NMIF Merit Scholarship Process
2025 NMIF Merit Scholarship Cycle: CLOSED & Currently Under Evaluation!
Are you an undergraduate sophomore, junior, or senior, a master's student, or PhD candidate at an accredited U.S.-based college or university? Are you actively in pursuit of a career in the U.S. intelligence, defense, and national security community? The 2025 application process has closed, but check back next January 2026 for the next open period!
NMIF Merit Scholarship Application Overview
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Applications will be accepted annually from January-June. NMIF evaluates applications from June-July. Final scholarship recipients will be selected and can expect to be notified in September. In addition to providing scholarships applied to the winning applicants’ tuition, each awardee will receive an invitation to attend the in-person NMIF Night of Heroes Intelligence Awards Banquet held each November, event details can be found on the Night of Heroes page under Events.
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To be eligible for consideration, the following criteria shall be applied:
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Academic Standing: Sophomore, Junior, Senior, Graduate, or PhD candidate student at the time of application from an accredited educational institution. Candidates pursuing a second bachelor’s degree are eligible for consideration if standing is Sophomore, Junior, or Senior.
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Academic Status: Must be full-time students. A full time undergraduate or graduate student shall be enrolled in an accredited institution for no less than 12 semester hours. NMIF understands that some graduate institutions define full-time differently.
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Citizenship: The NMIF Merit Scholarships are intended for those eligible to and actively pursuing work for U.S. military and intelligence communities, requiring U.S. citizenship.
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Use of Award: Awards may be applied to Fall Semester/Fall Quarter or Spring Semester/Spring Quarter. If a senior graduating in May is selected as a recipient, the award can be provided to the student’s registrar or official loan provider toward the student’s remaining balance or accrued student debt. The award funds will be sent to the student’s registrar; it will not be sent to the student directly.
