Anonymous wrote:OP: I have heard a lot of really good things about the ROTC program at JMU.

+1
My son went to JMU and was not in ROTC, but two of his friends were. Seemed like a great experience.

Not sure which state you are in, but in Illinois there is the Illinois In-State Tuition Waiver. A B/C student should be able to get accepted to schools like Illinois State, Northern Illinois, or UIC. You could apply for this scholarship which pays for full in state tuition plus monthly stipend. There is no military commitment for accepting this award. Not sure if other states have this program.

Anonymous wrote:The payback requirement is currently 5 years of active duty service.
People in this post keep saying 4--it is now 5 years. And it is active duty.

FYI. This is not for people who do not want to actually serve in the military with possible deployment.

The commitment comment is not accurate. I think it is 5 for NROTC, but is 4 for AROTC and SFROTC, at least currently.

It is also not accurate, at least for Army about Active Duty. You might want Active Duty and not selected, or want Reserves and need to go Active Duty. It is the needs of the Army.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS just accepted his admission offer for the Corps of Cadets at Virginia Tech this evening, so my knowledge is very fresh! I have learned a tremendous amount in the last year (note that DS is a stronger student - 4.0 weighted, and has been is JROTC for the last 4 years).

The previous poster is right on the money - I have been surprised how competitive it is to get a 4 year ROTC scholarship). DS will be getting a grand total of $1K a year to be in the Corps. I don’t think you should assume at all that he will get his college paid for by ROTC starting his freshman year.

That being said, it does seem like getting a scholarship starting your junior year is much more doable (but far from a sure thing). I can’t comment on other places, though, but this is my sense.

Congratulations to your son! My daughter is a Hokie and one of her good friends is a Cadet. Hope he has a great experience at VT!

Thank you! We are thrilled!

OP: I have heard a lot of really good things about the ROTC program at JMU.

Anonymous wrote:My DS just accepted his admission offer for the Corps of Cadets at Virginia Tech this evening, so my knowledge is very fresh! I have learned a tremendous amount in the last year (note that DS is a stronger student - 4.0 weighted, and has been is JROTC for the last 4 years).

The previous poster is right on the money - I have been surprised how competitive it is to get a 4 year ROTC scholarship). DS will be getting a grand total of $1K a year to be in the Corps. I don’t think you should assume at all that he will get his college paid for by ROTC starting his freshman year.

That being said, it does seem like getting a scholarship starting your junior year is much more doable (but far from a sure thing). I can’t comment on other places, though, but this is my sense.

Congratulations to your son! My daughter is a Hokie and one of her good friends is a Cadet. Hope he has a great experience at VT!

ROTC a great option for college help for the right kid as stated and can provide some great early career options. There are many programs out there but having a strong one makes the experience much better. Research schools that aren’t as competitive academically e.g. Norwich, Iowa State and

Anonymous wrote:It pays tuition only and I think it's 5 years of active duty service time these days.

Service obligation can vary between USAF/USSF, US Army, and USN/USMC - and also can vary due to other factors (e.g., medical or flight training, other special training). If one qualifies for an ROTC scholarship, then the precise obligation for that particular student will be known.

Mine was tied to my intended degree, but any school with both AFROTC and that degree was allowed. So there was flexibility within the schools having that combination who also offered me admission. US citizenship was a hard requirement.

There are also some separate USG scholarships available for US citizen students studying CS or Computer Engineering at a school with NIST/NSA-approved CyberSecurity curriculum. Those have a USG civilian, usually civil service but special exceptions exist, service obligation. Out of scope for this thread though.

My DS just accepted his admission offer for the Corps of Cadets at Virginia Tech this evening, so my knowledge is very fresh! I have learned a tremendous amount in the last year (note that DS is a stronger student - 4.0 weighted, and has been is JROTC for the last 4 years).

The previous poster is right on the money - I have been surprised how competitive it is to get a 4 year ROTC scholarship). DS will be getting a grand total of $1K a year to be in the Corps. I don’t think you should assume at all that he will get his college paid for by ROTC starting his freshman year.

That being said, it does seem like getting a scholarship starting your junior year is much more doable (but far from a sure thing). I can’t comment on other places, though, but this is my sense.

The payback requirement is currently 5 years of active duty service.
People in this post keep saying 4--it is now 5 years. And it is active duty.

FYI. This is not for people who do not want to actually serve in the military with possible deployment.

Anonymous wrote:Her is the list of schools that offer ROTC, OP:

https://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/find-your-path/army-officers/rotc.html

This is just Army. The other services have programs including limited Marine and Space Force programs. Schools don't always offer all the services. Some offer one or do a combination program with schools nearby.

Mine just decided between an academy and ROTC. The ROTC program won but my child has a commitment to serve regardless of how it was going to happen. Mine wants active duty which was a huge factor in qualifying for programs.

Where's the moronic poster who claimed ROTC activity was so "frightening"?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The scholarship pay 85k x 4 ? What is the catch?

The scholarship pays tuition and fees, so it’s not $85k.

At some schools, room and board is covered by the university. Not sure how common that is, but it was not a policy for any of my kids (3 different universities)

As for payback, it can be Active Duty or Reserves. It depends on the needs of each service, students do not always get their preference.

With tuition alone topping $60,000 per annum at selective universities, a ROTC scholarship is still very significant. A quarter of a million dollars and a good education in exchange for four years of being an officer and all the veterans benefits that accrue from that - from home loans to priority hiring - is not a terrible deal. The unknown, of course, is the state of the world during those four years of active service.

It was strong at UMich when I was there. Be aware of the time commitment though.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The scholarship pay 85k x 4 ? What is the catch?

The scholarship pays tuition and fees, so it’s not $85k.

At some schools, room and board is covered by the university. Not sure how common that is, but it was not a policy for any of my kids (3 different universities)

As for payback, it can be Active Duty or Reserves. It depends on the needs of each service, students do not always get their preference.

PP here. I do not think most schools cover room and board.