CISA cancels CyberCorps internships
CISA cancelled this year’s CyberCorps summer internships because of a Department of Homeland Security funding lapse, leaving students who had accepted offers in limbo. (cyberscoop.com)
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency canceled its 2026 CyberCorps summer internships after months of planning, pulling back roughly 100 positions because the Department of Homeland Security still lacks funding. (govexec.com) Students in the federal CyberCorps Scholarship for Service program were told the agency was “unable” to bring interns onboard this summer because of the funding lapse at the Department of Homeland Security, according to emails described by CyberScoop and Federal News Network. (cyberscoop.com) (federalnewsnetwork.com) The reversal came after the agency publicly announced on December 17, 2025 that it would join the Office of Personnel Management’s CyberCorps Scholarship for Service effort and offer 100 new summer internship roles. CISA’s careers page still describes the 2026 program as a pathway for Scholarship for Service students and recent graduates. (cisa.gov 1) (cisa.gov 2) CyberCorps, formally called Scholarship for Service, pays for up to three years of cybersecurity study in exchange for government service after graduation. The program is run through the Office of Personnel Management and is meant to place students in federal, state, local, tribal and territorial cybersecurity jobs. (sfs.opm.gov 1) (sfs.opm.gov 2) That makes the internship cancellation more than a summer hiring problem. For many scholars, internships are the first step into the agencies they may later join full time, and the program already ties their education funding to public-service work requirements. (govexec.com) (sfs.opm.gov) The shutdown pressure has been building since February 14, 2026, when Department of Homeland Security funding ran out at 12:01 a.m., according to MeriTalk. Federal News Network reported this is the second straight year CISA will not offer internships to Scholarship for Service students. (meritalk.com) (federalnewsnetwork.com) The cancellation lands as CISA and other federal cyber offices are already dealing with hiring delays, budget uncertainty and a backlog of graduates still seeking placements. CyberScoop reported the internship decision added to pressure on a pipeline that was already strained by freezes and proposed cuts. (cyberscoop.com) What happens next depends less on campus recruiting than on Congress and the Department of Homeland Security budget fight. Until that is resolved, students who accepted CISA internships are left looking for other ways to meet a program built to send them into government service. (cyberscoop.com) (govexec.com)
