CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED// 
ROUTINE 
R 071651Z JUN 23 MID120000193595U 
FM CNO WASHINGTON DC 
TO NAVADMIN 
INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC 
BT 
UNCLAS 
 
NAVADMIN 137/23 
 
PASS TO OFFICE CODES: 
FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N7// 
INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//N7// 
MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N71/JUN// 
 
SUBJ/ACADEMIC YEAR 2024-2025 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 2024, Academic Year (AY) 
2024-2025 Fleet Scholars Education Program (FSEP).  Applicants should pay 
special attention to policy change in paragraph 5 regarding tuition caps. 
 
2. Background 
   a. The Fleet Scholars Education Program (FSEP) is a Navy talent 
development initiative that selects high performing Unrestricted Line (URL) 
Officers and Information Warfare Community (IWC) 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 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 or 
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 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 Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) 
Civilian Institutions (CIVINS) program office for final selection approval 
and selection notification. Selection notification will be released by 31 
October 2023 in order for Navy Personnel Command, Graduate Education and 
Training Placement (PERS-440) to meet the AY24-25 fall/winter 
semester/quarter start dates. Each community sponsor may select up to their 
annual allocated graduate education opportunities, per reference (a), shown 
below: 
 
Community    Designator  Opportunities 
SURFOR       1110             (8) 
SUBFOR       1120             (5) 
NSW          1130             (3) 
EOD          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. 
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 2024 for the fall/winter term of AY24-25. 
 
4. Areas of Study 
   a.  FSEP participants should choose from the following areas of study: 
       -Problem Solving/Decision Science/Data Science 
       -Engineering 
       -Public Policy/Public Administration 
       -Cyber/Computer Science 
       -National Security/Strategy 
       -Regional Studies - China 
   b.  All degree programs shall yield a subspecialty code (SSC) upon 
completion; therefore, 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 the 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 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.  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 area of study. 
 
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 2024, 
whichever occurs first. 
 
10.  Released by VADM J. W. Hughes, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for 
Warfighting Development (N7).// 
 
BT 
#0001 
NNNN 
CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED//