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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I went through Army ROTC at Princeton in the 80s when the program there was very large (over 100 cadets).

Most cadets at Princeton received 4 years of full tuition scholarship and $100 per month stipend.

I chose Princeton/ROTC over West Point.  ROTC scholarship or West Point were the only non-state school options available to me given my family's financial situation.

Most of the ROTC cadets were (like me) from middle or UMC families.   Very few were what I would call "rich".   Many came from families with a tradition of military service, and/or from families that were trying to send several kids through college.

ROTC enrollment at expensive/elite private colleges declined in the 90s when full tuition scholarships were replaced with capped dollar scholarships that would not cover full tuition costs at expensive private colleges.  Full-tuition ROTC scholarships were revived several years ago, and ROTC enrollment has grown again on elite private college campuses.

ROTC was/is not for everyone, but I am very fortunate that it was a route available to me.[/quote]

But now elite colleges already offer absurdly generous financial aid packages. So, why would a middle class kid need to do ROTC?[/quote]

"Middle class" is a very broad category.   If you are lower middle class I would agree that financial aid nowadays would likely cover much/most of your need for an elite college.

But if you are middle class or slightly above middle class, Financial Aid might not cover nearly as much of college costs as a full tuition ROTC scholarship would.

I believe my own parents could have theoretically found a way to send me to Princeton without ROTC scholarship, but that would have badly affected our family's quality of life, depleted my parents savings and home equity, and limited the college options available for my four younger siblings.

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