Hi,
I have a quick question regarding the award details: is the $25,000/year stipend given in addition to covering the cost of tuition, or does this stipend count toward the tuition coverage offered by the SMART Program?
You get a stipend and full tuition, plus a few thousand for healthcare and misc. educational expenses! :)
The only real downside is that it takes a long time for the government to hire you, generally about 4 months post graduation. Also, most smart scholars get stuck doing mostly paperwork and its incredibly boring compared to defense contracting.