Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria:

All prospective National Intelligence University students must meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • Be a U.S. citizen

  • Be either a member of the U.S. Armed Forces or a federal government employee (government contractors are not eligible)

  • Prospective and current students must hold an active TS/SCI clearance and indoctrinated with your agency.  An interim clearance is not permitted. 

  • Your clearance must be held by the federal government or the U.S. Armed Forces.  Please obtain/maintain an active TS/SCI and be indoctrinated to the current accesses before applying to NIU. 

  •  Contact Admissions at NIU_Admissions@odni.gov with questions about the University’s security requirements. 

  • NIU is not permitted to hold TS/SCI for students. They must be briefed by their home agency.

Additional Eligibility Criteria for:

You must have earned academic credits at another regionally accredited college or university, but have not yet earned a bachelor’s degree. You must have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

    • Applicants must have a minimum of 80 undergraduate semester hours completed. 
      Note: NIU will accept a maximum of 50 semester hours for coursework completed by an examination (e.g. the College Level Examination Program) or professional/military training approved by the American Council of Education (ACE).  The remaining 30+ hours must have been earned at a regionally accredited institution.  NIU does not accept transfer credit for any required course in the BSI curriculum.

Transfer credit coursework requirements:

    • 20 upper division (300-400) level hours
    • 9 hours in Communications, 6 of which must be earned in English composition
    • 12 hours in Mathematics and Science, 3 of which must be earned in Mathematics
    • 15 hours in Humanities, Social Sciences, or Fine Arts. Applicants are encouraged to request a credit evaluation from NIU Admissions before applying to ensure they meet the transfer credit requirements.To request a credit evaluation, send copies of your transcripts to   NIU_Enrollments@niu.odni.gov and type “BSI Credit Evaluation” in the subject line.

Note: Upper division, Communication skills, Mathematics and Science, Humanities, Social Sciences, or Fine Arts can be taken from coursework hours, testing, and military training.

Note: Credits from institutions that operate on a quarter system are converted into semester hours by dividing quarter hours by 1.5.

  • Possess a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution. 
  • Competitive applicants have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
  • Possess a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution.
  • Competitive applicants have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
  • Ideal candidates for the MSTI program should have academic exposure to science, technology, engineering or math coursework during their undergraduate years.
  • A science or engineering degree is not required, but it will better prepare students for success in class.
  • Possess a baccalaureate degree from a regionally-accredited institution.
  • Competitive applicants have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale. 

Note: Students may apply no more than two classes to the MSSI/MSTI program as a continuing education student. We encourage you to apply to the degree program before completing your second CE/Certificate course.

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