The Secretary of the Navy may permit eligible defense industry employees to receive instruction at the Naval Postgraduate School in accordance with this section. Any such defense industry employee may only be enrolled in, and may only be provided instruction in, a program leading to a master’s degree or professional continuing education certificate in a curriculum related to defense product development and systems engineering. No more than 125 such defense industry employees may be enrolled at any one time. Upon successful completion of the course of instruction in which enrolled, any such defense industry employee may be awarded an appropriate degree under section 8548 of this title or an appropriate professional continuing education certificate, as applicable.

For purposes of this section, an eligible defense industry employee is an individual employed by a private firm that is engaged in providing to the Department of Defense significant and substantial defense-related systems, products, or services. A defense industry employee admitted for instruction at the school remains eligible for such instruction only so long as that person remains employed by the same firm.

The President of the school shall charge tuition for students enrolled under this section at a rate not less than the rate charged for employees of the United States outside the Department of the Navy.

While receiving instruction at the school, students enrolled under this section, to the extent practicable, are subject to the same regulations governing academic performance, attendance, norms of behavior, and enrollment as apply to Government civilian employees receiving instruction at the school.

Amounts received by the school for instruction of students enrolled under this section shall be retained by the school to defray the costs of such instruction. The source, and the disposition, of such funds shall be specifically identified in records of the school.