Financial Benefits

The NROTC scholarship does much more than cover most or all tuition costs at dozens of top schools around the country. It also provides:

• All additional educational and lab fees
• A stipend for text books
• A subsistence allowance each academic month to spend as you wish, which varies according your current year in school.
  • Freshman – $250
  • Sophomore – $300
  • Junior – $350
  • Senior – $400

It all amounts to a college experience unobstructed by financial concern. Allowing you to focus on what matters most: making the most of student life.

Life as an NROTC Student

Student Life

Too many good college experiences are spoiled by massive student debt or the need to take a job on the side. But when it comes to money matters, students in the NROTC program can take it easy.

NROTC students find time to pursue hobbies. Hang out with friends. Join student groups and intramural teams. And of course, focus on their academic performance. The NROTC program gives them the flexibility to truly turn their education into the opportunity of a lifetime.

Navy Life

NROTC students also gain valuable skills, learning leadership experience from a Navy perspective. This includes taking a Naval Science course each semester, participating in drills at least once a week, and wearing your Navy uniform (provided at no cost to you) once a week. You’ll also have opportunities to participate in community service projects. These activities will prepare you for your upcoming career as a respected Navy Officer.

Another highlight for NROTC students is Summer Cruise Training, where you’ll spend a portion of your summers alongside Navy Officers in the field, in a variety of capacities, including:

• Nuclear Power – assigned to nuclear submarine or nuclear surface vessels
• Afloat Aviation – assigned to train aboard a carrier, including flight time if feasible
• Ashore Aviation – assigned to train with a Navy aviation squadron, including flight time if feasible
• Foreign Exchange – assigned to train with navies of other countries

Your Summer Cruise Training will not only give you on-the-job experience as a Navy Officer, but it will also help you choose which area of emphasis you want to pursue.

Nurse Program

If you’re interested in nursing, the NROTC is an outstanding way to pay for a top school and set yourself up for an exceptional career. Once you’ve graduated from nursing school usually debt-free, you’ll embark on a career as a nurse and Navy Officer. Proudly attending to the men and women of the Navy and Marines – as well as their families. Counting yourself among some of the most respected professionals in the medical world. And finding opportunities for clinical hands-on training and accelerated advancement.

Colleges & Universities

The NROTC program provides scholarships to more than 160 top colleges and universities all around the country – many of which offer eligible nursing programs as well. Chances are, at least one of them is on your short list.

Eligibility Requirements

The Navy adheres to strict moral, physical and academic standards. This applies to students in the NROTC program. Here is a list of some of the basic requirements to apply for the program. You must:

• Be a U.S. citizen
• Be not less than 17 years old by September 1 of year starting college and no more than 23 on June 30 of that year
• Not have reached your 27th birthday by June 30 of the year in which your graduation and commissioning are anticipated
• Have acquired a high school graduation or equivalency certificate by August 1 of the year you plan to enter the NROTC program
• Have no moral obligations or personal convictions that prevent conscientious bearing of arms and supporting and defending the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic
• Be physically qualified by Navy standards
• Not have 30 or more semester hours or 45 or more quarter hours of college credit upon application

Application

You may start the application process during the second semester of your junior year of high school. Follow these steps. Or download a comprehensive application information checklist. (Can't view this file? Download Adobe Acrobat Reader)

STEP 1 — COLLEGE BOARD SCORE RELEASE

Authorize the testing agency to release your scores directly to the NROTC Scholarship Program (program code 0656). No other means of providing scores to the program is acceptable. Scores forwarded directly from the applicant or a school will not be accepted.

• The minimum SAT scores are 530 Critical Reading, 520 Math
• The minimum ACT scores are 21 Math, 22 English
• Graduates in the top 10% of their class will be considered
• Scores will be accepted no earlier than Feb. 15 and will not be accepted after December 31

STEP 2 — FILL OUT YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATION(S)

Tip: Apply to at least three NROTC-affiliated colleges or universities you’re interested in attending. Your application will not be reviewed otherwise. Because each NROTC unit has a limited capacity for incoming freshmen, you may not get your first choice and may be assigned to your second- or third-choice school.

It is advisable to apply to the school(s) of your choice by November 1.

STEP 3 — SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT FOR APPLICATION PROCESSING

Your application package must be completed at the local processing station no later than January 20. You are responsible to ensure the release of official school transcripts and references and to verify their receipt by the processing station prior to the January 20 completion date.

STEP 4 — SCHOLARSHIP SELECTION BOARD CONSIDERATION

Candidates may be considered by a selection board as early as August. Afterward, selection boards will meet periodically through April.

All scholarship applicants will be notified of their final results in writing.

STEP 5 — PHYSICAL QUALIFICATIONS AND ENROLLMENT

After being approved for the NROTC scholarship, you will be contacted to undergo a physical to make sure you meet basic Navy health requirements. When the fall term starts, and after all physical qualification requirements have been met, you will be sworn in as a Midshipman. This when you will start receiving your subsistence allowance of $250, which increases as you progress through school.

Remember: the earlier you submit your application, the better your chance of attending the school of your choice. Also keep in mind that technical majors stand a better chance of being accepted into the NROTC program. Start your NROTC application now.

For more detailed information, visit the official Naval ROTC home page.

NOTE: If you are having problems accessing our NROTC website or other similarly encrypted sites, the problem is most likely certificate errors such that the browser indicates that the website is untrustworthy and will not connect. To remedy that, learn how to install the DoD Root Certificates into Microsoft Internet Explorer.

After Graduation

After you graduate, forget about looking for a job. You’ll be all set for a ready-made position of leadership and responsibility.

Degree in hand, you’ll then be commissioned as an Ensign in the Naval Reserve and committed to a minimum of five years of Active Duty service (four years for nurses). You’ll pursue your career in one of several areas:

Surface Warfare
Naval Aviator (Pilot)
Naval Flight Officer (Aviator)
Submarine Officer
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Officer
Special Warfare Officer
Nurse Corps Officer

Regardless of which career path you take, be prepared for a quantum leap in personal growth, leadership ability and professional development.

After the Navy

For countless Navy servicemembers, experience in uniform leads to continued success beyond. Take Tyson Clark for example. He went from the Navy to Harvard Business School to enjoying the challenge of starting up his own firm.