NSA Summer 2027 Internship Program - Science of Security - Entry

National Security Agency; Fort Meade (MD); On-site; USD 28,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Housing accommodations

Travel entitlements

Annual leave

Sick leave

Paid federal holidays

Job summary

NSA Summer 2027 Internship Program - Science of Security at Fort Meade, MD is a 12-week paid opportunity for undergraduate to doctoral students. It focuses on advancing cybersecurity research and trustworthy AI. Interns work with mentors, tackle mission-critical problems, and present their research at the program’s conclusion.

Open to many majors, this program requires U.S. citizenship, degree-seeking status, and eligibility for TS/SCI clearance.

Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must be enrolled in a degree-seeking program (undergraduate, graduate, doctorate).
• Preferred GPA 3.0 or higher.
• Eligible for TS/SCI security clearance after background checks.
• Available for interviews in US between Oct 2026 and Apr 2027.
• UIT cognitive ability, motivation and English proficiency may be required.

Responsibilities

• Engage in cybersecurity and AI research activities under NSA mentors.
• Contribute to interdisciplinary projects in the Science of Security program.
• Prepare and present a briefing summarizing research outcomes at program end.

Skills

U.S. Citizenship

GPA 3.0+

TS/SCI eligibility

Cognitive ability testing

English proficiency

Education

Undergraduate student

Graduate student

PhD candidate

Job description

NSA has received approval from the Department of War to hire for specific critical positions during the hiring freeze, per DoW memorandum 'Immediate Civilian Hiring Freeze for Alignment with National Defense Priorities' dated 28 February.

Job Description

NSA Summer 2027 Internship Program - Science of Security - Entry - Maryland

Fort George G. Meade Complex, MD

Pay Plan: GG , Grade: 04/1 to 09/10

Open: 2026-08-15, Close: 2026-09-05

Job Posting: 1261519

Responsibilities

The NSA Summer Internship Programs at our Fort Meade, MD location offers students exciting, impactful professional work opportunities (with pay and limited benefits!) to grow their knowledge of the Intelligence Community and federal government while advancing NSA's two primary missions: 1) Collecting, analyzing, and producing foreign signals intelligence; and 2) Providing cybersecurity solutions and guidance to protect critical national infrastructure. These summer internship opportunities are open to students who are pursuing education in a variety of degree programs.

Science of Security Program: The Science of Security Internship Program is a highly competitive research opportunity focused on advancing cutting-edge research in cybersecurity and trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI). The program welcomes both undergraduate and graduate student researchers and pairs them with experienced research mentors to support the students' professional development while contributing to NSA mission priorities.

Participants will work collaboratively with NSA mentors and may also engage with fellow summer interns and members of NSA development programs to advance state-of-the-art research relevant to the NSA cybersecurity mission.

Research opportunities may include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

• Formal Methods
• Binary Reverse Engineering
• Network Security and Administration
• Systems Architecture
• Cyber-Physical Systems
• Cyber Psychology
• RF and Cybersecurity
• Trusted Execution
• Trustworthy AI
• Other related fields

The internship is housed within NSA's Laboratory for Advanced Cybersecurity Research. At the conclusion of the summer, students will be expected to prepare and present a briefing to the lab highlighting their research accomplishments.

Job Summary

Join students from across the country and lend your knowledge to national security in one of NSA's over 30 summer internship programs. These 12 week paid programs run from mid-May to mid-August and are open to undergraduate freshman up to Ph.D. students depending on internship requirements. These internships are open to a wide variety of majors and give students the opportunity to work directly with mission-critical problems and experience the excitement of working in NSA spaces.

Qualifications

To be accepted into the NSA Summer Internship - Science of Security candidates:

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Must be enrolled in a degree‑seeking program (undergraduate, graduate, doctorate) at time of application
• Specific education requirements vary by program
• Preferred cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Must be eligible to be granted a TS/SCI security clearance after successfully completing a background investigation, a Full‑scope Polygraph and a Psychological Evaluation
• Must be available and in the U.S. for operational and technical interviews and other applicable processing, both in‑person and via telephone/internet, between the months of October 2026 and April 2027
• Preferred majors: Computer Science or related field, such as:
  • Computer Engineering
  • Mathematics
  • Data Science
  • Physics
  • Information Systems
  • Cybersecurity
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Engineering or closely related field, such as:
    • Industrial Engineer
    • Systems Engineer
    • Computer Network Engineer
    • Computer Engineer
    • Electrical Engineer
    • Civil Engineer
    • Mechanical Engineer
    • Software Engineer
    • Mathematics or closely related field, such as:
      • Data Science
      • Statistics
• ***PLEASE NOTE: Other majors may be considered, however the majors listed above are highly recommended.***PLEASE NOTE: You may be required to complete an Unproctored Internet Testing (UIT) requirement measuring cognitive ability, motivation, and English proficiency.

Students are paid a competitive salary commensurate with their education level.

All internships are 10 - 12 weeks during the summer.

• Receive annual leave, sick leave and paid federal holidays.
• Students who attend school in excess of 75 miles from Fort Meade, MD are eligible for housing accommodations and travel entitlements of a round trip airfare ticket to and from school or mileage reimbursement up to the cost of a government‑issued airline ticket.
• Daily transportation to and from work is NOT provided. Students participating in the program are highly encouraged to bring a vehicle. Carpooling with other students MAY be available, but is NOT guaranteed.
• Participation in agency-wide extracurricular programs.

DCIPS Disclaimer

The National Security Agency (NSA) is part of the DoD Intelligence Community Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS). All positions in the NSA are in the Excepted Services under 10 United States Codes (USC) 1601 appointment authority.