December 20, 2011

For the student committed to becoming an officer in the military and able to successfully balance college and military training, the military scholarship program can be a pathway to a college degree and career. However, opting out of the military commitment, under certain circumstances, will require that the student repay all of the money paid toward the student’s tuition.

Air Force ROTC Scholarships

In Air Force ROTC, you’ll get to experience college life like every other student while developing lasting friendships and valuable leadership skills. All while paying for school with an AFROTC scholarship. To begin your future today, fill out a scholarship application by clicking on the link below.

Benefits

Air Force ROTC can take your college experience to the next level while helping you with the rising costs of education with an array of full or partial scholarships that cover:

  • Tuition and fees
  • Books and other expenses
  • Extra spending money

With an AFROTC scholarship, you’re free to concentrate on your studies and enjoy college instead of worrying about how to pay for it.

How It Works

Several steps are required when applying for an Air Force ROTC scholarship:

  • Complete your online application by December 1
  • Submit counselor certification/signed copy of transcript (must have a 3.0 GPA at end of 11th grade. Only 9th through 11th grades are considered), extracurricular activity (bubble) sheet, physical fitness assessment and résumé
  • Take and submit your SAT or ACT scores. No test scores taken after 1 Dec will be accepted. You must also have an ACT Composite of 24 (Writing Portion not included) or an 1100 SAT Score (We do not mix and match scores and Writing Portion is not included).
  • Meet with an Air Force officer

The opportunities that await those recipients of an AFROTC scholarship are worth the time it takes to apply. But don’t wait too long. The sooner you begin, the easier it will be to fulfill the application process.

Army ROTC Scholarships

Army ROTC scholarships consist of:

  • Two-, three-, and four-year scholarship options based on the time remaining to complete your degree
  • Full-tuition scholarships
  • The option for room and board in place of tuition, if you should qualify
  • Additional allowances for books and fees

Living Expenses

Army ROTC scholarships also provide monthly living allowances for each school year. You can earn certain amounts depending on your level in the Army ROTC curriculum:

  • 1st year, $300 per month
  • 2nd year, $350 per month
  • 3rd year, $450 per month
  • 4th year, $500 per month

This allowance is also available to all non-scholarship Cadets enrolled in the Army ROTC Advanced Course (3rd and 4th years).

Navy ROTC Scholarships

Applicants should use the online scholarship application to complete and submit all the required information. Applicants are asked to pick five colleges or universities on their scholarship application. Each school must be for a different NROTC unit and one must be a state school, not necessarily in the candidate’s home state. Each applicant must also select an academic program in which he/she wishes to major. All academic programs fall into three tiers relative to the Navy’s technical needs.

Scholarships will be awarded to an NROTC unit in conjunction with the academic major and tier the applicant specified on his/her application. If offered the scholarship, the student will be expected to attend the school at which their scholarship is placed.  In order to change this placement, the student must submit in writing to the NROTC Placement Office a request to change their placement.  The student must be mindful if they choose a cross-town school that there may be cross-town commuting costs and class timing issues which will need to be resolved. The enrolled school must support the academic major or equivalent for which the scholarship was awarded. Also, the student must have applied for admission to and been accepted at any school for which he/she wishes to utilize the scholarship.

This application is extensive and may require several hours to complete. We have provided an Application Information Checklist to assist you in gathering information and to ease the process of applying for a scholarship

The Minority Serving Institution (MSI) Scholarship Program

Beyond the national scholarship program, which is highly competitive, goes before a national review board, and has more aggressive deadlines, the NROTC offers scholarships to students who attend MSI schools, which encompass Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), High Hispanic Enrollment (HHE) schools, and other Minority Serving Institutions (MI). This list of schools are:

HBCU

Allen University
Clark Atlanta University
Dillard University
Florida A&M University
Hampton University
Howard University
Huston-Tillotson College
Morehouse College
Norfolk State University
Prairie View A&M Univ.
Savannah State University
Southern University and A&M College
Spelman College
Tennessee State University
Texas Southern University
Tuskegee University
Xavier University

HHE

Central New Mexico Community College
Pima Community College
University of New Mexico

Other MI (not HHE/HBCU)

Kennedy King College

Frederick C. Branch Marine Corps Leadership Scholarship

Nominations for the Frederick C. Branch Marine Leadership Scholarship, for Fall enrollment, will be accepted from 1 October to 15 July if applying through a NROTC unit.  If applying for the Four-Year scholarship board through the local Marine Recruiter, the NROTC on-line application will be used.  The deadline for completing online applications is 31 Jan.

THE FREDERICK C. BRANCH LEADERSHIP SCHOLARSHIP Program is named in honor of the first African American Marine Corps officer who was commissioned as a second lieutenant (2ndLt) on 10 November 1945.  It is available at 17 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) affiliated with NROTC.  The Four-Year program is open to civilians and Marines and the three- and two-year program is open to civilians and College Program Midshipmen that are attending or have been accepted and will attend a NROTC affiliated HBCU. This program is not open to U.S. Navy Scholarship Midshipmen or Marines in an Active Reserve status. Any eligible male or female of any race or ethnic background may be awarded a Frederick C. Branch Scholarship. Eligibility is determined primarily by attendance at an HBCU.  Scholarships and benefits are the same as those of any NROTC Marine Option Scholarship student.

Affiliate HBCUs

Allen University
Clark Atlanta University
Dillard University
Florida A&M University
Hampton University
Howard University
Huston-Tillotson College
Morehouse College
Norfolk State University

Prairie View A&M University
Savannah State University
Southern University and A&M College
Spelman College
Tennessee State University
Texas Southern University
Tuskegee University
Xavier University

Important to Note

The Air Force, Army, and Navy ROTC programs, and the Frederick C. Branch Marine Corps Leadership scholarship are full tuition scholarships. Students are responsible for paying their room and board, which may amount to over $10,000 per year. A limited number of colleges provide room, board, or both to AFROTC cadets and NROTC midshipmen based on their own restrictions. The AFROTC website provides a listing of schools and the type of subsidies offered. Following is a listing of colleges, and their NROTC unit code, purported to offer assistance toward room and board. Students should contact the unit commander at each college to confirm the type, amount, and qualifications for the room and board subsidy.

  • Carnegie-Mellon University 067 (412) 268-2000 Free Room & Board (on a case by case basis)
  • College of the Holy Cross 011 800) 442-2421 Free Room & Board
  • Boston University 061 (617) 353-2000 Free Room & Board
  • Florida A&M University 009 (850) 599-3796 Free Room & Board (nomination from NROTC unit)
  • George Washington University 063 (202) 994-1000 Free Room & Board (prior active duty recipients) (tech majors eligible for a stipend of $4000 for room & board)
  • Illinois Institute of Technology 013 (312) 567-3000 Free Room & Board
  • Iowa State University 015 (515) 294-4111 $2000/year Room & Board (top 25% incoming freshmen)
  • Jacksonville University 016 (904) 744-3950 Free Room & Board
  • Louisiana State University 046 (225) 388-1175 Free Room & Board
  • Maine Maritime Academy 019 (800) 227-8465 Free Room & Board
  • Marquette University 020 (608) 262-3961 Free Room & Board
  • Morehouse College 068 (404) 681-2800 Free Room & Road
  • New York Maritime College 056 (718) 409-7220 Free Room & Board
  • Norwich University 065 (800) 468-6679 Free Room & Board
  • Prairie View A&M University 038 (409) 857-2310 Free Room & Board
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 040 (518) 276-6000 Free Room & Board
  • Savannah State University 043 (800) 788-0478 Free Room & Board
  • Southern University and A&M 046 (225) 771-2430 Free Room & Board
  • Tulane University 049 (504) 865-5000 Free Room & Board
  • University of Southern California 045 (213) 746-1879 $2500/year Room & Board
  • University of Michigan 023 (734) 764-1817 Room & Board Scholarship (eng students, case by case)
  • University of Mississippi 025 (662) 915-7211 Free Room (out of state residents)
  • University of Missouri 026 (573) 882-2456 $1000/year to Free Room & Board (varies)
  • University of Rochester 042 (716) 275-6111 Free Room & Board
  • University of San Diego 059 (619) 260-4600 75% Room & Board
  • Washington State University 012 (509) 335-3564 Free Room & Board

Pathways to the NROTC scholarship program

Students have a choice of five distinct pathways to receiving the NROTC scholarship. Students must carefully consider the commitment involved and the penalty of not fulfilling their military commitment.

High School Senior/Graduate

Selected applicants for the NROTC scholarship program are awarded scholarships through a highly competitive national selection process. The recipient will be commissioned a Naval officer upon graduation and is obligated to a minimum of 4 years active duty in the U.S. Navy. The scholarship recipient will receive full tuition and other financial benefits including an allotment for textbooks, class fees and monthly subsistence at many of the country’s leading colleges and universities. NROTC scholarships do not pay for room and board or personal items such as computers.

Students that have more than 1 year of college credit are not eligible for the 4-year scholarship and should discuss other options with the Professor of Naval Science at the university they attend.

College Freshman/Sophomore

The 2 year scholarship program covers tuition, fees, an allotment for textbooks and uniforms plus monthly subsistence for a maximum of 20 academic months for the junior and senior years of college only. For application information and deadline dates contact your nearest university NROTC unit.

College Programmer

The Navy also offers a two-year or four-year non-subsidized college program for college students who want to serve their country in leadership roles as officers in the Navy or Marine Corps. Applicants for the college program are selected from the students already attending or accepted by colleges or universities with NROTC units. Information about the NROTC college programs can be obtained from any of the NROTC units.

College Junior/Senior

The Navy offers several other opportunities to become a naval officer. If you are a college student in your junior or senior year, visit the Navy or Marine Corps website to find out about the Direct Input and Officer Candidate School opportunities.

Nursing

Four-year NROTC scholarships are available to students interested in pursuing Bachelor of Science degrees in Nursing (BSN). If selected for a scholarship, the selectee must major in a nursing degree program leading to a BSN. Upon graduation, Nurse NROTC Scholarship Program midshipmen will be commissioned as reserve officers in the Navy Nurse Corps. Nurse NROTC eligibility and selection procedures are the same as the regular four-year NROTC Scholarship Program requirements. Academic, physical and military requirements differ slightly from regular NROTC.