Advice about ROTC Scholarships and Appointment

GoBlue1984

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I'm looking for advice and experiences of those who may have gone before us or are in similar situations.

My DS has an ROTC scholarship to his top choice civilian school. That was his "Plan B." He now has his Plan A (USMA appointment). Should he indicate he won't be using the ROTC scholarship now, hold it until May, or can he keep it longer - i.e., through A-Day? He would like to hold on to that ROTC scholarship as long as he can - just in case something should happen that affects his ability to attend. What comes to mind are injury (during spring Track or during BEAST) or personal tragedy. My question is, how long can/should he hold on to that ROTC scholarship?

I think I have seen discussions where some appointees held their ROTC scholarship through BCT. True or false?

For Plan C, he has an academic scholarship to a different school that he is willing to attend if all else falls through. In that case he intends to join ROTC as a non-scholarship programmer. I'm confident he could heal in time for ROTC PFT in August as long as he doesn't have a major injury like a broken leg (but I don't think he would have to pass the PFT in the fall as a non-scholarship programmer either).

He wants to do the right thing for other deserving candidates but doesn't want to give up his options in pursuing his goal of becoming an army officer - and of course West Point has been his dream since 6th grade.

I'm sure we are not the only ones facing this situation, and listening to what others may be thinking would be of interest. Any advice, insight, or experience of your collective wisdom will be appreciated.
 
If he gets injured at West Point he won't be able to fall back on ROTC anyway. He'll still have to pass the PT test to contract with ROTC. In my opinion, I would hold onto the ROTC scholarship until he leaves for the Academy.
 
^^^^^
That's correct, except that one doesn't have to pass the PFT until the end of the first semester.
EDIT: Also, if one doesn't release the scholarship until reporting it goes unused anyway. Finally, if the key is to have a backup plan in case of injury, the plan C with ROTC as a college programmer would suffice to address that. Not saying OP shouldn't hang on to the ROTC scholarship, just pointing out another way to look at this and something else to consider.
 
^^^^^
That's correct, except that one doesn't have to pass the PFT until the end of the first semester.
EDIT: Also, if one doesn't release the scholarship until reporting it goes unused anyway. Finally, if the key is to have a backup plan in case of injury, the plan C with ROTC as a college programmer would suffice to address that. Not saying OP shouldn't hang on to the ROTC scholarship, just pointing out another way to look at this and something else to consider.

I would double check the activation period - I know DD #1 AROTC scholarship would not be activated until she passed the APFT when she reported to school in August. She is currently a senior and will commission in May, so my info might be dated.
 
Being in a similar situation, I'd like to read more about this. I can think of a number of "disqualifying" injuries or medical conditions (ala DoDMERB) that might arise and DQ a candidate when they report for R Day or during basic that wouldn't necessarily render them unable to pass the PFT.

There are many stories on these forums of individuals who did well on the PFT but still had to go through a DoDMERB remedial.
 
I would double check the activation period - I know DD #1 AROTC scholarship would not be activated until she passed the APFT when she reported to school in August. She is currently a senior and will commission in May, so my info might be dated.

That too is correct. The PFT must be passed in order for the scholarship to be activated. As long as it's passed in the first semester one should be OK.
 
I would double check the activation period - I know DD #1 AROTC scholarship would not be activated until she passed the APFT when she reported to school in August. She is currently a senior and will commission in May, so my info might be dated.

You and Kinnem are both correct.

An AROTC 4 year Scholarship Cadet has until the end of the first semester to pass the APFT and contract. Cadet Command will not pay any Tuition, Book money or Stipend until they sign the contract. If the cadet passes the APFT and signs the contract just before the end of the semester they would then receive the book money and the tuition would be paid. The caveat in all this is the the cadet would not receive any stipend money until they pass the APFT and contract, the stipend is not paid retroactive, in otherwords the cadet would lose any stipend until they contract.
 
Congratulations on your son's accomplishments to date.

Remember that to preserve his Plan B and C options, you will have to put down tuition and residence hall deposits, probably non-refundable. Depending on the amounts involved, it may still be a good insurance policy.

I won't presume to tell you what to do other than to suggest that as soon as he knows Plan A is working, you should let the B and C schools know he is bowing out. The ROTC unit where he has been awarded the scholarship may be able to offer it to a deserving cadet who is in the program.
 
If I remember right from past threads, your son can hold onto the ROTC Scholarship until he reports for Beast, at that point he is required to officially decline the scholarship. I do not believe he can hold onto the scholarship all through Beast.
 
If I remember right from past threads, your son can hold onto the ROTC Scholarship until he reports for Beast, at that point he is required to officially decline the scholarship. I do not believe he can hold onto the scholarship all through Beast.

There is also some rule that I've seen mentioned here on the forums, that if they fall out of Beast due to injury or something then they can reapply and will NOT need a MOC nomination... or something like that. Look around on the forums for details... probaboy some thread that involved re-applying.
 
Thanks So Far

Kinnem, JCleppe, et. all. -- Thanks for the input and thoughts.

EDelahanty - We have previously put down tuition deposits but have held up on housing deposits so far. We know that if we are going to keep those options, those will be required soon. And yes, all are non-refundable but in the scheme of things, it seems like low cost insurance.

And Kinnem - I have not heard of that provision but will search for it to see if I can find anything about it. That is really good info to know and I wonder how many academy appointees know that.
 
Kinnem, JCleppe, et. all. -- Thanks for the input and thoughts.

EDelahanty - We have previously put down tuition deposits but have held up on housing deposits so far. We know that if we are going to keep those options, those will be required soon. And yes, all are non-refundable but in the scheme of things, it seems like low cost insurance.

And Kinnem - I have not heard of that provision but will search for it to see if I can find anything about it. That is really good info to know and I wonder how many academy appointees know that.

Just make sure you confirm it before relying on my advice. My feeble brain is getting pretty old. :shake:
 
Our DS was in same situation last year with a 4 year AROTC and an appointment. We intended to hold on to the AROTC scholarship until he reported on R Day, but somewhere along in May he was required by AROTC to sign a document and return it stating he was going to use the scholarship. At that point it became an integrity issue for DS and he knew he was letting go of one of his Plan B's; but decided he could not sign it in good faith knowing he wasn't going to use the scholarship. Please review the paperwork you receive from AROTC and determine if there is acceptance or rejection deadline.
On a similar note - we did keep Plan C option open with a tuition deposit that was forfeited and had him sign the declination form prior to leaving for R Day and then mailed it to the Plan C university after we came back home from dropping him off at R Day. Some of this is a little fuzzy because a full year has already passed. Good luck.
 
4 yr scholarship

My DS received his 4 yr AROTC scholarship Feb. 4th, 2013 and had one month to respond. Of course he accepted immediately. So read your scholarship letter. I would think there would be a time limit for all to respond.
 
My DS was on an overnight around the time the BFE's were going out. His RC talked to some of them and told them the should decline the AROTC scholarships so they could be assigned to others. The RC said there are only a few new cadet candidates that get bumped each year, so the risk is really low. DS declined the AROTC scholarship the end of February in time for the March 11th board.
 
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