University Eligibility Criteria

All prospective National Intelligence University students must meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • Be a U.S. citizen

  • Be either a member of the U.S. Armed Forces or a federal government employee (government contractors are not eligible)

  • Prospective and current students must hold an active TS/SCI clearance and indoctrinated with your agency.  An interim clearance is not permitted. 

  • Your clearance must be held by the federal government or the U.S. Armed Forces. Please obtain/maintain an active TS/SCI and be indoctrinated to the current accesses before applying to NIU. 

  • Contact Admissions at NIU_Admissions@odni.gov with questions about the University’s security requirements. 

  • NIU is not permitted to hold TS/SCI for students. They must be briefed by their home agency.

Programmatic Eligibility Criteria

You must have earned academic credits at another regionally accredited college or university, but have not yet earned a bachelor’s degree. You must have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

  • Applicants must have a minimum of 80 undergraduate semester hours completed.

Note: NIU will accept a maximum of 50 semester hours for coursework completed by an examination (e.g. the College Level Examination Program) or professional/military training approved by the American Council of Education (ACE).  The remaining 30+ hours must have been earned at a regionally accredited institution.  NIU does not accept transfer credit for any required course in the BSI curriculum.

Transfer credit coursework requirements:

    • 20 upper division (300-400) level hours
    • 9 hours in Communications, 6 of which must be earned in English composition
    • 12 hours in Mathematics and Science, 3 of which must be earned in Mathematics
    • 15 hours in Humanities, Social Sciences, or Fine Arts. Applicants are encouraged to request a credit evaluation from NIU Admissions before applying to ensure they meet the transfer credit requirements.  To request a credit evaluation, send copies of your transcripts to   NIU_Enrollments@niu.odni.gov and type “BSI Credit Evaluation” in the subject line.

Note: Upper division, Communication skills, Mathematics and Science, Humanities, Social Sciences, or Fine Arts can be taken from coursework hours, testing, and military training.

Note: Credits from institutions that operate on a quarter system are converted into semester hours by dividing quarter hours by 1.5.

  • Possess a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution. 
  • Competitive applicants have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
  • Possess a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution.
  • Competitive applicants have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
  • Ideal candidates for the MSTI program should have academic exposure to science, technology, engineering or math coursework during their undergraduate years.
  • A science or engineering degree is not required, but it will better prepare students for success in class.
  • Possess a baccalaureate degree from a regionally-accredited institution.
  • Competitive applicants have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale. 

Note: Students may apply no more than two classes to the MSSI/MSTI program as a continuing education student. We encourage you to apply to the degree program before completing your second CE/Certificate course.

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