That is my thought too regarding scholarships.
Soon there will be the chance me threads going. Here is my staple answer to any poster asking to be chanced.
95% of SA candidates will apply for ROTC, however 95% of ROTC candidates don't apply for an SA. If the boards (SA/ROTC) do not talk. You must ask yourself how do you rack and stack up against the SA candidate.
The SA candidate is your true competition because many will get a TWE and take Plan B. Some even hold onto that scholarship until they report for I Day, thus, their scholarship does not go back in the pot of money for that yr.
NROTC is probably the most competitive scholarship out there, and I am going to even say from a national perspective of all scholarships out there. Their stats are out the door amazing.
The one thing to understand for NROTC scholarship is not only your intended major, but that dang 5 school list will play a part in getting a scholarship. You need to really think about the colleges you list. Every yr. without fail there are recipients that got a scholarship to a school, but a rejection for admittance or they got admitted, but not the scholarship.
With this yr's DOD budget looking painful, and the economy in the tanks while cost of attending college is rising, I would say it is not unrealistic to believe that less scholarships maybe offered than prior yrs while the pool size increases. That will mean the stats will even be higher.