The Secretary of Defense may, subject to subsection (f), provide financial assistance in accordance with this section to a person—

(1) who is pursuing an associate, baccalaureate, or advanced degree, or a certification, in a cyber discipline referred to in section 2200(a) of this title at an institution of higher education; and

(2) who enters into an agreement with the Secretary as described in subsection (b).

To receive financial assistance under this section—

To receive financial assistance under this section—

(A) a member of the armed forces shall enter into an agreement to serve on active duty in the member’s armed force for the period of obligated service determined under paragraph (2);

(B) an employee of the Department of Defense shall enter into an agreement to continue in the employment of the department for the period of obligated service determined under paragraph (2); and

(C) a person not referred to in subparagraph (A) or (B) shall enter into an agreement— (i) to enlist or accept a commission in one of the armed forces and to serve on active duty in that armed force for the period of obligated service determined under paragraph (2); or (ii) to accept and continue employment in the Department of Defense for the period of obligated service determined under paragraph (2).

(2) For the purposes of this subsection, the period of obligated service for a recipient of financial assistance under this section shall be the period determined by the Secretary of Defense as being appropriate to obtain adequate service in exchange for the financial assistance and otherwise to achieve the goals set forth in section 2200(a) of this title. In no event may the period of service required of a recipient be less than the period equal to three-fourths of the total period of pursuit of a degree for which the Secretary agrees to provide the recipient with financial assistance under this section. The period of obligated service is in addition to any other period for which the recipient is obligated to serve on active duty or in the civil service, as the case may be.

An agreement entered into under this section by a person pursuing an academic degree shall include terms that provide the following:

(A) That the period of obligated service begins on a date after the award of the degree that is determined under the regulations prescribed under section 2200d of this title.

(B) That the person will maintain satisfactory academic progress, as determined in accordance with those regulations, and that failure to maintain such progress constitutes grounds for termination of the financial assistance for the person under this section.

(C) Any other terms and conditions that the Secretary of Defense determines appropriate for carrying out this section.

The amount of the financial assistance provided for a person under this section shall be the amount determined by the Secretary of Defense as being necessary to pay all educational expenses incurred by that person, including tuition, fees, cost of books, laboratory expenses, and expenses of room and board. The expenses paid, however, shall be limited to those educational expenses normally incurred by students at the institution of higher education involved.

The financial assistance for a person under this section may also be provided to support internship activities of the person at the Department of Defense in periods between the academic years leading to the degree for which assistance is provided the person under this section.

A member of an armed force who does not complete the period of active duty specified in the service agreement under subsection (b) shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) or 373 of title 37.

(1) A member of an armed force who does not complete the period of active duty specified in the service agreement under subsection (b) shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) or 373 of title 37.

(2) A civilian employee of the Department of Defense who voluntarily terminates service before the end of the period of obligated service required under an agreement entered into under subsection (b) shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) or 373 of title 37 in the same manner and to the same extent as if the civilian employee were a member of the armed forces.

Not less than 50 percent of the amount available for financial assistance under this section for a fiscal year shall be available only for providing financial assistance for the pursuit of degrees referred to in subsection (a) at institutions of higher education that have established, improved, or are administering programs of education in cyber disciplines under the grant program established in section 2200b of this title, as determined by the Secretary of Defense.

(1) Not less than 50 percent of the amount available for financial assistance under this section for a fiscal year shall be available only for providing financial assistance for the pursuit of degrees referred to in subsection (a) at institutions of higher education that have established, improved, or are administering programs of education in cyber disciplines under the grant program established in section 2200b of this title, as determined by the Secretary of Defense.

(2) Not less than five percent of the amount available for financial assistance under this section for a fiscal year shall be available for providing financial assistance for the pursuit of an associate degree at an institution described in paragraph (1).

The Secretary of Defense—

(1) may, without regard to any provision of title 5 governing appointments in the competitive service, appoint to a cyber position in the Department of Defense in the excepted service an individual who has successfully completed an academic program for which a scholarship under this section was awarded and who, under the terms of the agreement for such scholarship, at the time of such appointment owes a service commitment to the Department; and

(2) may, upon satisfactory completion of two years of substantially continuous service by an incumbent who was appointed to an excepted service position under the authority of paragraph (1), convert the appointment of such individual, without competition, to a career or career conditional appointment.

(Added Pub. L. 106–398, § 1 [[div. A], title IX, § 922(a)(1)], Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1654, 1654A–234; amended Pub. L. 109–163, div. A, title VI, § 687(c)(8), Jan. 6, 2006, 119 Stat. 3334; Pub. L. 111–84, div. A, title X, § 1073(a)(20), title XI, § 1103, Oct. 28, 2009, 123 Stat. 2473, 2485; Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title VI, § 618(a)(1)(J), title XVI, § 1649(b), (d)(1)(C), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1426, 1752.)