ROTC, or Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, is a college program offered at over 1,700 colleges and universities across the United States that trains young adults to become officers of character in the U.S. military.
In this article, we provide general information on all of the ROTC scholarships available to high school students. If you are interested in learning more about each individual ROTC scholarship and strategies to maximize your chances of earning a scholarship, click on the link to each scholarship included below.
ROTC scholarships offer high school students interested in an unparalleled opportunity to gain a top-tier college education while simultaneously developing the leadership skills and qualities necessary to serve as officers in the U.S. military. These scholarships provide numerous benefits, making them an excellent choice for eligible students.
Paying for College with an ROTC Scholarship
Firstly, ROTC scholarships alleviate the financial burden of higher education by covering tuition and other college expenses. This allows students from diverse economic backgrounds to access an exceptional education without accruing significant student loan debt. In addition to tuition, many ROTC scholarships also provide a monthly stipend and an allowance for textbooks, ensuring that recipients have the resources they need to succeed academically.
We’re talking possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars in college tuition, even potentially including room and board, depending on the school.
Serving to Your Nation as a Commissioned Officer
Participating in ROTC offers students a unique opportunity to serve their country through active military service. Recipients of ROTC scholarships commit to a period of military service after graduation, contributing to the defense and security of the nation. This service instills a deep sense of pride, accomplishment, and patriotism in those who choose this path.
Uncommon Opportunities within ROTC
The ROTC program offers unparalleled leadership training and personal development opportunities. Throughout their college careers, ROTC cadets and midshipmen participate in rigorous physical training, military science courses, and leadership laboratories designed to instill discipline, teamwork, and critical thinking skills.
These experiences not only prepare students for successful military careers but also make them highly sought-after candidates in the civilian job market. ROTC provides you the opportunity to go to college and get the college experience, grow academically, and train to become an Officer at the same time, in exchange for paid tuition.
Guaranteed Job After ROTC
ROTC scholarships offer students a clear path towards a rewarding career in the military. Upon graduation, scholarship recipients commission as officers in their respective branches, embarking on a career that provides job security, professional development opportunities, and a sense of purpose.
This clear trajectory is a significant advantage, as many college graduates face uncertainty in today’s competitive job market.
Community within ROTC and the Officer Corps
The ROTC program fosters camaraderie and a strong sense of community among its participants. Cadets and midshipmen develop lifelong friendships, learn from one another, and support each other throughout their college and military careers.
This network of peers can be an invaluable resource both personally and professionally.
There are many scholarship opportunities for ROTC cadets and midshipmen to commission into the Air Force, Space Force, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps.
The five main ROTC scholarship programs are:
- Air Force ROTC
- Army ROTC
- Navy ROTC
- Navy ROTC – Marine Corps Option
- Space Force ROTC
Benefits of an ROTC scholarship include:
- ROTC is one of the nation’s top leadership programs
- It’s part of your college curriculum
- Get training and one-of-a-kind experiences
- Graduate with a guaranteed career as an Officer
- You could get up to 100% of your tuition covered
How do you win an ROTC scholarship?
ROTC scholarships are awarded to students based on their leadership potential, academic achievement, and physical fitness.
These scholarships are merit-based and cover the cost of some or all tuition and fees as well as provide a monthly stipend for living expenses.
Many high school students compete for a high school scholarship. In this scholarship program, high school seniors compete for a scholarship going into ROTC. However, many current college students can join ROTC as freshman or sophomores in college without a scholarship.
There are opportunities to compete for a scholarship once a student is active within an ROTC program. So, if a high school student does not win a high school ROTC scholarship, they can still join an ROTC detachment at the college of their choice and compete for one of the ROTC college scholarships next year.
The Process of Applying for an ROTC Scholarship
The process to compete for an ROTC scholarship is fairly simple compared to applying to a Service Academy. However, a lot of students apply to both.
Each branch of service (the Army, Navy, and Army) all have different processes for applying for a scholarship. As a student interested in serving, you can apply for multiple scholarships and tailor your application to each military branch. We’ve written guides and you can learn more about each individual scholarship type below, however the general process is the same:
1. You’ll sign up online to complete the scholarship application
2. Complete your application. You’ll complete the scholarship application requirements, and then submit your package to the service you’re applying to. This will usually include*:
- General information about yourself
- Essays on why you want to serve
- Teacher evaluations/letters of recommendation
- High school transcripts
- SAT and/or ACT scores
- An interview
- A physical fitness test
- *Some of these items are not required for different branches. Make sure to review the specifics in our guide for each branch of service.
3. Your scholarship package, once complete, will be sent to a board for review. The board is comprised of several high ranking officers in that branch, where they will score your package and determine if you are competitive for an ROTC scholarship. They will either offer you a scholarship, defer, or turn you down for a scholarship. There are several boards that meet throughout the year.
4. Once you turn in your package, you won’t be able to improve it. Therefore, it makes the most sense to find out what the requirements are for the ROTC scholarship you’re interested in and when the board meets. That way, you can plan on whether or not to submit your package. (For instance, you may want to skip the October Army ROTC board in favor of raising your SAT or ACT scores)
How do you win an ROTC scholarship?
ROTC scholarships are awarded to students based on their leadership potential, academic achievement, and physical fitness.
These scholarships are merit-based and cover the cost of some or all tuition and fees as well as provide a monthly stipend for living expenses.
What makes ROTC different from traditional college?
ROTC is unique because it’s both an academic and military training program. ROTC students take college courses like any other student, but they also participate in leadership, military, and physical fitness training.
This training includes learning how to be a leader, how to manage people, and how to follow orders.
ROTC classes typically take up an additional 5-10 hours per week. The camaraderie that you develop with your fellow ROTC classmates is like no other.
How to choose which ROTC scholarship to apply for
If you’re interested in pursuing a career as a military officer, we encourage you to do your research (including the resources within this site) and learn more about what each branch of service has to offer.
ROTC scholarships are highly competitive, and only a small number of the most qualified candidates are selected each year for scholarships. Here are the number of high school ROTC scholarships given out each year to the different service branches, on average:
- Army ROTC – 3000 high school scholarships
- Air Force ROTC – 1000 high school scholarships
- Navy ROTC – 1,200 high school scholarships
- Marine Corps Option ROTC – 340 high school scholarships (out of 2,500 applicants)
Remember, you can apply for more than one ROTC scholarship.
The founder of ROTC Consulting led two separate ROTC detachments and has seen first-hand the confusion and lack of preparation from ROTC scholarship applicants. The content within the site was designed to help you learn more about the process and what you can do to increase your chances of winning a scholarship.
Whether you are interested in pursuing a career in the military with one ROTC program or you are just beginning to research your options, we hope you find the information on this site helpful and informative.
Air Force ROTC Scholarship
The Air Force ROTC program is made up of 145 detachments across the United States.
The AFROTC program is a four-year leadership development program that prepares college students to become leaders in the United States Air Force.
Types of Air Force ROTC Scholarships
Air Force ROTC offers high school students full tuition to public and private universities with their scholarship.
Learn more about how to win Air Force ROTC scholarships.
What happens after you graduate from Air Force ROTC?
Every year, AFROTC commissions about 1,800 new officers into the Air Force. Cadets who complete all Air Force ROTC and academic degree requirements accept a commission from the President as second lieutenants in the Air Force.
Most officers have a minimum of a 4-year active duty service obligation. The obligation can increase depending on your career field, especially in the case of pilots or other aircrew.
Army ROTC Scholarship
The Army ROTC program is the largest branch of the ROTC program, with 273 ROTC programs across the country at major colleges and universities.
Army ROTC classes involve one elective class and one lab per semester in college. The classes include fieldwork and classroom work, but they fit into your academic schedule.
Types of Army ROTC Scholarships
Army ROTC offers high school students four different types of scholarships:
- 4-year scholarships
- 3-year advanced degree scholarships
- Historically Black College or University (HBCU) scholarships
- Nursing scholarships
Learn more about how to win Army ROTC scholarships.
What happens after you graduate from Army ROTC?
Under the Army ROTC program, scholarship recipients will graduate as Army officers and serve for a minimum of four years. Not all cadets will commission onto Active Duty. Some cadets commission into the Army Reserve or Army National Guard.
Navy ROTC Scholarship
The Navy ROTC program is made up of 63 units across the United States available at over 160 colleges and universities.
Navy ROTC midshipmen are college students who receive military training and education while they complete their undergraduate degrees. Midshipmen take classes in leadership, navigation, military history, and other topics related to the Navy. They spend time training on naval vessels, with an aviation squadron, on a submarine, and time with the Marines.
Types of Navy ROTC Scholarships
Navy ROTC offers high school students three different types of scholarships:
- 4-year scholarships
- Nursing scholarships
Learn more about how to win Navy ROTC scholarships.
What happens after you graduate from Navy ROTC?
After you graduate from Navy ROTC, you will be commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy or Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps.
Navy ROTC – Marine Corps Option ROTC Scholarship
The Marine Corps Option ROTC program falls under the Navy ROTC program. This means you’ll be a part of a Navy ROTC detachment.
The Marine Corps Option ROTC Scholarship
The Marine Corps Option ROTC scholarship is only a 4-year scholarship.
Learn more about how to win Marine Corps Option ROTC scholarships.
What happens after you graduate from Marine Corps Option ROTC?
After graduating, you will be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. There are 16 different specialties you can pursue, from infantry officer to logistics, intelligence, communications, combat engineer, aviation command and control, as well as pilots and naval flight officers to name a few.
ROTC Frequently Asked Questions
ROTC stands for Reserve Officers’ Training Corp, and is a program run by each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces on thousands of college campuses across the United States.
The main goal of ROTC is to train future officers, who will lead members of the United States military across all branches of the Armed Forces: The Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force.
The difficulty of getting into ROTC depends on whether or not you’re competing for an ROTC scholarship to pay for college. If you don’t win an ROTC scholarship, you can still join your local ROTC detachment if there is a program at the college you attend.
No, ROTC cadets and midshipmen are not considered active members of the military until they graduate and commission as officers in their respective branch.
ROTC is a college program, whereas enlisting in the military directly is a process of joining the military as an enlisted member rather than an officer. ROTC cadets and midshipmen are training to be future officers, and lead enlisted members of the military.
Yes, there are scholarship opportunities available through ROTC for students who demonstrate leadership potential and meet certain academic requirements. These scholarships can cover the cost of tuition and other expenses. You can read more about each type of scholarship and the requirements here:
Participating in ROTC does not guarantee a job in the military after graduation. However, successful completion of the program and commissioning as an officer will make the cadet eligible for a position in the military. Each branch of service handles this differently.
The time commitment for ROTC varies depending on the level of the cadet or midshipman. Freshmen and sophomores typically have a minimal time commitment, while juniors and seniors will have more frequent training and leadership lab sessions. Additionally, ROTC cadets and midshipmen may have to attend summer training between their junior and senior years. Usually this is a 5-10 hour weekly commitment.
The training for ROTC cadets and midshipmen varies depending on the branch of the military and the grade/level of the student. It can include physical fitness training, leadership development, and instruction in military tactics and operations.
ROTC programs are available at many colleges and universities across the United States. However, not all colleges offer ROTC programs. It is best to check with the specific college or university to see if they have an ROTC program. We also offer a list of colleges which provide incentives for scholarship winners.