ACADEMIC YEAR 2023-2024 FLEET SCHOLARS EDUCATION PROGRAM

[Tony]

ROUTINE 
R 151928Z AUG 22 MID600052194771U 
FM CNO WASHINGTON DC 
TO NAVADMIN 
INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC 
BT 
UNCLAS 
 
NAVADMIN 182/22 
 
PASS TO OFFICE CODES: 
FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N7// 
INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//N7// 
MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N71/(MONTH)// 
 
SUBJ/ACADEMIC YEAR 2023-2024 FLEET SCHOLARS EDUCATION PROGRAM// 
 
REF/A/DOC/CNO WASHINGTON DC/15AUG16// 
REF/B/DOC/CNO WASHINGTON DC/01AUG15// 
 
REF A IS OPNAVINST 1500.78, FLEET SCHOLARS EDUCATION PROGRAM// 
REF B IS OPNAVINST 1520.24D, OFFICER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM 
 
RMKS/1.  This NAVADMIN announces the fiscal year 2023, Academic Year (AY) 
2023 and 2024 Fleet Scholars Education Program (FSEP).  Applicants should pay 
special attention to policy change in paragraph 5 regarding tuition caps. 
 
2. Background 
   a. Fleet Scholars Education Program (FSEP) is a Navy talent management 
initiative that selects high performing Unrestricted Line (URL) Officers and 
Information Warfare Community (IWC) Officers to attend in-residence graduate 
education programs. Selected participants will attend in-residence graduate 
school at an accredited institution of their choice (Continental United 
States, Alaska and Hawaii). 
   b.  FSEP is nominally suited for the Lieutenant (LT) paygrade; however, 
Lieutenant Commanders are eligible. Top performing Lieutenant Junior Grade 
Officers may be considered if promoted to LT before reporting to their 
school of choice for graduate education. 
   c.  FSEP participants have up to 24 months to complete a graduate degree 
while in a full-time student status. Participants will be required to choose 
a degree from the approved areas of study list located at paragraph 4. 
The approved areas of study list has changed from last year due to the 
continuing refinement of Navy Education Requirements.  Distance learning, 
night/weekend /part-time programs structured for the working professional are 
not authorized graduate programs under FSEP. 
   d.  Officers who have already received fully-funded graduate education are 
not eligible to participate.  Graduate degrees obtained through Post 9-11 
G.I. Bill, tuition assistance or the Navy College Program for Afloat College 
Education are not disqualifiers.  Selectees will be assigned a unique 
additional qualification designation for tracking and career management 
purposes. 
 
3. Application and Selection Process 
   a.  Community sponsors will develop and implement selection criteria and 
policies to identify their most talented and proven performers for FSEP 
participation.  Community sponsors will make their nominees for selection no 
later than 30 September and submit to the Director for Warfighter Development 
(OPNAV N71) via the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) Civilian Institutions 
(CIVINS) program office for final selection approval and selection 
notification. Selection notification will be released by 31 October 2022 in 
order for Navy Personnel Command, Graduate Education and Training Placement 
(PERS-440) to meet the AY23-24 fall/winter semester/quarter start dates. Each 
community sponsor may select up to their annual allocated graduate 
education opportunities, as per reference (a), shown below:
 
Community    Designator  Opportunities 
SURFOR         1110(8) 
SUBFOR       1120(5) 
NSWC         1130(3) 
NECC         1140(3) 
AIRFOR 1310, 1320(6) 
IWC          1810(1) 
             1820(1) 
             1830(1)
 
  b.  Upon notification of selection to FSEP, selectees should apply to 
at least three accredited graduate education institutions of their choice. 
Participants may be reimbursed for up to three application and transcript 
fees after beginning their first semester/quarter.  Participants shall 
consult the list of schools that have existing Education Service Agreements 
(ESA) with the Navy on the NPS CIVINS website FSEP page at 
https://nps.edu/web/civins/fsep. In cases where the school of choice is not 
on the ESA listing, the selectee shall notify the NPS CIVINS office no less 
than 7 months prior to program start to allow sufficient time to pursue 
additional ESAs.  Participants are responsible for researching and 
completing prerequisites including graduate record examinations where 
applicable. Permanent change of station orders and enrollment should not 
occur prior to 01 July 2023 for the fall/winter term of AY23-24. 
 
4. Areas of Study 
   a.  FSEP participants should choose from the following areas of study: 
       Problem Solving/Decision Science/Data Science 
       Leadership 
       Engineering (5XXX) 
       Public Policy/Public Administration 
       Cyber 
       National Security/Strategy 
   b.  For those areas of study awarding a subspecialty code (SSC), all 
Education Plans will be reviewed against the Educational Skill Requirement 
(ESR), and approved by the respective SME/PERS-451. 
   c.  For questions on whether a desired degree falls outside the specific 
areas of study listed above, the selectee shall submit a degree approval 
request to the NPS CIVINS office. Details of the degree approval process can 
be found at NPS CIVINS website listed in paragraph 7. 
 
5.  Tuition Cap. For the focus study areas listed in paragraph 4, FSEP 
selectees will receive 100% funding for tuition related expenses.  For any 
other degree programs, FSEP selectees will only receive a maximum of 
$40K/year in tuition related expenses. Selectees may use a combination of 
scholarships, post-9/11 G.I. Bill benefits, and personal resources to cover 
these additional costs.  Reference (b) provides additional information on 
scholarship requirements.  FSEP selectees should contact the OPNAV N7 
POC in order to obtain clarification on whether a degree program 
does/does not fall under a focus study area. 
 
6.  Service Obligation:  In line with reference (b), FSEP selectees shall 
agree to remain on active-duty for three years following graduation or 
withdrawal from the program. A member who voluntarily or through misconduct 
fails to complete the active-duty time agreed upon shall be required to 
reimburse the cost of the education received, prorated for the obligated time 
served. 
 
7.  Additional information regarding FSEP is available at the NPS CIVINS 
website at https://nps.edu/web/civins/fsep and in reference (a). 
 
8.  Point of contact is LT Matthew Hinkson, Graduate Education and JPME 
Policy Requirement, (703) 693-4183 or email 
matthew.b.hinkson.mil@us.navy.mil. 
 
9.  This message will remain in effect until superseded or 31 May 2023, 
whichever occurs first. 
 
10.  Released by VADM J. W. Hughes, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for 
Warfighting Development (N7).// 
 
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