The National Cyber League (NCL) unveils the Spring 2025 Cyber Power Rankings, recognizing top-performing schools like California State University - Chico and Alliance Academy for Innovation. The competition provides students with Scouting Reports to showcase their skills to employers, with support from sponsors like Tanium.
CHEVY CHASE, Md., May 14, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The National Cyber League concluded the Spring 2025 NCL Competition with participation from 9,216 students and 798 high schools, colleges, and universities all over the United States, representing all 50 states.
The NCL Competition, powered by Cyber Skyline, is a biannual event that enables students to prepare and test themselves against practical cybersecurity challenges that they will likely face in the workforce, such as identifying hackers from forensic data, pentesting and auditing vulnerable websites, recovering from ransomware attacks, and additional cyber skill sets.
The Cyber Power Rankings is a published list of the top 100 schools within the NCL, representing the hard work and skills of collegiate and high school students. These rankings measure students' abilities to work individually and as a team in performing a wide range of cybersecurity tasks.
Highlights from the Cyber Power Rankings include:
- Top five schools from the Standard Bracket, from first to fifth place, are California State University - Chico, College of William and Mary, Purdue University, MacEwan University, and the U.S. Military Academy.
- First place school from the Experienced Bracket is the SANS Technology Institute.
- First place high school is Alliance Academy for Innovation.
View the entire Cyber Power Rankings list here: cyberskyline.com/data/power-ranking/spring-2025-national
Students that participate in the NCL receive valuable performance data through individualized Scouting Reports, which aligns their experience to industry certifications and government standards. With these reports, they are able to showcase tangible evidence of their technical skills to employers.
"The National Cyber League provides students an environment to learn and compete on an even playing field. It stays approachable to new players while still challenging those at the intermediate and advanced levels," said Benjamin Allison, NCL coach at the U.S. Military Academy.
NCL Commissioner Dr. David Zeichick is an NCL coach and professor at the first-place school in the Standard Bracket, California State University - Chico.
"Every season, the NCL Power Rankings shine a spotlight on the top-performing schools that are shaping the future of cybersecurity. With more teams joining every year, the competition grows fiercer—but so does the passion, determination, and skill of our student competitors." said Zeichick.
Sponsorship from companies like Tanium are imperative for NCL to provide scholarships, mentorship programs, and career building events to its students.
"I have personally experienced the benefits of learning and skill development through the National Cyber League, both as a player and as a member of an organization that values curiosity and determination in its talent," said Melissa Bischoping, Senior Director, Security and Product Design Research, Tanium.
Bischoping highlighted that NCL is a significant source for talented individuals entering the workforce: "Tanium is proud to support the NCL and our recruiters have loved connecting participants to early career roles. This talent pipeline has provided unique access to motivated, self-starting, high-potential individuals with a demonstrated skillset that aligns with our values."
Registration for the Fall 2025 NCL Competition is open Aug. 18 - Oct. 10. The cost to participate is $45, with late registration from Oct. 12 - 14 and a cost increase to $55.
About the National Cyber League
Established in 2011 by an alliance of public agencies dedicated to developing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals, the National Cyber League is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization aiming to help students develop, practice and validate their cybersecurity knowledge and skills. To learn more, visit nationalcyberleague.org.
About Cyber Skyline
Founded in 2014, Cyber Skyline is a leading cloud-based cybersecurity skills evaluation platform helping students and professionals track their skills growth and helping businesses find, identify and cultivate talent. Cyber Skyline operates the NCL Competition with the support of the National Cyber League. To learn more, visit cyberskyline.com.
Media Contact
Emily Kalandranis, National Cyber League, 1 240-720-7870, [email protected], https://nationalcyberleague.org/
SOURCE National Cyber League
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