ROTC Scholarship Admissions Pull at Vanderbilt?

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Anasakata

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My 4 year Army ROTC scholarship recipient has been wait listed at Vanderbilt. My DC has been told since last year when they first contacted the Vanderbilt ROTC recruiting officer that if they received the 4 year scholarship, that the ROTC officer could get them admitted to Vanderbilt. They also interviewed with Vanderbilt for their ROTC scholarship, and has been in close contact with the recruiting officer there all year, but applied to Vanderbilt Regular Decision (not ED I or EDII). We're waiting to hear now about the wait list status after May 1st decisions come back, and my DC has sent both the Lieutenant Commander as well as admissions representative letters of interest and also now indicated they will accept to enroll if admitted. Has anyone else had experience with the Vanderbilt ROTC office and whether they actually do have much pull in admissions for 4 year recipients who are committed to coming to Vanderbilt?
(My child does go by a binary pronoun, but I'm using "they" purely for anonymity)
Thanks for any input!
 
Anasakata said:
My 4 year Army ROTC scholarship recipient has been wait listed at Vanderbilt. My DC has been told since last year when they first contacted the Vanderbilt ROTC recruiting officer that if they received the 4 year scholarship, that the ROTC officer could get them admitted to Vanderbilt. They also interviewed with Vanderbilt for their ROTC scholarship, and has been in close contact with the recruiting officer there all year, but applied to Vanderbilt Regular Decision (not ED I or EDII). We're waiting to hear now about the wait list status after May 1st decisions come back, and my DC has sent both the Lieutenant Commander as well as admissions representative letters of interest and also now indicated they will accept to enroll if admitted. Has anyone else had experience with the Vanderbilt ROTC office and whether they actually do have much pull in admissions for 4 year recipients who are committed to coming to Vanderbilt?
(My child does go by a binary pronoun, but I'm using "they" purely for anonymity)
Thanks for any input!
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Vanderbilt has a very good relationship with its ROTC units. In my experience early decision applicants with ROTC scholarships have been accepted and some RD students are pulled from the waitlist (lots of kids are pulled from the waitlist there). At an admissions event over a year ago their target yield is right at 60%. As to whether AROTC will help may depend on how many AROTC scholarship students have already enrolled. Good luck, it's a great school!
 
I think Vanderbilt uses its waitlist to control its Yield rate. So I bet you have an awesome chance, especially with a great letter of continued interest.

I do think it would be prudent to tend to plan B because there are always things outside of ROTC's control that might occur.

Good LUCK!
 
My only comment here is to make sure they/ you can afford Vanderbilt in the event that ROTC does not work out. Vandy is one of a handful of schools that, without any merit or aid, is approaching the 100k per year total cost to attend threshold. read this "inside higher ed" article or search for the NY Times recent article related to their high tuition, if interested. I don't think many scholarship winners start out thinking they won't make it to commission and serve - but simply, not everyone who gets underway in ROTC finishes the program. 1714592364007.png
 
Herman_Snerd said:
My only comment here is to make sure they/ you can afford Vanderbilt in the event that ROTC does not work out. Vandy is one of a handful of schools that, without any merit or aid, is approaching the 100k per year total cost to attend threshold. read this "inside higher ed" article or search for the NY Times recent article related to their high tuition, if interested. I don't think many scholarship winners start out thinking they won't make it to commission and serve - but simply, not everyone who gets underway in ROTC finishes the program. View attachment 16046
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Yes, we can afford it, just would hurt. But so would their currently enrolled school as well if Vandy did not work out and they did not continue with their commission.
 
Anasakata said:
Yes, we can afford it, just would hurt. But so would their currently enrolled school as well if Vandy did not work out and they did not continue with their commission.
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Honestly if my kid loses scholarship for any reason he will have to move home and go to local state college as commuter. That's probably reality for the majority of scholarship winners.
 
pa-outdoorsman said:
Honestly if my kid loses scholarship for any reason he will have to move home and go to local state college as commuter. That's probably reality for the majority of scholarship winners.
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Yes, they are also admitted to their high ranking state school, which would be an easy transfer and we live a mile away - absolutely a strong consideration should they lose their scholarship - as I did not budget for $100K a year when they also have a younger sibling who will need college money in a few years.
 
Anasakata said:
Yes, they are also admitted to their high ranking state school, which would be an easy transfer and we live a mile away - absolutely a strong consideration should they lose their scholarship - as I did not budget for $100K a year when they also have a younger sibling who will need college money in a few years.
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For working-class families, an ROTC scholarship is probably the ONLY way a student can afford an expensive, out-of-state school. So, in that sense, it's a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it's a golden ticket. But on the other hand, it's kind of like walking a tight rope with no net. If you fail -- academically and militarily -- or you suffer a serious illness or injury, you may not be able to continue with the ROTC program. That's the simple reality, and I would imagine most kids understand that going in. My DS certainly does, and we all know the implications of him not being able to follow through with commissioning for any reason.

Still, doesn't that beat the heck out of the alternative? This is an opportunity for him to chase his dreams, and as many wiser and more experienced people have said repeatedly on this forum, if it doesn't work out, that's still not the end. You simply reorient, reevaluate and attack from a different angle. You are never defeated unless and until you surrender!
 
pa-outdoorsman said:
For working-class families, an ROTC scholarship is probably the ONLY way a student can afford an expensive, out-of-state school. So, in that sense, it's a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it's a golden ticket. But on the other hand, it's kind of like walking a tight rope with no net. If you fail -- academically and militarily -- or you suffer a serious illness or injury, you may not be able to continue with the ROTC program. That's the simple reality, and I would imagine most kids understand that going in. My DS certainly does, and we all know the implications of him not being able to follow through with commissioning for any reason.

Still, doesn't that beat the heck out of the alternative? This is an opportunity for him to chase his dreams, and as many wiser and more experienced people have said repeatedly on this forum, if it doesn't work out, that's still not the end. You simply reorient, reevaluate and attack from a different angle. You are never defeated unless and until you surrender!
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Exactly. The 4 year scholarship allows them the ability to go anywhere they are admitted without the financial concern - it's quite liberating.
Hopefully we won't have to address that hypothetical "what if the scholarship is lost" scenario, but of course will make alternate plans should we have to go that route.
They have to get admitted to expensive Vanderbilt first!
 
Anasakata said:
Exactly. The 4 year scholarship allows them the ability to go anywhere they are admitted without the financial concern - it's quite liberating.
Hopefully we won't have to address that hypothetical "what if the scholarship is lost" scenario, but of course will make alternate plans should we have to go that route.
They have to get admitted to expensive Vanderbilt first!
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Although apparently the most expensive school now, Vanderbilt financial aid is generous. Just be sure to file a FAFSA, and they will, every year, work up a financial aid package apart from ROTC funds. As soon as they get the list from the unit noting who's in good standing they rework the package to include ROTC benefits. I do think with the increase in room and board costs every year they should consider increasing the housing stipend they provide to ROTC students.
 
Anasakata said:
Yes, they are also admitted to their high ranking state school, which would be an easy transfer and we live a mile away - absolutely a strong consideration should they lose their scholarship - as I did not budget for $100K a year when they also have a younger sibling who will need college money in a few years.
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Great posts by you and @pa-outdoorsman. Just for all readers, one thing to keep in mind is that there is a point after day 1 of sophomore year when you are "on the hook" potentially for the full scholarship moneys, all the way back to day 1, if you don't make it to commission and repay the scholarship through years of service. So, after 3 years at Vanderbilt, if your young adult burns out/ gets in a fight/ arrested,, DUI, fails to meet academic of physical standards and doesn't shore up the gap, decides the military is not for them, etc. You could be on the hook for 3 or 3.5 years of moneys paid. For Vanderbilt, 3 years of tuition/ fees is - staggering. Just keep it in mind that yes the transfer option could help for future costs, but unless you walk away before you start your year 2 of a 4 year scholarship, you're still at risk for moneys paid to Vandy, until you commission and serve.

We took the same risk - DS went to an expensive, private school on NROTC scholarship, and it did all work out, but that risk weighed on us. No one plans to not make it to commission - but, it sometimes happens.
 
Most selective schools now offer good aid for incoming students - Princeton, Rice, etc. Even Vanderbilt is generous. Per their website:
"At Vanderbilt, we believe cost should never be a barrier to a world-class education. That’s why we provide a full-tuition scholarship for all households with income of $150K* or less. Also, many households with income of more than $150K still receive an Opportunity Vanderbilt Award."
 
unkown1961 said:
Most selective schools now offer good aid for incoming students - Princeton, Rice, etc. Even Vanderbilt is generous. Per their website:
"At Vanderbilt, we believe cost should never be a barrier to a world-class education. That’s why we provide a full-tuition scholarship for all households with income of $150K* or less. Also, many households with income of more than $150K still receive an Opportunity Vanderbilt Award."
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Agreed - even for high income homes, Princeton is fantastic. but as you said - that's incoming students. here's the rub/ risk for ROTC scholarship winners - when your ROTC scholarship is accepted, sometimes, the terrific aid packages in the award letters from universities are rescinded as instead of the school covering those costs, they know every dime - all tuition/ fees can be covered by the government. So, you get a great aid offer, get a full 4 year ROTC scholarship, pay nothing for 2 years (say it's at a school that also covers room and board separately) and parents/ students are giddy they are getting a free education. But look at what happens say for the AFROTC participants on scholarship who are not invited to years 3 & 4 and to commission, and instead are dropped/ lose their ROTC scholarship, they knock back on the university door and say - hey, can I get that fantastic aid/ merit aid back please that you offered me when I was deciding to come here?, and sometimes the schools say "Sorry, that money is allocated elsewhere and is no longer available". Just adding this point so that those taking ROTC scholarships at expensive schools have a view that if the ROTC scholarship doesn't work out say at the end of their sophomore year, they might be on the hook for a lot of money, and might not get a lot of support from their schools to stay. All feedback welcome/ hoping that may help our reader community.
 
Herman_Snerd said:
Agreed - even for high income homes, Princeton is fantastic. but as you said - that's incoming students. here's the rub/ risk for ROTC scholarship winners - when your ROTC scholarship is accepted, sometimes, the terrific aid packages in the award letters from universities are rescinded as instead of the school covering those costs, they know every dime - all tuition/ fees can be covered by the government. So, you get a great aid offer, get a full 4 year ROTC scholarship, pay nothing for 2 years (say it's at a school that also covers room and board separately) and parents/ students are giddy they are getting a free education. But look at what happens say for the AFROTC participants on scholarship who are not invited to years 3 & 4 and to commission, and instead are dropped/ lose their ROTC scholarship, they knock back on the university door and say - hey, can I get that fantastic aid/ merit aid back please that you offered me when I was deciding to come here?, and sometimes the schools say "Sorry, that money is allocated elsewhere and is no longer available". Just adding this point so that those taking ROTC scholarships at expensive schools have a view that if the ROTC scholarship doesn't work out say at the end of their sophomore year, they might be on the hook for a lot of money, and might not get a lot of support from their schools to stay. All feedback welcome/ hoping that may help our reader community.
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Go into the process EYES WIDE OPEN. As I tell my DS, YOU are your backup plan. In other words, an ROTC scholarship is a bet on yourself unless you come from a wealthy family.

It's a perfectly reasonable bet to make, IMO. Just go in knowing that nothing is 100 percent, and if you encounter something unexpected and have to pivot, be prepared to to cross that bridge if/when you come to it.
 
pa-outdoorsman said:
Go into the process EYES WIDE OPEN. As I tell my DS, YOU are your backup plan. In other words, an ROTC scholarship is a bet on yourself unless you come from a wealthy family.

It's a perfectly reasonable bet to make, IMO. Just go in knowing that nothing is 100 percent, and if you encounter something unexpected and have to pivot, be prepared to to cross that bridge if/when you come to it.
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Yes, nothing is a guarantee - and the unthinkable can always happen and lose it all, which needs to be considered. But if it DOES go as planned for 4 years and a successful commission - what a great opportunity to attend an expensive school which otherwise would be out of reach financially. It's a gamble we're willing to take.
 
Anasakata said:
Yes, nothing is a guarantee - and the unthinkable can always happen and lose it all, which needs to be considered. But if it DOES go as planned for 4 years and a successful commission - what a great opportunity to attend an expensive school which otherwise would be out of reach financially. It's a gamble we're willing to take.
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Yep. My goal in this thread / posts today is just to make sure the community at large here knows the risk exposure - I feel we've covered that, and as you stated - it's each student and family's choice on what risk to take. Just would hate to see a 21 y.o. with huge debt, no degree, and no path to serve because they didn't understand the recoupment or drop risk - what a whopper of a downturn.

For fun, I was going to reply with "That's a big gamble with a 300k+ education, Lieutenant" as a throwback to the "That's a big gamble with a 30 million dollar plane, Lieutenant" from Top Gun... Ah, maybe I should have.
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