Tuition vs. Room & Board

leapyear

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Oct 15, 2010
Messages
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If an AROTC 4 yr scholarship recipient elects initially to use their scholarship for room and board rather than tuition, can they change that election in the second or subsequent years to tuition payment, or are they stuck with the initial election for the entire 4 years? (Tried researching old threads, but didn't see this specific question answered.) Also, I believe I read that the book stipend is paid regardless of whether the recipient chooses tuition or room/board, correct? Thanks much
 
Yes. Atleast according to the admin personnel in my battalion. You just need to let them know you want to change at semester. Alot of cadets change to room/board when they move off campus.
 
Interesting. I never thought about how it applies to cadets living off campus. Does the Army pay you the amount it would cost for a dorm and meal plan on campus?
 
Interesting. I never thought about how it applies to cadets living off campus. Does the Army pay you the amount it would cost for a dorm and meal plan on campus?

I just pulled out the Scholarship Benefit Election Memorandum that my son filled out for this year. This got me thinking because my son uses his for Room and Board and is moving off campus next year.

Looks like the Cadet fills out one for each school year. You have 30 days from the start of school to make your choice. You can not change this choice until the fall term of the next school year.

For housing, you choose either
1) College/university room and board
2) College/university sponsored housing. You must provide the PMS with a lease agreement/receipt for the school term and you are reimbursed on the cost basis certified by the PMS
or
3) Leased housing and I will be reimbursed on the average cost of the geographically closest college/university sponsored housing.

For board
1) you get reimbursed for the school sponsored plan.
2) non-sponsored plan is average cost of approved meal plan

We were told that it was somewhere between the lowest meal plan and the highest. I think my son's meal plan was just shy of $2100 per semester. Off campus he will get around $1700.
 
I can double check with admin, but I believe you'd receive @$5000 to live off campus. Atleast in my geographical region.
 
cjs... regarding the book allowance:

Is it truly "reimbursed", that is, copies of the invoices paid by Cadet/Mid for all the books that are approved/reimbursed, or is it a lump sum payment even if the actual total expenditure for the purchase of books is less than the stipulated allowance?
 
The Army direct deposits $600 into my son's savings account each semester. If he spends over that, the balance is on his dime. If he spends less, he gets to pocket the difference.
 
The Army direct deposits $600 into my son's savings account each semester. If he spends over that, the balance is on his dime. If he spends less, he gets to pocket the difference.

This is correct! :thumb:
 
cjs... regarding the book allowance:

Is it truly "reimbursed", that is, copies of the invoices paid by Cadet/Mid for all the books that are approved/reimbursed, or is it a lump sum payment even if the actual total expenditure for the purchase of books is less than the stipulated allowance?

Reimbursed wasn't the right term, sorry for the tuition. The $600 is direct deposited. My son used his left over book money towards an iPad to bring to classes and also rent textbooks on.
 
I can double check with admin, but I believe you'd receive @$5000 to live off campus. Atleast in my geographical region.

Please check because that's not what our Army ROTC paperwork shows. My son just signed for off campus next year.

I'll be talking with the HR of my sons's batalliion tomorrow morning so I will ask her how this is all handled.
 
Please check because that's not what our Army ROTC paperwork shows. My son just signed for off campus next year.

I'll be talking with the HR of my sons's batalliion tomorrow morning so I will ask her how this is all handled.

What does the paperwork say? I currently live on campus, but when discussing off campus with HR, this is what I was told. Next time I'm free, I'll stop by and talk to her.
 
What does the paperwork say? I currently live on campus, but when discussing off campus with HR, this is what I was told. Next time I'm free, I'll stop by and talk to her.

I have the paperwork out and it states that you receive an average, they do not simply give you $5,000 and say here you go.

I just hung up with the HR person at my son's school and confirmed what was on the ROTC paperwork that was signed upon accepting the scholarship at the school. She told me that they give you the average between the highest and the lowest price dorm on campus for Room and the average between the highest and lowest price meal plan on campus for Board. The exact amount seems to be school or area specific.

If you are at a school where the dorm and meal plans are more expensive, then maybe you just get the $5,000 because that is the average or less than the average.

These numbers are specific for my son's school as it's their average, but for the 2010-2011 school year, the ROTC Scholarship cadets living off campus were paid per semester:
$2,381 for Room
$1,876.80 for Board

You are allowed to purchase any meal plan you wish on campus even if you don't live on campus and then they will reimburse for that.

She also said that the amount goes up SLIGHTLY each school year due to the price raises that you will see.

My son chose the cheapest dorm on campus this year as most freshman were there. He also chose the most expensive meal plan because he could. They reimbursed him $2209 for Room and $2089 for Board per semester. If you think about it this way, he is actually spending $40 less per month than next semester.
 
Apologies, I thought I stated it was an average, which in my region, happens to be around $5000. Sorry for the confusion.
 
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