IT Lab: SSI Application Process

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for admission to the IT Lab: SSI, an applicant must meet ALL of the following criteria:

1. Be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident, 18 years or older
2. Be entering their senior year, or have one semester remaining, of college in Fall 2025
3. Have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.2 or higher
4. Have a sincere interest in cybersecurity and cyber policy
5. Follow all instructions for the IT Lab: SSI Application (below)
6. Apply by the deadline: April 1, 2025 (11:59 pm EST)

Admission Criteria

Our selection committee reviews all aspects of the application, not just a student’s grades. Our goal is to attract talented students who are passionate about information security.

Required Application Materials (details below)

1. Online application form
2. Required Essay
3. Résumé
4. Two (2) Recommendations
5. Unofficial undergraduate transcript(s)
6. Video Interview

All of the required application materials must be received before they will be reviewed by the selection committee. Please carefully review all information below for application instructions.

All application materials are due April 1, 2025 (11:59 pm EST).

 

Application Details

APPLICATION FORM:

The application form is available online here. Applicants should complete all required sections of the online application form.

Note: On the Program Information page, select "Summer Programs for College Undergraduates."

Please also note that this application is used for our graduate degree programs and that instructions on this page (below) differ from our degree program application requirements.

1. REQUIRED ESSAY:

   Please upload your responses to the following questions to the online application where the "Required Essay" is requested.

   A. What are your plans after you complete your bachelor’s degree? What kind of career do you intend to pursue? Please be as specific as possible. (500-word limit)

   B. How will attending the IT Lab: SSI benefit you in achieving your goals? (500-word limit)

2. RÉSUMÉ:

   Please upload your most up-to-date professional résumé to the online application. Be sure to include all relevant experiences, including extracurricular activities, internships, research, and part-time employment.

3. RECOMMENDATIONS:

   Students applying to the IT Lab: SSI must be supported by two professional or academic references. Within the online application system, the student should "register" two individuals; registration will trigger an email to be sent to each recommender with instructions on logging in to our secure system to submit an online recommendation. Recommenders may respond to questions in the online form or upload a more formal recommendation letter using the online form.

   Consider asking two individuals for recommendations who can highlight your skills and accomplishments and know your work personally.

   Please note: Recommendations from friends, family members or acquaintances, and other sources not able to evaluate applicants on an academic or professional basis, will not be accepted.

4. TRANSCRIPTS:

   Within the application system, list all colleges and universities where you have taken classes that will count towards your bachelor’s degree. Please note: transcript(s) must be in English and please ensure your name (as it appears on your application for admission to the IT Lab) is listed on the document:

   • Upload an unofficial copy of your transcript from your bachelor’s degree granting institution within the online application. Please ensure that the unofficial transcript uploaded shows both the applicant's name(s) and the college/university attended. Screenshots of grades from a school's online system (i.e. Banner) will not be accepted.

     • If you list any additional schools attended within your application form, please upload an unofficial copy of those schools' transcripts in the appropriate field of the online application system.

     • Please note that this same online application system is used by applicants to our graduate degree programs; our degree programs require submission of official transcripts. Students applying for admission to IT Lab may submit unofficial transcripts. IT Lab applicants who are offered admission may be required to submit an official transcript as part of the enrollment process.

OPTIONAL VIDEO INTERVIEW:

If you decide to submit a video essay, please prepare a one-minute-long video that lets the Admissions Committee know who you are, what you do well, and what you are looking to achieve during a summer Fellowship at Heinz College. Please note that the video must be of you, the applicant (not a proxy). If there is more than one person in the video, please clarify which person is you, the applicant. What you do or say is totally up to you as long as you provide the information requested.

Upload the video to an easily accessible website (such as YouTube) and provide us with the URL and any required access codes in the appropriate fields within the application for admission. It is the applicant’s responsibility to correctly configure the security and access settings for the video. We recommend that the applicant use the strongest privacy settings available while still allowing access to Heinz College. If using YouTube, we suggest using the “Unlisted Video” setting so that only individuals who have the URL can view it. The applicant is also responsible for adhering to the terms and conditions of the website used to share the video essay. Following evaluation of the video essay, Heinz College will retain a short excerpt or screen shot of the video as a part of the official student record.

We are unable to watch videos that come in any form other than a URL. We will not accept videos sent by email or on DVD through the mail.

INTERVIEW PHASE:

For those who will pass the first selection phase, an interview may be held in-person, over the phone or via Zoom with the IT Lab’s director. The interview will focus on your expectations in the academic and professional field, your interest in the IT Lab: SSI, your background and your personal interest in the field of information security.

Visit our online application to begin your application, continue work on your unsubmitted application, or to review your submitted application.

Apply Now - No Application Fee

Any questions regarding the admission process can be directed to the Heinz College Office of Admissions at hnzadmit@andrew.cmu.edu or by phone (412) 268-2164.