The David L. Boren National Security Education Act established the National Security Education Program (NSEP) in 1991. Today, NSEP’s suite of program offerings include:

• The Boren Awards - https://www.borenawards.org/
  
  The Boren Awards provides funding for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to study less commonly taught language in world regions critical to U.S. national security.
  
  Boren Scholars and Fellows study a wide range of critical languages, including Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, and Swahili. Boren Awards are available to students of all proficiency levels who are committed to enhancing their skills and to pursuing a career in public service.
  
  Please proceed to the Boren website to verify your eligibility and check application requirements.


• English for Heritage Speakers Program (EHLS) - https://www.ehlsprogram.org/
  
  EHLS is a scholarship-based program for U.S. citizens who are native speakers of critical languages to improve their English proficiency and prepare for careers in U.S. federal government service.
  
  Please proceed to the EHLS website to verify your eligibility and check application requirements.


• The Language Flagship - https://www.iie.org/programs/the-language-flagship-2/
  
  The Language Flagship is a multi-year program designed to guide talented undergraduate students enrolled full-time at a Flagship college or university in any major toward graduating with professional-level proficiency in a language critical to U.S. national security.
  
  Please proceed to the Flagship website to verify your eligibility and check application requirements.

NSEP offers a variety of support services to guide awardees through the federal hiring process following completion of their NSEP-funded program. Our services can be divided into two main categories: job search assistance and networking resources.

Job Search Assistance:

• Job Consultations: Upon request, NSEP provides personal job search consultations with program officers to guide awardees through the federal job application process and provide general advice and information.


• Mock Interviews: NSEP conducts practice interviews via phone to prepare awardees for interviews. NSEP team members will ask sample questions, provide feedback on your answers, and suggest areas of improvement.


• Resume Support Services: The NSEP Service Team conducts resume reviews upon request, providing feedback to awardees to assist in the drafting and editing of both one-page and federal resume formats.

Networking Resources:

• Mentorship Program: Since 2015, NSEP has administered an annual six-month NSEP Mentorship Program. This program matches NSEP awardees who have not yet fulfilled their service requirement with NSEP alumni who can provide insight into various federal careers and federal hiring processes. The NSEP Service Team provides participants with valuable resources to facilitate discussions and help awardees feel more prepared to begin their journey into federal service.


• NSEPnet Job Board: NSEP manages the NSEPnet Job Board, an exclusive platform designed to assist NSEP award recipients in fulfilling their federal service requirements by connecting them with relevant federal employment opportunities. The Job Board is regularly updated with opportunities from various federal agencies and departments, providing awardees with a centralized location to explore and apply for positions that align with their skills, interests, and service requirement.
  
  
  • NSEP Exclusive Jobs: These positions are only open to NSEP award recipients who have not yet completed their service requirement.
  
  
  • Featured Jobs: These positions are advertised on other sites such as USAJobs.gov and are generally open to the public.

These resources aim to facilitate the transition of NSEP awardees into federal service, ensuring they can effectively fulfill their service requirements and contribute to national security efforts.

NSEP award recipients are required to fulfill a service commitment with the U.S. federal government, focusing on roles that contribute to U.S. national security. The service requirement serves to advance NSEP’s mission of developing a talent pipeline of individuals with foreign language and culture expertise for the U.S. federal workforce. Award recipients must serve a minimum of one year or the duration of assistance provided under the program, whichever is longer.

NSEP policy governing your service requirement recognizes three tiers of approvable service:

Tier One (Priority Agencies):

1. Department of Defense (including all elements of the U.S. Armed Forces)
2. Department of State (including USAID)
3. Department of Homeland Security
4. Intelligence Community

Tier Two:

Federal positions, outside of Tier One, with national security responsibilities.

Tier Three:

When you have exhausted the previous two options, you are eligible to request service credit for positions in the field of U.S. education related to your NSEP-funded study.

Note: Before seeking credit for work in Tier Three, you must first demonstrate a full and good faith effort to secure a position in the top two tiers.

Hiring authorities are tools that allow agencies to hire qualified applicants more quickly. After you complete your program, you’ll have two hiring authorities available to you: NDAA FY 13 and Schedule A (r). You will have these hiring authorities until you finish the service requirement, after which you will no longer be eligible to utilize them through NSEP. Both authorities allow hiring managers to noncompetitively appoint NSEP awardees to excepted service positions. This means that you are eligible to apply for jobs that aren’t advertised to the public.

You may also benefit from the hiring authorities in the following ways:

• You may be a more competitive applicant for jobs that are available to the general public.


• NSEP Exclusive jobs are emailed out as hiring officials contact us with exclusive openings.

More information about the NSEP hiring authorities can be found in the NSEP Service Guidebook, which is available when you log onto your NSEPnet account.

This is a good time to familiarize yourself with the NSEPnet portal! In addition to the many resources offered by the NSEP Service Team, returned awardees have access to their own NSEPnet account. In addition to providing career advice and resources, such as the exclusive NSEP Job Board, NSEPnet is where you’ll submit Service Agreement Reports (SAR) and provide other updates to remain in good standing.

Within 8–10 weeks of returning to the United States, the Institute of International Education will send you an email with login instructions. If you don’t receive an email within this timeframe, contact the NSEP Service Team. Once you’ve logged into NSEPnet, you can fill out a Service Agreement Report (SAR), which is the best way to update NSEP on the status of your service obligation. You can also check out the various resources available, including the Job Board.

If you have further questions on NSEPnet, reach out to the NSEP Service Team at nsep@nsep.gov or by phone at (202)-744-1697 or (571) 256-0724.

If you are a prospective or current Boren awardee and have questions about the Boren Awards, reach out to the IIE Boren Awards team at Boren@IIE.org. You can find the email contact information for regional programs and Flagship Languages Initiatives on the Boren Awards website.

If you are a returned Boren Scholar or Fellow with further questions about the service requirement, reach out to the NSEP Service Team at nsep@nsep.gov or by phone at (202) 744-1697 or (703) 409-8653.

Boren Scholars and EHLS Scholars must begin fulfilling their service requirement within three years of graduation, while Boren Fellows must begin fulfilling their service requirement within two years of graduation.

The Service Agreement Report (SAR) is a digital document that NSEP award recipients are required to submit annually through NSEPnet until their service obligation is fulfilled. This document plays an integral role in verifying compliance with the service requirement, while also helping the NSEP Service Team identify the best approach to support award recipients in their federal job search.

To submit a SAR, please log into your NSEPnet account. Once logged in, you will find the SAR submission wizard under the "Service Requirements" tab in the top menu bar.

If you are a current awardee seeking more information regarding your service requirement, please log onto your NSEPnet account and access the NSEP Service Guidebook.

For personalized assistance, please contact the NSEP Service Team via email at nsep@nsep.gov or by phone at (202) 744-1697 or (703) 409-8653.