TS/SCI career guide
What is TS/SCI? Top Secret eligibility, SCI access, and job requirements
TS/SCI is common job-posting shorthand, but it does not name a fourth clearance level above Top Secret. It combines a Top Secret requirement with eligibility or access for Sensitive Compartmented Information. The actual record, position, information owner, need-to-know, and any additional program conditions still matter.
Reviewed July 13, 2026. Definitions come from current National Archives, DCSA, and ODNI sources; Colorado job counts update from approved direct-employer listings.
The short answer
TS means Top Secret, the highest of the three classification levels. SCI means Sensitive Compartmented Information, which DCSA describes as information requiring special controls inside formally established intelligence compartments. A person can retain collateral Top Secret eligibility even when SCI eligibility is separately denied or revoked, so “Top Secret” and “TS/SCI” are not interchangeable status claims.
Read DCSA's official SCI explanation ↗Current Colorado TS/SCI job market
These counts come only from current eligible direct-employer postings that explicitly state TS/SCI. They describe job requirements, not the status of any applicant.
Current openings
461
Explicitly require TS/SCI at a named Colorado workplace.
Hiring employers
14
Direct employers with at least one current matching posting.
Active required
295
State that the requirement must already be active.
May be obtainable
166
Explicitly allow obtainable timing without promising sponsorship or eligibility.
64 current TS/SCI postings also explicitly name a CI or full-scope polygraph. TS/SCI alone is not evidence that a polygraph is required.
Decode TS/SCI one part at a time
Top Secret classification
Top Secret eligibility
SCI eligibility and access
Position and need-to-know
Is TS/SCI the highest security clearance?
Top Secret is the highest classification level. SCI is not a rung above it; it is specially controlled intelligence that adds its own eligibility, access, and handling requirements. Job sites often display “TS/SCI” beside Secret and Top Secret because candidates need a practical filter, but that presentation should not turn SCI into a fourth classification level.
Special Access Programs are another distinct controlled-access concept. A TS/SCI record does not automatically grant SAP access, and SAP wording in a posting should be confirmed with the employer's authorized security office.
Compare the complete clearance hierarchy →What does “read into SCI” mean?
Hiring shorthand can compress several steps. A favorable Top Secret or SCI eligibility record does not mean a person may enter every compartment. The responsible organization still controls assignment, verifies the record, determines need-to-know, grants the relevant access, and provides the required security briefing or indoctrination before access begins.
That is also why prior SCI access should not be presented as proof of current access at a new employer. The receiving security office evaluates the authoritative record and the new position's exact requirements.
Does TS/SCI always require a polygraph?
No universal rule makes every TS/SCI position a polygraph position. ODNI's SCI personnel-security directive says Intelligence Community elements with polygraph programs may require examinations when the head of the element considers one necessary in the national-security interest. DCSA separately lists polygraphs among possible special requirements for SCI or other controlled programs.
Read the employer source for an explicit CI, full-scope, expanded-scope, or other examination requirement. Cleared Colorado records CI and full-scope labels separately and does not infer either one from TS/SCI, the employer, the workplace, or the job title.
Compare CI and full-scope polygraphs →What is a SCIF?
A Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility is an accredited physical area where SCI may be processed, stored, used, or discussed. It is a facility standard, not a personnel clearance. A posting can therefore name TS/SCI, a SCIF worksite, onsite attendance, and a polygraph as separate facts.
Do not assume that every TS/SCI role is fully onsite or that “hybrid” permits classified work at home. The employer source and security procedures control where each duty can be performed.
Read ODNI ICD 705 on SCIFs (PDF) ↗How do you get TS/SCI for a job?
A position creates the requirement
An individual cannot initiate TS or SCI processing independently. The employing organization identifies a job-based need.
The sponsor starts personnel vetting
The authorized organization initiates the appropriate process and gives the applicant secure instructions for the required forms and records.
The government makes eligibility determinations
Investigative and adjudicative authorities apply the governing standards. Employment, interim action, final eligibility, and access are separate decisions.
The responsible organization grants specific access
After verifying eligibility, the information owner or authorized component applies need-to-know, program conditions, briefings, and any separately required polygraph.
Never pay a person who claims they can sell, transfer, or independently issue TS/SCI. Verify the employer, recruiter, and application domain before providing personal information.
How to read TS/SCI wording in a job posting
Required status
SCI wording
Polygraph
Workplace
Additional programs
Verification
Current Colorado TS/SCI openings
These are the newest current postings whose direct employer source explicitly requires TS/SCI. Clearance timing and polygraph badges preserve the source distinctions described above.
$86,800 - $165,200
$132,400 - $251,600
$107,500 - $204,500
$107,500 - $204,500
$79,365 - $134,921
Search the exact requirement
Compare current direct-employer TS/SCI openings, then create an accountless alert for the clearance timing, polygraph, workplace, and freshness that fit your search.