Concerns about AROTC Room and Board option

I've been reading around and have read that if you choose your AROTC scholarship to cover room and board that the money comes as a reimbursement rather than a lump sum before the semester or on a monthly basis. I'm not sure how I would be capable of getting money together to pay monthly room and board fees along with my meal plan, car insurance and gas etc. Does anyone know exactly what happens if you go this route?

As always thanks! There's always an abundance of good information on these forums.

Rob

robtm1911 said:

I've been reading around and have read that if you choose your AROTC scholarship to cover room and board that the money comes as a reimbursement rather than a lump sum before the semester or on a monthly basis. I'm not sure how I would be capable of getting money together to pay monthly room and board fees along with my meal plan, car insurance and gas etc. Does anyone know exactly what happens if you go this route?

As always thanks! There's always an abundance of good information on these forums.

Rob

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This is the way it works at our local public university. Student pays tuition up front. School sends ROTC a bill for room and board. School sends student a message showing an unpaid balance. Some time in the middle of the semester, ROTC deposits the money in the student's account. The student pays the unpaid balance.

This may not be the arrangement at all schools. At the private schools this is not an issue because the room and board is free for new students that are scholarship winners.

In my case, the school is SUNY Albany. Would they most likely follow the same format or would I have to contact the school to find out?

You would need to contact the school or perhaps the unit. Folks in the unit might be more familiar with the process than the bursars office. Keep in mind that using the money for room and board means it has to be treated as income for tax purposes, at least as I understand it.

I can tell you that is how it works for my son and the other kids I know that use it that way. Last year it was paid after he was actually finished with his Fall semester and this year it was paid about a week prior to be finished. For the spring semesters it was actually paid about a month and a half after the semester started.

Each school may handle it differently. For my sons's school, they will defer payment for room and board until mid October and that's it. They don't care if you haven't received it. Without it, you may not register for classes for the next semester.

Call your university and inquire as to how it is handled there.

When you contact your school, ask if someone at the busar's office "specializes" in ROTC/Military/Veteran issues. They may have someone who typically handles this billing since it has so many different policies than standard admits. The HR dept of the ROTC program may also be a good source of info or of providing a name of someone at the bursar's office who is knowledgable.

Oh, and the room and board paid by any scholarship is taxable DS was less than pleased when I filed his taxes this year.