What is a Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (CAE-C)?
Institutions that receive a CAE-C designation have met the rigorous requirements set forth by the sponsor of the program, the National Security Agency (NSA). The NSA awards CAE-C designations to institutions that commit to producing cybersecurity professionals that will reduce vulnerabilities in our national infrastructure.
There are three types of designations schools can pursue Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD), Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Research (CAE-R), and Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations (CAE-CO). While the NSA does not provide funding to CAE-C designated institutions, once a school obtains one of these designations, it can compete for grants like the Department of Defense Cybersecurity Scholarship Program (DoD CySP) and can apply for the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Scholarship for Service program. Schools are not limited to a single designation and are encouraged to pursue more than one.
All regionally accredited two-year, four-year, and graduate-level institutions in the United States are eligible to apply to become a CAE-C designated institution. An institution or program must apply for re-designation every five academic years.
Please visit the CAE-C website for more details.