Students interested in participating in the SFS program must be:

• A United States citizen.
• Attending school on a full-time basis while receiving a scholarship under the SFS program. No other external employment is allowed.
• Able to meet selection criteria for federal, state, or local government employment. Final job placement may require a security clearance, so each scholarship recipient may be required to undergo the background investigation required to obtain such a clearance.
• Competitive students will have a strong GPA (3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale) and submit a supplemental 1 page essay on why you are interested in the Scholarship for Service and how you feel it would benefit you in your career goals, when submitting your application package.

Recipient Responsibility:

In return for receiving scholarship benefits, each scholarship recipient incurs two obligations:

• During the summers while enrolled in the program, each student will be responsible for securing an internship position at a federal, state, or local government agency. Numerous resources are available to assist students in identifying and applying for internships.
• Upon graduation, each student will be required to work in a qualified position for a federal, state, or local government agency or a qualified national laboratory. The work requirement time period matches the supported time period, though programs who have an odd number of semesters are rounded up. For example, the MSSI program is three semesters, but the work commitment is two years.
• Each student is responsible for identifying, applying for, and securing a qualified position. Numerous resources are available including an annual job fair specifically for SFS students as well as the assistance of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) which oversees permanent placement for scholarship students.