Microsoft Cybersecurity Scholarship Program
The US has a cybersecurity workforce shortage of nearly 700,000 trained professionals, yet only 3% of US students attain a credential in computer and information sciences and far fewer specialize in cybersecurity. The Last Mile Education Fund and Microsoft are committed to making cybersecurity a viable career path for everyone.
Creating a safer online world requires all of us—from every background—to bring to this mission the diverse skills, perspectives, and life experiences we each embody to defeat tomorrow’s cyberthreats. This partnership launched in October 2021 and has already made a huge impact in over a thousand lives.
Microsoft Cybersecurity Scholarship Program Grantee Profile
To meet the current and future challenges, the defender community needs to be as diverse as the attackers we face. Unfortunately, while progress is being made, many groups are still underrepresented in the field of cybersecurity. Less than 25% of the cyber workforce are women and, in 2021, only 9% of cybersecurity workers were Black and only 4% Hispanic. Not only is the current underrepresentation among these groups a wildly missed opportunity, but it also means we don’t have the benefit of diverse viewpoints as we try to address complex cybersecurity issues.
Why target community colleges? Community colleges are the single greatest potential asset the United States has in expanding the cybersecurity workforce. They are one of the nation’s most remarkable and ubiquitous assets, and with some targeted assistance, they can move quickly to help address the cybersecurity workforce shortage.
Since its inception the Microsoft Cybersecurity Scholarship Program has awarded 3,636 students with grants that will forever transform their career trajectory. The Microsoft Cybersecurity Scholarship program aims to invest in 10,000 community college cybersecurity students by 2025.
*racial and gender analysis for scholarships awarded from October 2021 to May 2023
Together we have supported
3,500 students
from 338 institutions
across 48 states.
The impact does not end at providing financial assistance to striving students, this program offers a multi-level system for mentoring and career guidance. Students receive:
A free LinkedIn Premium annual membership valued at $300+, unlocking 15,000+ expert-led learning courses to sharpen their skills, competitive insights on job and internship opportunities, and more
Hands-on experience with a pack of real-world developer tools at no cost with the GitHub Global Campus, including access to the Student Developer Kit
Eight fundamental Microsoft Certification exams for free through June 2023, including the SC-900 Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals
