AFIO Scholarships

Scholarship Sponsored by Association of Former Intelligence Officers

Do not let finances limit your ambitions. AFIO can help defray some education expenses. You do not need to be an AFIO member to apply; each scholarship recipient will receive a one‑year honorary AFIO membership.

AFIO Scholarships — Academic Year 2026

Available awards
- JASIN UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS — Five awards of $5,000 each
- For students entering their senior year in Fall 2026 who have shown a clear interest in working for the U.S. Intelligence Community (examples: relevant internships, study abroad, advanced language study, or research experience).

- JASIN GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS — Five awards of $5,000 each
- For graduate students studying national security–related fields (such as international relations, security policy, intelligence studies) who are currently serving in the U.S. Government or intend to do so.

Eligibility summary
- Applicants must be U.S. citizens.
- Undergraduate applicants: must be entering the senior year of college in Fall 2026.
- Graduate applicants: may apply no earlier than their senior undergraduate year and no later than their second year of graduate study.
- Scholarships will not be awarded to students enrolled at foreign universities (study‑abroad programs administered by a U.S. school are eligible), to schools that are not U.S.-accredited, or to students in law, medical, or business schools (domestic or foreign).
- Students planning to study engineering, science, technology, or those who demonstrate advanced foreign‑language capability or regional expertise (including but 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) are especially encouraged to apply.
- Minimum academic requirement: 3.0 GPA.

Application package (submit via online form)
All applicants must submit the following seven items. Acceptable attachment formats include: PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT, JPG, TIF, RTF, ODT and common archive formats (e.g., ZIP, ZIPX). Do not send .dat or .htm files. Confirm that attachments open correctly and are not empty shortcuts. Keep attachments sent by email under 15 MB.

1. Cover letter — Explain financial need, career objectives, and your perspective on the U.S. role in the world and the role the U.S. Intelligence Community should play.
2. Resume — Include:
- Current mailing address (will be verified with the post office)
- Place and date of birth
- Colleges attended
- College you expect to attend in Fall 2026
- Relevant experience
- Extracurricular activities
3. Academic transcript — A copy is acceptable; it does not have to be an official transcript.
4. One recommendation — The recommender should email their letter to scholarships@afio.com.
5. Recent photograph — Full‑face image (sitting, standing, or portrait). Acceptable graphic formats: JPG, TIF, GIF, PDF, or other common image formats.
6. Indication of whether you are applying for an UNDERGRADUATE or a GRADUATE scholarship.
7. Name of the college or university you will attend in 2026–2027 and your intended course of study (declared major or area of concentration).

Submitting materials
- Assemble the complete application package and submit it through AFIO’s online form. Incomplete packages will not be considered.
- If a recommender or an institution cannot send documents electronically, materials may be mailed to:
AFIO Scholarships
220 Spring St Ste 220
Herndon, VA 20170
or emailed to: scholarships@afio.com
- Deadline: All applicant materials for the 2026–2027 academic year must be submitted via the online form by midnight, 1 June 2026. Applications received after that time will not be accepted.

Selection and award payment
- Applications are reviewed by a designated AFIO committee. Evaluation factors include merit, character, academic dedication, relevance of study to national security interests, and career ambitions. Decisions by the committee are final.
- Recipients must have at least a 3.0 GPA.
- Scholarship funds will be paid directly to the university’s Bursar or Registrar. Under no circumstances will payments be sent directly to awardees or to third parties who are not bursar/registrar offices.

Questions? Email scholarships@afio.com.