ACADEMIC YEAR 2025-2026 FLEET SCHOLARS EDUCATION PROGRAM

[Tony]

CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED// 
ROUTINE 
R 031821Z JUN 24 MID120001165311U 
FM CNO WASHINGTON DC 
TO NAVADMIN 
INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC 
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NAVADMIN 112/24 
 
PASS TO OFFICE CODES: 
FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N7// 
INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//N7// 
MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N71/JUN// 
 
SUBJ/ACADEMIC YEAR 2025-2026 FLEET SCHOLARS EDUCATION PROGRAM// 
 
REF/A/DOC/CNO WASHINGTON DC/15AUG16// 
REF/B/DOC/CNO WASHINGTON DC/08JAN15// 
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 2025, Academic Year 
(AY) 2025-2026 Fleet Scholars Education Program (FSEP). 
 
2. Background 
   a. The Fleet Scholars Education Program (FSEP) is a Navy talent 
and warfighter development initiative that selects high performing 
Unrestricted Line (URL) Officers, to include Information Warfare 
(IW) Officers, to attend in-residence graduate education. 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 scheduled to 
be promoted to LT before reporting to their school of choice for 
graduate education. 
   c.  FSEP participants have 24 months to complete a graduate 
degree while in a full-time student status. Participants will be 
required to choose a degree that will earn a subspecialty code. 
The approved areas of study list for fully-funded degree has changed 
from last year due to the continuing refinement of Navy education 
requirements and can be found in paragraph 4. Distance learning or 
night/weekend/part-time programs structured for the working 
professional are not authorized graduate programs under FSEP. 
   d.  Officers who have already received Navy provided 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 (AQD) for tracking and career management 
purposes. 
 
3. Application and Selection Process 
   a.  Community sponsors will develop and implement their own 
application criteria and selection process to identify their most 
talented officers with proven past performance and high potential 
future performance for FSEP participation. Community sponsors will 
determine their nominees for selection no later than 30 September 
and submit them to the Director for Warfighter Development 
(OPNAV N71) via the Civilian Institutions (CIVINS) program office 
for final selection approval and selection notification. Selection 
notification will be released by 31 October 2024 from OPNAV N71 in 
order for Navy Personnel Command, Graduate Education and Training 
Placement (PERS-440) to meet the AY25-26 fall/winter 
semester/quarter start dates. Each community sponsor may select up 
to their annual allocated graduate education opportunities, per 
reference (a), shown below: 
CommunityDesignatorOpportunities 
SURFOR11108 
SUBFOR11205 
NSW11303 
EOD11403 
AIRFOR1310, 13206 
IWC18101 
18201 
18301 
  b.  Upon notification of selection to FSEP, selectees should apply 
to at least three accredited graduate education institutions. 
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 MyNavy HR 
website CIVINS page at https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Career-
Management/Fellowships/NPS-CIVINS/. In cases where the school of choice is 
not on the ESA listing, the selectee shall notify the CIVINS office no less 
than 7 months prior to program start to allow sufficient time to pursue 
and establish additional ESAs.  Participants are responsible for 
researching and completing prerequisites including Graduate Record 
Examinations where applicable (Navy will not reimburse for GRE 
fees). Permanent change of station orders and enrollment should not 
occur prior to 01 July 2025 for the fall/winter term of AY25-26. 
 
4. Areas of Study: 
   a.  FSEP participants should choose a subspecialty code from the 
following areas of study. Degrees earning a subspecialty code not 
listed below will have a tuition cap. 
National Security / Regional Studies - 2XXX 
Public Policy / Public Administration - 3000 
Education and Training Management - 3150 
Operations Resource Management - 321X 
Mathematics - 4100 
Engineering and Technology - 5XXX 
Systems Operations - 6XXX 
   b.  All degree programs shall yield a subspecialty code upon 
completion; therefore, all Education Plans will be reviewed against 
 the Educational Skill Requirement (ESR) and approved by the 
respective Subject Matter Expert (SME). The full list of 
subspecialty codes can be found online at 
https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Career-Management/Education/Subspecialty/.
   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 CIVINS office. 
 
5.  Tuition Cap. For degrees that earn a subspecialty code 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 for a total of $80K per capped participant. 
Selectees may use a combination of scholarships, post-9/11 G.I. Bill 
benefits, and personal resources to cover additional costs. 
Reference (b) provides additional information on scholarship 
requirements. 
 
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 
CIVINS website at https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Career-
Management/Fellowships/NPS-CIVINS/Fleet-Scholars-Education-Program/ and in 
reference (a). 
 
8.  Points of contact. 
  a. For AY 25/26 FSEP quota availability contact your detailer. 
  b. For policy questions, e-mail OPNAV N711 (OPNAV_N711@us.navy.mil). 
 
9.  This message will remain in effect until superseded or 31 May 2025, 
whichever occurs first. 
 
10.  Released by VADM D. W. Dwyer, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations 
for Warfighting Development (N7).// 
 
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CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED//