Offerer AFROTC CLS scholarship - not sure what to do

barryg9999

5-Year Member
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Feb 3, 2014
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I'm hoping that someone can help as we're very confused.

At my son's AFROTC interview last week, he was offered a CLS Type 1 scholarship. That is great news. The problem is that he needs to commit by this Wednesday but the school is not his first choice. He is not going to know whether he even got into first choice school for another two months (I just spoke with them to see if this decision can be accelerated and they said that we need to wait).

I understand that the CLS scholarship is not transferable. The offer letter states that if he declines, that he will be evaluated in the next scholarship board. My questions are:

1. If he declines, is there anyway to determine what (if anything) he will be offered through the scholarship board?

2. Would it help if I called the ROTC office in his first choice school to see what, if anything, can be offered? We spoke with them a few months ago when we visited the school but they told us that all interviews are only done by our local ROTC office, and not them.

3. Should I call the local AFROTC headquarters to see?

Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated.
 
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I'm hoping that someone can help as we're very confused.

At my son's AFROTC interview last week, he was offered a CLS Type 1 scholarship. That is great news. The problem is that he needs to commit by this Wednesday but the school is not his first choice. He is not going to know whether he even got into first choice school for another two months (I just spoke with them to see if this decision can be accelerated and they said that we need to wait).

I understand that the CLS scholarship is not transferable. The offer letter states that if he declines, that he will be evaluated in the next scholarship board. My questions are:

1. If he declines, is there anyway to determine what (if anything) he will be offered through the scholarship board?

2. Would it help if I called the ROTC office in his first choice school to see what, if anything, can be offered? We spoke with them a few months ago when we visited the school but they told us that all interviews are only done by our local ROTC office, and not them.

3. Should I call the local AFROTC headquarters to see?

Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

I'm probably treading outside my "pay grade" here as I'm not an AFROTC expert and am drawing more on my general ROTC scholarship experience.

1. No.
2. I suppose you can try but it doesn't seem useful to me.
3. Again, you can try but I wouldn't expect to get any positive answer.

Your decision seems pretty straight forward to me. You can take the bird in hand or hope there are a couple birds in the bush around the corner, if there is a bush around the corner.

If it were me I'd base the decision on the school. If the one offering the scholarship is an acceptable #2 then I'd recommend going with it. If not then I might hold out for #1... assuming an AFROTC scholarship will cover the costs there that you need covered (keeping in mind the different types of AFROTC scholarships available). Without knowing the circumstances of the school offering the scholarship I suppose one might reasonably assume there might be an offer of a regular AFROTC scholarship, but there are never guarantees... especially if the current offer is due to some unusual circumstances.

If perchance college is virtually out of the question without the scholarship then the bird in the hand is always the winner to me.

Just my 2 cents and it's worth what you paid for it.
 
kinnem did an excellent job of answering your questions. I will just attempt to give you some other things to consider. Is you son's first choice of college In-State or Out-Of-State? If In-State, is it public or private? Does your son's first choice of college offer ROTC students tuition at the same rate as the public colleges in your state? Is a scholarship necessary for your son to attend his first choice or will you be able to pay for it "out of pocket"?

Based on the answers to the above questions you should be able to determine what Type of AFROTC scholarship your son will need to attend his first choice of college and what the "chances" are of receiving it.

An offer of a CLS Type 1 scholarship is very generous. As kinnem said: "if the one offering the scholarship is an acceptable #2 then I'd recommend going with it." If on the other hand, his first choice college is an In-State (for you) public college, then I'd take my chances on receiving a Type 7 AFROTC HSSP. IMHO, any student that is being offered a CLS Type 1 scholarship by one of his top schools is probably very competitive for an AFROTC HSSP of some type.

One final consideration. Keep in mind that ALL AFROTC HSSPs are actually only good for two years (after passing his Detachment PT test). At that point your son will need to be selected for, and complete SFT to continue receiving his scholarship.

Good Luck!:thumb:
 
quick decision

We had similar decision years ago and I'm still mad about it. Son walked away from early offer and things worked out fine for him but I hate that they aren't given more time to decide.
 
Thank you for the amazing responses! Very helpful.

To make it more complicated, we don't even know if he will be accepted to his #1 or #2 choices. While I expect him to be accepted, we just don't know. I called his #1 today to see if they can be give any indication and all they said is that we needed to wait 4-8 weeks.

Both his #1 and #2 are out of state, one is public and one is private.

We never had to make such an important decision so quickly and with so little information. It is really a tough gamble as you really don't know. Do we decline $100k in scholarship money for the potential of going to a better school? Right now we are leaning towards to accepting the offer as this is a good school.

It is also a bit frustrating as the ROTC offices for #1 and #2 said that they don't interview candidates. Therefore getting a CLS through them wasn't even possible.
 
Let's review the AFROTC scholarship types:

Type 1 – pays full college tuition, most fees and $600 per year for books. Approximately 5 percent of our 4-year scholarship winners will be offered a Type-1 scholarship (mostly in technical fields).
Type 2 – pays college tuition and most fees up to $15,000 and pays $600 per year for books. Approximately 20 percent of our 4-year scholarship winners will be offered a Type-2 scholarship (mostly in technical fields). If a student attends an institution where the tuition exceeds $15,000 per year, then he/she pays the difference. All 3-year scholarships are Type 2.
Type 7 – pays full college tuition, fees and $600 per year for books, but the student MUST attend a college/university where the tuition is less than $9,000 per year, OR a public college/university in which the student qualifies for the in-state tuition rate.

If a student receives a Type-7 offer but wishes to attend a college/university where they do not qualify under the guidelines above, the student can convert the 4-Year Type-7 scholarship to a 3-Year Type-2 scholarship. You cannot activate a Type-7 scholarship at a non-qualifying school and pay the difference.

Unless your DS gets a type 1 (odds are maybe 5%), you're going to be forking out quite a few bucks for those out of state colleges - assuming he's accepted and even wins an AFROTC scholarship. Further, if he gets a type 7 and converts it to a 3 year type 2, you're forking over the first year of OOS tuition at #1 or #2 plus the difference each subsequent year. (I'm assuming #1 and #2 do not offer in-state tuition rates to AFROTC cadets).

Further, even with any of these scholarships, he must be selected for SFT between his sophomore and junior years to keep these monies flowing.

You need to keep his desires in mind as being at a school that feels like the right fit can make all the difference. Your DS needs to keep Mom and Dad's purses and wallets in mind as he decides what schools are acceptable.

Besides the financial difference of the offer in hand, I would add that evidently they are really interested in having your son there. That has to count for something.

I think you've got all the input you're going to get and its time to sit down for a family powwow. Wish I could be more helpful. Good luck. :thumb:
 
Updated Dollar Amounts for AFROTC Sholarship Types

+1 Kinnem:thumb:

Just wanted to post the updated info that is currently on the AFROTC HSSP Scholarship site (the dollar amounts have gone up a bit):

Type 1 – Pays full college tuition, most fees and $900 per year for books. Approximately 5% of our four-year scholarship winners will be offered a Type-1 scholarship (mostly in technical fields ).

Type 2 – Pays college tuition and most fees up to $18,000 and $900 per year for books. Approximately 15% of our four-year scholarship winners will be offered a Type-2 scholarship (mostly in technical fields). If a student attends an institution where the tuition exceeds $18,000 per year, then he/she pays the difference. All three-year scholarships are Type 2.

Type 7 – Pays college tuition up to the equivalent of the in-state rate at a public school and $900 per year for books. If a student receives a Type-7 offer but wishes to attend a college/university where they do not qualify under the guidelines above, the student can convert the four-Year Type-7 scholarship to a three-Year Type-2 scholarship. You cannot activate a Type-7 scholarship at a non-qualifying school and pay the difference.

Upon activation, all scholarship cadets receive a nontaxable monthly allowance (stipend) during the academic year. Currently, the monthly stipend is $250 for freshmen, $300 for sophomores, $350 for juniors and $400 for seniors.
 
Did they cut the stipend again? I thought that they topped out at 450.
 
+1 Kinnem:thumb:

Just wanted to post the updated info that is currently on the AFROTC HSSP Scholarship site (the dollar amounts have gone up a bit):

Type 1 – Pays full college tuition, most fees and $900 per year for books. Approximately 5% of our four-year scholarship winners will be offered a Type-1 scholarship (mostly in technical fields ).

Type 2 – Pays college tuition and most fees up to $18,000 and $900 per year for books. Approximately 15% of our four-year scholarship winners will be offered a Type-2 scholarship (mostly in technical fields). If a student attends an institution where the tuition exceeds $18,000 per year, then he/she pays the difference. All three-year scholarships are Type 2.

Type 7 – Pays college tuition up to the equivalent of the in-state rate at a public school and $900 per year for books. If a student receives a Type-7 offer but wishes to attend a college/university where they do not qualify under the guidelines above, the student can convert the four-Year Type-7 scholarship to a three-Year Type-2 scholarship. You cannot activate a Type-7 scholarship at a non-qualifying school and pay the difference.

Upon activation, all scholarship cadets receive a nontaxable monthly allowance (stipend) during the academic year. Currently, the monthly stipend is $250 for freshmen, $300 for sophomores, $350 for juniors and $400 for seniors.

Thanks, I was going to make the book money correction but you beat me to it.

A type 7 scholarship, if your 1st choice is in-state, is the same thing as getting a type one. It pays for full tuition and almost all fees, the only fees not paid for are things not every student has to pay for like parking passes.

Although, currently I am still being paid $350 per month as a 2nd year. I wonder if any other 200s on scholarship are still getting the old amount? It'll really suck if they decide this is a mistake and retract pay later...
 
Did they cut the stipend again? I thought that they topped out at 450.

Pima,

I can't say (I certainly hope not). I just cut and pasted directly from the AFROTC Scholarship site page. I would say the information is only as good as the last time they updated it. For a similar example, I have found that a lot of the information on the Go Army schools and scholarship site(s) is outdated; e.g. pays room and board/doesn't pay room and board, book payment or stipend amounts are old, etc.

If anyone has more recent info, if he/she could post it, that would be awesome.
 
Non Ducor,

I don't think they messed up on your stipend. I think they are reducing it again. This will be the 2nd time in 2 , or maybe it is 3 yaers . Two years ago the 400s were making 550 a month. Every yr group made 100 more, thus the 100s are the only group that has never changed, since at least 07

I recall the first decrease impacted the 300s rising to 400s because they were going to stay at the same stipend of 450. It appears next year your stipend will be the same as it is this year.
 
Non Ducor,

I don't think they messed up on your stipend. I think they are reducing it again. This will be the 2nd time in 2 , or maybe it is 3 yaers . Two years ago the 400s were making 550 a month. Every yr group made 100 more, thus the 100s are the only group that has never changed, since at least 07

I recall the first decrease impacted the 300s rising to 400s because they were going to stay at the same stipend of 450. It appears next year your stipend will be the same as it is this year.

Ouch! dang...:frown:
 
While reviewing the options with my son last night, we came to the same conclusion (keeping in mind that the CLS is from an in-state state and it is his #3 choice). Based on this, we will probably decline the CLS since I believe (hope) that he will receive a type 2, which he can use at his #1 choice. Minimally he should receive at least a type 7, which will leave us at the same place that we're at now. A type 1 would be amazing but we know that this is a long shot.

I know that there are no sure things but I was wondering if there is anything else that I am missing here? For example, would the local base commander hold this against my son, or have the scholarship criteria changed much from last year?

Thanks for everyone's help! This board has been a lifesaver in making these decisions and it would be quite difficult with everyone here.
 
The criteria has remained the same for eons, it is the selection rate that changes every year because it is a supply and demand aspect. There is a limited pot of money, and if the pool is large, than chances are going to decrease, and stats will be higher.
~~~ This is why you see them state the mins only.

I hope he does get a 2, but if he gets a 7, he can converted it to a 3 year type 2. Type 2s are also competitve , traditionally they award only around 135 nationally. Add into this the boarded pool is @5000, and 900 are awarded, the 135 is from the 900 number. In essence, it really is @2.5% of a chance, not the 15%.

I don't want to be the raincloud, but remember two more things.
1. The budget is only going to decrease for the next 9 years. Meanwhile, college tuitions will keep increasing. The 18k may cover the cost this years tuition, but if the school increases the cost by even a low of 5% (typically it is @7-10%). Mathematically, by their St. Yr. you could be 4k out of pocket for tuition, worse if it is a 10% increase.
2. If not selected for summer field training, they may be dis-enrolled, which means the last two years are on your dime. Get a type 7, converted to a 2, you could be paying 3 of the 4 years.

My final raincloud is coming from another thread. Supposedly the scholarship budget is being cut big time. If so, that means a lot less scholarships will be awarded. I would contact the CoC if they have heard if this is true. If they say yes, than you need to be honest on how competitive he really is for a 2.
 
While reviewing the options with my son last night, we came to the same conclusion (keeping in mind that the CLS is from an in-state state and it is his #3 choice). Based on this, we will probably decline the CLS since I believe (hope) that he will receive a type 2, which he can use at his #1 choice. Minimally he should receive at least a type 7, which will leave us at the same place that we're at now. A type 1 would be amazing but we know that this is a long shot.

I know that there are no sure things but I was wondering if there is anything else that I am missing here? For example, would the local base commander hold this against my son, or have the scholarship criteria changed much from last year?

Thanks for everyone's help! This board has been a lifesaver in making these decisions and it would be quite difficult with everyone here.

As always, excellent info from Pima on your questions. Thanks for the update on the decision. Sincerely hope all works out well for you and DS. :thumb:
 
Sorry to keep belaboring this but what do you think are the chances that my son will receive a type 7. He scored as follows:

  • GPA 3.2 unweighted
  • Takes honors and AP classes
  • Fitness: 58 push-ups in a minute, 46 sit-ups in a minute, and 9.22 mile and a half.
  • SAT: 1350 for math + reading, 1970 combined super score
  • ACT: 28
  • Plays 2 varsity sports - lettered in both and team captain on one
  • Has other extra-circular activities
 
Sorry to keep belaboring this but what do you think are the chances that my son will receive a type 7. He scored as follows:

  • GPA 3.2 unweighted
  • Takes honors and AP classes
  • Fitness: 58 push-ups in a minute, 46 sit-ups in a minute, and 9.22 mile and a half.
  • SAT: 1350 for math + reading, 1970 combined super score
  • ACT: 28
  • Plays 2 varsity sports - lettered in both and team captain on one
  • Has other extra-circular activities
I have no idea but in 2012 my son had a 3.7 gpa, 31 ACT, similar fitness test numbers, 2 sports, and leadership positions in 2 or 3 clubs. He also was a tech major and he received a type 7.
 
AFROTC does not super score, it is best sitting, thus your chances will be different depending on what the score they will review on.

I agree there is a chance for type 7 as a tech major based on previous years. 28 is in the range for a type 7. Now if your best sitting drops dramatically, than the chances will also drop.
 
Best sitting score for math + reading was 1350. Best sitting for all three was 1960. He is going for a tech field (mechanical engineering).
 
The 3.2 gpa would make me a little bit nervous. The applicant pool is similar to the USAFA pool and the average gpa for AFA is ~3.85.
 
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