to serve 
in a Federal Government position beyond 
the obligations of the student under para-
graph (1)(D) shall be prioritized for Fed-
eral cyber internship opportunities that re-
quire a security clearance. 
‘‘(iii) CURRENT
FEDERAL
EMPLOY-
EES.—The Director of CISA shall coordi-
nate with the heads of appropriate Federal 
agencies to establish an approved cyber or 
cyber-relevant internship program for stu-
dents participating in the Program who 
are Federal employees. 
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‘‘(iv) SECURITY
CLEARANCES.—The 
Director of CISA shall take such actions 
as may be necessary to begin, not later 
than one year before an appropriate stu-
dent under this subparagraph completes 
participation in the Program, the process 
to provide such student with an appro-
priate security clearance. 
‘‘(4) OUTREACH INITIATIVES.— 
‘‘(A) 
CISA.—The 
Director 
of 
CISA 
shall— 
‘‘(i) conduct regional outreach initia-
tives, including at institutions designated 
as National Centers of Academic Excel-
lence in Cybersecurity (NCAE–C), and 
provide informational materials about the 
Program— 
‘‘(I) at each CISA regional office; 
and 
‘‘(II) to industry partners to pro-
mote the Program; and 
‘‘(ii) seek to engage with industry 
stakeholders to produce an annual report 
on industry-relevant skills intended to in-
form the skills-based exercises offered in 
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the Program, which report may include 
input from an advisory committee, estab-
lished by the Director of CISA and com-
prised of university-level educators. 
‘‘(B) RECRUITMENT FAIR.—The Director 
of CISA, in coordination with the National 
Cyber Director, shall host a voluntary Federal 
Government recruitment fair that includes Fed-
eral Government agency representatives who 
seek to recruit for open cybersecurity positions 
each fiscal year. Information regarding such 
fair shall be posted on a dedicated job board 
hosted by CISA. Each such fair may be hosted 
online or in-person at a minimum of five Pro-
gram participating institutions. 
‘‘(5) PROGRAM COMPLETION BENEFITS.— 
‘‘(A) DATABASE.—The Director of CISA, 
leveraging existing educational content reposi-
tories, shall maintain an online database of 
cyber training and education resources, mapped 
to job roles set forth in the National Initiative 
for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Cybersecu-
rity Workforce Framework (NIST Special Pub-
lication 800–181, revision 1), and Federal job 
opportunities in cyber or cyber-relevant fields. 
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Such database shall be available for access, as 
appropriate, by students who have successfully 
completed the Program. 
‘‘(B) CERTIFICATION PROGRAM.—The Di-
rector of CISA shall establish and update annu-
ally a list of existing cyber certification pro-
grams developed or offered by entities in the 
private sector, academia, nonprofits, or other 
institutions, as determined by the Director. The 
Secretary, acting through the Director, may 
fund, through vouchers requested by a student 
participating in the Program, up to three cer-
tifications and associated certification examina-
tions per student from such list for such stu-
dents who complete the Program within ten 
years of such completion. 
‘‘(C) ADDITIONAL SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTU-
NITIES
FOR
STUDENTS
WHO
COMPLETE
THE 
PROGRAM.—The Director of CISA may select, 
pursuant to an application process designed by 
Director, up to ten students per year who com-
pleted the Program and have been employed by 
the Federal Government for at least seven years 
to be eligible for scholarships to be applied to 
cyber or cyber-relevant degree programs offered 
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at institutions designated as NCAE–C. Scholar-
ship amounts under this subparagraph shall be 
determined by the Director, subject to the avail-
ability of appropriations for such purpose. 
‘‘(6) TERMS
OF
PROGRAM
SCHOLARSHIP.—A 
scholarship recipient under this section shall be lia-
ble to the United States for repayment of a scholar-
ship awarded to such recipient as provided under 
subsection (d) if such recipient— 
‘‘(A) fails to maintain an acceptable level 
of academic standing at the participating insti-
tution, as determined by the Director of CISA; 
‘‘(B) is dismissed from the participating 
institution for disciplinary reasons; 
‘‘(C) withdraws from the eligible degree 
program before completing the Program; 
‘‘(D) declares that such recipient does not 
intend to fulfill the post-award employment ob-
ligation under this section; or 
‘‘(E) fails to maintain or fulfill the post- 
graduation government service or post-award 
obligations or requirements of such recipient. 
‘‘(7) EXCEPTION.—A student who— 
‘‘(A) enlists or commissions in the Armed 
Forces prior to completion of the Program, or 
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‘‘(B) has a documented history of dem-
onstrated effort to secure a position with a Fed-
eral, State, local, Tribal, or territorial govern-
ment within two years after completing the Pro-
gram but who is not offered such a position, 
may be, on a case-by-case basis, as determined by 
the Director, exempted from liability to the United 
States for repayment of a scholarship awarded to 
such student. 
‘‘(b) MONITORING COMPLIANCE.—As a condition of 
participation in the Program, a participating institution 
shall enter into an agreement with the Director of CISA 
to monitor the compliance of scholarship recipients with 
respect to their post-award employment obligations. 
‘‘(c) AMOUNT OF REPAYMENT.—If a circumstance 
described in subsection (a)(6) occurs before the completion 
of one year of a post-scholarship employment obligation 
under this section, the total amount of scholarship awards 
received by an individual under this section shall— 
‘‘(1) be repaid immediately; or 
‘‘(2) be treated as a loan to be repaid in accord-
ance with subsection (d). 
‘‘(d) REPAYMENTS.—A loan referred to subsection 
(c) shall— 
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‘‘(1) be treated as a Federal Direct Unsub-
sidized Stafford Loan under part D of subpart 10 
of chapter 2 of subpart 2 of part A of title IV of 
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087a 
et seq.); and 
‘‘(2) be subject to repayment, together with in-
terest thereon accruing from the date of the scholar-
ship award, in accordance with terms and conditions 
specified by the Secretary (in consultation with the 
Secretary of Education) in regulations promulgated 
to carry out this subsection. 
‘‘(e) COLLECTION OF REPAYMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If a scholarship recipient is 
required to repay a scholarship under this section, 
the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) determine the repayment amounts 
and notify such recipient of the amount owed; 
and 
‘‘(B) collect such amount within a period 
of time as determined by the Secretary, or such 
amount shall be treated as a loan in accordance 
with subsection (e). 
‘‘(2) RETURNED TO THE DEPARTMENT.—Ex-
cept as provided in paragraph (3), any repayment 
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