Academic Year 2026-27 Rear Admiral Sumner Shapiro Scholarship Program

Naval Intelligence Professionals (NIP) is a tax-exempt educational and charitable Foundation. Through the Rear Admiral Sumner Shapiro Scholarship Program, NIP recognizes future leaders who have exhibited exceptional potential to contribute to naval intelligence and related national security goals.

Seven $5,000 NIP scholarships are available for Academic Year (AY) 2026-27:

• Vice Admiral Donald D. Engen Scholarship
• Captain Richard W. Bates Scholarship
• Captain George J. O’Donnell, Jr., Scholarship
• Commander Dan F. Shanower Scholarship
• Captain (Select) Kurt William Juengling Scholarship
• Captain Anthony D. Sesow Scholarship
• CWO4 (Ret) Gene and Kimberly Maguire Scholarship

Eligibility

NIP scholarships are open to high school graduates working toward an undergraduate (associate’s or bachelor’s) degree in AY 26-27. Post-graduate college students and high school students who have not earned their diplomas before the start of AY 26-27 are ineligible.

Applicants are either: 

1. High school graduates who are dependents (24 years and below) of regular and reserve Navy, Marine Corps, and/or Coast Guard intelligence personnel (officer or enlisted, active duty or retired). Applicants must be accepted to enroll full time (12+ credit hours) in an accredited undergraduate (associate’s or bachelor’s) degree program during AY26-27; 

   or

2. An enlisted Naval Intelligence Professional:
   
   The Captain Anthony D. Sesow Scholarship is endowed specifically for enlisted Sailors and Marines serving in an intelligence-related assignment, while enrolled at least part-time (three or more credit hours) in an accredited undergraduate (associate’s or bachelor’s) degree program. Command endorsement must accompany the application.
   
   The CWO4 (Ret) Gene and Kimberly Maguire Scholarship is open to active and reserve component Naval Intelligence Professionals, as well as their dependents, who are enrolled full-time (twelve or more credit hours) in an accredited undergraduate (associate’s or bachelor’s) degree program. This scholarship may be shared between two successful candidates.

Application Process

(1) Official Transcript(s). Applications must be accompanied by official transcript(s). Official transcripts will come directly from an educational institution(s), or a scholarship clearinghouse.

Best practice is to request transcripts be emailed electronically to: nipscholarships@gmail.com
If an applicant’s educational institution does not offer electronic transcript service, please make a timely request to have hard-copy official transcript(s) sent to:

Naval Intelligence Professionals
Attn: Chairman, Scholarship Committee
P.O. Box 11579
Burke, Virginia 22009-1579

PLEASE NOTE: Hardcopy transcripts postmarked after 15 April 2025 are ineligible and will be discarded. Transcripts sent directly by an applicant (email or mail) are unofficial and will be discarded.

(2) Applications

A. Submission Portal

Candidates will complete and submit scholarship applications via the NIP Scholarship Application portal, which opens on/about 9 Jan 2026 and closes 15 April 2026. (The application window is closed until the portal activates.)

The portal* may be found at:

https://tassyl.app/naval_intelligence_professionals/nip_scholarship

*For technical issues with the portal, please contact: scholarship@taphere.com for support.  The scholarship committee has no ability to resolve technical issues with the portal, but we recommend you cc: nipscholarships@gmail.com for the committee's situational awareness.

Note: Completed applications will include (1) an uploaded photo of the applicant suitable for publication in NIP-related media (in uniform for enlisted applicants), (2) a valid e-mail address and phone number where applicant can be reached through June 2025; (3) a valid “snail-mail” address where scholarship awardees will be able to receive hardcopy correspondence in the June 2025 timeframe.

B. Additional Requirements

On behalf of the applicant, the scholarship committee will anonymize and upload transcripts to the portal.  However, each applicant must add the following to their online submission:

1. a digital photo of the applicant suitable for publication in NIP-related media (in uniform for enlisted applicants), 
2. a valid e-mail address and phone number where applicant can be reached through June;
3. a valid physical/“snail-mail” address where scholarship awardees will be able to receive hardcopy correspondence in the June timeframe; and
4. a brief essay explaining the applicant’s academic goals and how they relate to naval intelligence, other intelligence (e.g., cryptology, cyber, space, and/or medical intelligence, etc.), and/or other national security interests, plus any additional distinctive(s) the applicant believes judges should consider (e.g., family military heritage, etc.).
5. Enlisted applicants (only) must include a command endorsement letter. A brief statement signed by the CO, XO, Department Head, or LCPO citing a compelling reason for the scholarship award will suffice.

Completed applications will be anonymized in pursuit of a level playing field before judging begins.

Judging

Judges will review completed applications and select awardees based on following criteria:

• academic achievement (grade point average);
• academic honors (e.g., dean’s list, NHS, Phi Beta Kappa, etc.);
• extra-curricular activities (e.g., varsity sports, demonstrated leadership in clubs/associations, JROTC/ROTC, etc.);
• volunteer and/or paid work experience;
• foreign travel, foreign studies, and/or foreign language proficiency (particularly cultures and languages of interest to the intelligence and national security communities);
• applicant’s academic and professional goals contained in the essay.

Candidates may include ACT/SAT scores; however, they are not required.

Our panel of judges has significant career experience in naval intelligence. They will review and score all completed applications. The judges will carefully evaluate essays for clarity, demonstrated interest in, and potential to make substantive future contributions to naval intelligence, national intelligence, and/or related national security areas.

Key Dates and Milestones

Concluding Remarks

The Rear Admiral Sumner Shapiro Scholarship Program enables the NIP Foundation to make targeted investments in the future of naval intelligence and U.S. national security. The competition is tough, but best-qualified applicants who invest time and effort to submit a well-crafted application will be rewarded with a useful sum. The Scholarship Committee particularly encourages enlisted Sailors and Marines serving in intelligence assignments to apply. Getting a competitive application together takes some effort, but whether you’re a NIP dependent or an enlisted intelligence professional, every college student can use some extra cash to help cover expenses.

Best of luck to all.