Seal of the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity

About the Programs

The National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) program is managed by the National Cryptologic School at the National Security Agency. Federal partners include the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)/National Initiative on Cybersecurity Education (NICE), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Defense Office of the Chief Information Officer (DoD-CIO), and US Cyber Command (CYBERCOM).

The mission of the NCAE-C program is to create and manage a collaborative cybersecurity educational program with community colleges, colleges, and universities that

Academic institutions may choose from three designations. The designation process is a combination of elements related to the institution focused on outputs for determining academic achievement. This combination assures that the institution meets the desired characteristics of a Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (CAE-C) institution, and that the academic delivery to students is producing the qualified workforce needed by the nation.

CAE-C designated institutions must complete validation of a Program of Study (PoS) which is a series of courses and experiences that a student can reasonably accomplish in the course of attaining a degree or completing a certificate.

Program Development & Application Assistance

Program Development - Applicants who are assessed to require more than one year to be ready for designation will be assigned to Program Development. In this phase, the applicant will have access to workshops, seminars and an advisor to help in their preparation for designation. Schools in this phase will also be invited to programs and events hosted by the CAE in Cybersecurity Community and have access to other resources offered by the NCAE-C Program Management Office only for the CAE-C audience.

Application Assistance - Applicants who are assessed to be within one year of readiness for designation will be placed in Application Assistance and be assigned a mentor. In this phase, the applicant will be invited to programs and events hosted by the CAE in Cybersecurity Community and have access to other resources offered by the NCAE-C Program Management Office only for the CAE-C audience.

Webform Applications cannot be saved or stored if incomplete. Should you navigate away from the Webform Application, all progress will be lost. A downloadable PDF application checklist is also available below, this will allow you to collect all needed information for the Webform Application before you start.

CAE-CD Program Eligibility and Summary

The CAE-CD Program is open to current regionally accredited:

CAE-CO Program Eligibility and Summary

The CAE-CO Program is open to current regionally accredited:

CAE-R Program Eligibility and Summary

The CAE-R Program is open to current: