AFIO Scholarships

Scholarship Sponsored by Association of Former Intelligence Officers

Don’t let finances limit your academic or career goals. AFIO can help defray part of your education costs. You do not have to be an AFIO member to apply; all scholarship recipients will receive a complimentary one‑year honorary AFIO membership.

AFIO Scholarships — 2026 Academic Year

Available awards
- JASIN Undergraduate Scholarship — Five awards of $5,000 each. These are intended for students who will be rising seniors in fall 2026 and who have shown interest in working for the U.S. Intelligence Community (examples: relevant internships, study abroad, advanced language training, or related research).
- JASIN Graduate Scholarship — Five awards of $5,000 each. These are for graduate students focused on national security subjects (e.g., international relations, security policy, intelligence studies) who are serving in the U.S. Government or plan to do so.

Who may apply
- All applicants must be U.S. citizens.
- Undergraduate applicants must be entering their senior year in fall 2026.
- Graduate applicants may apply no earlier than during their senior undergraduate year and no later than their second year of graduate study.
- Scholarships will not be made to students enrolled at foreign institutions (study abroad is eligible only when the program is administered by a U.S. school), to schools that are not U.S.-accredited, or to students attending law, medical, or business schools (domestic or foreign).

Application package — required items
Submit all components through the online application form. Missing items will disqualify the application. Attachments may be in PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT, JPG, TIF, RTF, ODT, or common archive formats (e.g., ZIP, ZIPX). Do not send .dat or .htm files. Confirm your files open properly and are not empty shortcuts. Keep each email attachment set under 15 MB.

You must upload the following SEVEN items:
1. Cover letter — Explain your financial need, career objectives, and your perspective on the United States’ global standing and the role the U.S. Intelligence Community should play.
2. Resume — Include current mailing address (this will be verified with the post office), place and date of birth, colleges attended, the college you expect to attend in fall 2026, work and internship experience, and extracurricular activities.
3. Academic transcript copy — An unofficial copy is acceptable.
4. One recommendation — The recommender should email the letter to scholarships@afio.com.
5. Recent headshot — A clear full‑face photograph (sitting, standing, or portrait). Acceptable image formats include JPG, TIF, GIF, PDF, and other common graphic types.
6. Indication of whether you are applying for an UNDERGRADUATE or GRADUATE scholarship.
7. Name of the college/university you will attend in 2026–2027 and your intended course of study (declared major or area of concentration).

If any supporting documents (for example, transcripts or recommendation letters) cannot be sent electronically, they may be mailed to:
AFIO Scholarships
220 Spring St Ste 220
Herndon, VA 20170
or emailed to scholarships@afio.com.

Deadline
All application materials must be submitted via the online form by midnight, 1 June 2026. Applications received after that deadline will not be considered.

Preferred fields and languages
Students pursuing studies in engineering, science, technology, or who demonstrate substantial foreign‑language proficiency and/or regional expertise are strongly encouraged to apply. Languages and areas of interest include, but are not limited to: Arabic, Dari, Farsi, Pashto, Russian, Chinese, Korean, Persian, Hausa and other sub‑Saharan African languages, Hebrew, Punjabi, Somali, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu.

Evaluation and award payment
Applicants will be judged on merit, character, academic dedication, relevance of studies to national security, and career plans. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for consideration. A special AFIO committee will review applications and their decisions are final.

If selected, tuition grant payments will be sent directly to the university’s Bursar or Registrar. Under no circumstances will funds be disbursed to awardees or to third parties who are not the institution’s bursar office.

Questions or submissions for recommendations: scholarships@afio.com.