The Security Training Scholarship is an online training path for members of Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS), run with the SANS Institute and funded by WiCyS partners and supporters.
Every eligible applicant starts with a beginner Capture the Flag; selection narrows the cohort at each tier, and those who reach the later tiers take SANS courses with GIAC certification exams over about a year. It is built for students and career changers new to the field.
Benefits & funding
- Tiers 3–5: SANS SEC275 with GFACT, SEC401 with GSEC, then SEC504 with GCIH plus SEC411.
- Tier 1: beginner CTF with 28+ content packs; Tier 2: SANS Skills Quest.
- Tier 3 recipients receive a WiCyS Conference Scholarship.
- Mentors and a peer cohort at every tier.
- Cost: an active WiCyS membership, paid separately.
Eligibility
- Active WiCyS member aged 18 or older.
- First-time applicants only: anyone who applied in an earlier cycle is denied.
- Seeking cybersecurity work and ready to enter the job market within 18 months of starting.
- Not eligible: anyone now or formerly employed in cybersecurity; holders of a Master’s or PhD in a cyber or IT field; holders of GFACT, GSEC or GCIH.
- No nationality, residence or gender rule is published.
- Labs need a 64-bit Windows, macOS or Linux computer with virtualization, admin rights and 8 GB+ RAM; Chromebooks and tablets are not supported.
Application process
- 1Hold an active WiCyS membership before applying.
- 2Submit the online application, including an essay, before the close; late applications are not accepted.
- 3Eligible applicants enter the Tier 1 CTF; later tiers follow selection, then course completion.
- 4Tier 3 invitees return a commitment form and complete a pre-assessment.
- 5The next window is not yet announced; the last two opened 1 August 2025 and 1 September 2026.
Program timeline
1 September 2026
Applications opened (2026–2027 cohort)
Applications closed
30 September 2026, 5:00 pm CT
Tier 1 decisions
8 October 2026
Tier 3 coursework starts
12 January 2027
Tier 5 ends
26 October 2027