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NANOG College Immersion Program

The NANOG College Immersion (NCI) Program seeks to provide an entryway for higher education students to learn about the world of Network Operations. There are many facets to the NANOG program - tutorials, classes, keynotes, general session content, and tracks. In addition to this NANOG-sponsored content, there are regularly scheduled socials and events that may be of interest to those participating in NCI.  The program aims to provide the next-generation of Network Operators with an edge in today's highly competitive market and allows us a conduit of highly capable operators, engineers, and architects.

We encourage University Professors interested in participating in the program to read the information below and send a letter of interest to the NCI List.



NANOG is committed to ensuring that the next-generation of networking professionals have an opportunity to become part of the operational community that makes the Internet run.  NANOG sponsors conferences at various times and locations for companies such as Google, Level 3, Microsoft, NTT, Netflix, Yahoo, and Amazon to discuss key architectural and operational topics relevant to Internet infrastructure.  NANOG believes by introducing undergraduates to the vibrant Internet community before entering the job marketplace, they will have a better understanding of how the infrastructure of the Internet works and how they might participate after graduation.  Further, students may be able to find internship opportunities they may have not otherwise found.



NANOG will provide a reimbursed expenses trip to the current meeting for up to 25 students per meeting.  The paid expenses will include:

  • Airfare (up to $500)
  • Four nights of hotel (must be booked by NANOG staff)
  • Ground transportation (reasonable cost)
  • Meal stipend (adjusted for meeting location)

NCI Participant Selection Process:

NANOG will maintain an open call for applicants through its website and announcement email lists.  A selection committee will conduct ongoing evaluations of the Professor applicants and make their selections based on a mix of criteria including applicant experience and applicant’s desire to continue to participate in NANOG.  The selection committee will announce its award decision no later than 8 weeks prior to the next NANOG meeting.  

A selection committee, comprised of representatives from the NANOG Board and two General Members in good standing, will evaluate applications.  The committee will choose the applicants that it believes are best suited for the College Immersion Program, taking into consideration a desire to provide opportunities to participants from a broad geographic location. The selection committee has the right to select the professor most suitable to receive the NCI award.  The decisions of the selection committee will be final and the awards will be announced at www.nanog.org.  Applicants not selected in the current round will be considered in future rounds.


NCI Participant Guidelines:

  1. Educators will be required to submit a statement of interest in NCI participation, and indicate which meeting they are interested in attending.
  2. Educators will be required to accompany their NCI participants and to serve as the NCI sponsor while at the selected and approved NANOG meeting.
  3. Each university or college approved to attend a  NANOG meeting will be limited to one instructor plus 5 students. Additional students at the discretion of the NANOG Board.  
  4. Professors may be provided more than one award in a calendar year.  However, NCI participants are limited to one NANOG meeting per calendar year, with a maximum of two NCI awards for the life of the program.
  5. The Selection Committee will select up to 5 University or College educators per meeting.


NCI Participant Rules:

NCI participants will be held to a high standard; you are at NANOG by invitation.

  1. NCI participants are required to complete all assignments given by their sponsoring educator. NANOG will not grade, judge, or otherwise be held responsible for providing credit for attending a NANOG meeting; the NCI sponsor is wholly responsible
  2. NCI participants are required to follow the NANOG Attendance Charter and AUP at all times
  3. From time to time, alcohol may be served at NANOG events and third party socials. NCI participants under the legal age of consumption for the jurisdiction where the event is being held (generally 21 years old) MUST NOT consume any illegal substances or alcoholic beverages no matter the source
  4. NCI participants must not attend parties, socials, and other events that are not sanctioned by the NANOG organization
  5. NCI participants are expected to attend the NANOG program as scheduled

There is a zero tolerance policy for violating these rules. Violation of these rules may result in immediate removal from the NANOG meeting and premises and repayment of all incurred expenses by the student.



Q: What is NANOG and what is the value proposition for sending a student to this conference?
A: The North American Network Operators' Group, or NANOG, is the professional association for Internet engineering and architecture.  Our core focus is on the technologies and systems that make the Internet function: core routing and switching; Internet inter-domain routing; the domain name system; peering and interconnection; and Internet core security.  We also cover associated areas with a direct impact on Internet architecture such as data centers and optical networking.  The value for the student is exposure to all of these subjects and technical material, but more importantly, to the organizations and individuals involved.  The opportunity for students to make industry contacts is invaluable.

Q: How do we select students for this sponsorship?
A: We request selected professors from various colleges and universities to nominate those students that would most benefit from this offered experience.  NANOG does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation or military status.

Q: What do the students owe to NANOG?
A: In addition to the anonymous surveys that all attendees are asked to complete, the NANOG Board of Directors would request that all sponsorship recipients provide feedback on their experiences.  Lastly, we would like to encourage the students to join the NANOG mailing list, attend more conferences and get involved in the industry.

Q: How do we evaluate our students' participation?
A: Students are requested to provide feedback to NANOG by a write-up of selected presentations from the agenda, an overview of the conference as a whole, or even a list of the individuals they met during the conference.  Students are also expected to complete and return a survey provided by NANOG.

Q: Why are you sponsoring our students for this conference?
A: The NANOG organization desires to encourage the future technology leaders and innovators to get interested and involved in this segment of the industry by providingn access and an opportunity to interact with industry leaders in a professional forum.

Q: How do we apply?
A: Please send a letter of interest to the NCI List