Fall AROTC Scholarship

Sarah2014

5-Year Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2014
Messages
4
Hi! My daughter would like to get an Army scholarship this fall. We spoke with someone today who said that she would need to take a PT test and pass a physical to submit paperwork, the physical would take 30 days to process. He said she would qualify for the Accelerated program and he would put her into a three year scholarship. He also said that there are 14 other applications he is working on for the fall. I read online that 2 and 3 year campus scholarship applications were due at the end of March and that there are only a couple of Army scholarships available each year on campus. The officer I spoke with is not available during the weekend so I'm hoping someone on these boards can explain if it's still possible for my daughter to get the scholarship. Thanks for your help!!
 
You may be confusing the deadline and the number of available scholarships with NROTC, which is a different ball game altogether. Some schools have several to give, some have none. If the Recruiting Officer is offering your daughter one, then I assume they have one to give.

So, It sounds like she is being offered a 3-year campus-based scholarship. Will she be a freshman in the fall? If so, the scholarship won't take effect until her sophomore year, but she'll still participate in the program her freshman year. That gives cadre the chance to evaluate her for a year. She'll need to pass the PT test, DoDmerb (physical) and get the PMS's endorsement in order to activate the scholarship her sophomore year and contract. This means you're on the hook for tuition, fees and Room/board etc. her freshman year, and Room/board the next three years (unless she chooses to use her scholarship for R&B).

If she's going to be a sophomore in the fall, then she still has to pass the PT test, physical, and get the PMS's endorsement, but she'll contract this fall instead of next.

Keep in mind a 30 day turn on her DodMerb is very dependent on there being no issues, etc. They can take months.

My son received a 4-year campus based scholarship the July before his freshman year. To my knowledge most are awarded after the start of the school year, when cadre know how many they have to give and who is deserving of one.

Best of luck to your daughter.
 
Thanks for your response! My daughter is graduating high school with her A.A. degree. She will be working towards her B.A. but the officer said she would still qualify for the three year program. We would get an academic plan from an advisor and submit that to him. He would then send her for the medical and she would take the PT test. She would be contracted when school starts in the fall. We would be responsible for tuition and board but she would start receiving a monthly stipend. The check for board would be sent to her around the second week of November. Does this sound right?
 
My son received a 4-year campus based scholarship the July before his freshman year. To my knowledge most are awarded after the start of the school year, when cadre know how many they have to give and who is deserving of one.

Best of luck to your daughter.

When did he start the application?
 
Partially. First, she can only contract in the fall as a 3-year scholarship winner if she will be an academic sophomore when she starts - Otherwise the scholarship won't kick in until she is.

Given she'll have an AA, it's possible she will be a sophomore, but not definite. Not all schools accept dual enrollment type credit earned in high school as actual college credit. Have you already had her academic status determined by her school?

Second, As soon as she passes the PT test and completes the contracting paperwork she'll begin receiving the stipend. It is not backdated to the beginning of the semester. If she doesn't pass a PT test until October, she loses the August and Sept stipend, etc. She has until Dec 15th typically to pass the PT test or lose the scholarship. This happens every year to many surprised cadets. She needs to make sure she's ready to go in August. The scholarship is retroactive. In other words they pay for the whole fall semester as long as she's contracted by December.

Third, I'm assuming her school is an instate public, since you're planning on using the scholarship to cover room and board - unless she has another scholarship to cover tuition, just make sure you're choosing to cover the most costly of the two. Usually you do not have to pay the school up front for Tuition/fees or R&B if she has an ROTC scholarship. The unit's HR person typically works with the bursar and most schools are patient enough to wait for the funds to arrive. You will not receive a "reimbursement" check from the Army. They will pay the school.

So you had it mostly right, but the devil is in the details. I can't stress enough showing up on day one able to pass, and preferably max, the PT test. She needs to work with someone who knows proper form to ensure she nails it the first time.

Let me know if you have more questions.
 
When did he start the application?

He wasn't really considering ROTC, and never even applied for a scholarship while in high school. He went to orientation for his school in April of his senior year, stopped by the ROTC table and chatted with them briefly, filled out a postcard, etc.

Then he ended up emailing back and forth with the ROO a few times over the summer. In July they had him come by the school, fill out some paperwork, scheduled his physicals, etc. When he showed up to school in August, he took a PT test, contracted, and that's about it.
 
Thanks again! She sent her transcripts to UF and FSU and they approved her credits. She is looking at an ROTC scholarship at UCF so I'm assuming they will approve them as well. We have been advised to cover the tuition out of pocket and apply the scholarship to room and board. The officer suggested an apartment near school. We are familiar with PT requirements and gave her a run through tonight. I think the most difficult part will be the 2 mile run but she met that standard. We will continue to work on it daily from here on out. Hopefully, everything will fall in place. The costs for tuition and room/board is more than we can afford so this will be a godsend if it does.
 
Last edited:
Sound like you've got a pretty good handle on it. I'd double check with UCF just to make sure she's golden. Also, make sure the apartments near school can be paid for with the scholarship - they'll need to be school-owned. Does she have Bright Futures to help cover tuition?

After that, tell her to keep her nose clean, and prepare for the PT test.

Good luck!
 
Unless she means converting the scholarship to room/board in which a check will be sent directly to the cadet, so it doesn't matter the type of housing.

I get a check each semester and live in an off-campus privately owned house.
 
Thanks, Bull. Son uses his for tuition so I wasn't aware of that.
 
I'm not certain but I believe if you use the scholarship for room and board it is taxable.
 
Back
Top