Virginia Tech ROTC Questions

C1Ton

Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2015
Messages
10
So I was accepted into Virginia Tech's General Engineering and Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, and I have a few questions.

1. Does ROTC classes interfere with college life/academics/and my major in mechanical engineering?
2. Am I allowed to quit ROTC without any obligations? If not, am I allowed to quit right now without getting denied admissions to Virginia Tech? Or am I allowed to quit after Freshman year and still be enrolled with the school's program?
3. Since I also got accepted to Virginia Tech's Emerging Leader Scholarship(2.5k for freshman, 3k for sophmore, 3k for junior, and 4k for senior), once I quit the ROTC before sophomore year, do I have to pay back my scholarships?

PS: I will be an incoming freshman and I am OOS and also I did not apply for the Army ROTC scholarship.
thank you very much

* I know I can call them, but it's weekend and they are closed. I also emailed them, but I'm so anxious to find out the answer right now lol.
 
If you already know you're going to quit, why go and be a part of the Corps of Cadets in the first place?
 
If you already know you're going to quit, why go and be a part of the Corps of Cadets in the first place?
Before deciding on whether or not I wanna be enrolled with the ROTC, I did very research about it, and I only saw the benefits, but not the time commitments. After doing research, which is when I got accepted, I figured out that it's just not the right fit for me. So if I ask them that I didn't wanted to do ROTC, will they deny my admission?
 
You got accepted to Virginia Tech. I don't think that is dependent on your participation in the CoC at all. You're not on scholarship, so I don't think anyone will care. Someone who knows more than I will be along to verify, but I don't think you'll ever have to be in the Corp if you don't want to.
 
I'm no expert, but being in the corp and ROTC shouldn't have any bearing on your admission
 
Remove the word QUIT from your vocabulary. It has no use in this profession. Especially if you throw it around loosely before you even start.
 
Being accepted into the school should have nothing to do with your acceptance into the Corps. My son told me that some people dropped out of the Corps after the first week and a few others after the end of the first semester. They were still able to attend the school. If you are already talking about quitting now, you might want to think about just attending the school as a regular student. Freshman year is not easy being in ROTC and the Corps. It takes a lot of effort for even the most motivated people.
 
You'll really need to call VTech to get the answers you want. People who indicate they are going to join the Corps of Cadets get some additional consideration for admission to the University. It's possible some people make the cut because they are joining the Corps of Cadets. As I recall from when my son applied there, the Emerging Leaders Scholarship only goes to members of the Corps of Cadets, so although I'm guessing, I would think they would withdraw the scholarship. Of course they can't keep you from withdrawing from ROTC and if you aren't on scholarship or otherwise contracted then you will not need to repay anything, as you will have nothing to repay.

You said you saw the advantages to ROTC. Nothing good comes without hard work. One of the things you will learn is how to deal with having a lot of balls in the air at one time. I'be no doubt there are many Mechanical Engineering majors who are in ROTC. It's doable, but you would have to work hard. Nothing wrong with hard work.
 
My DS is currently at VA Tech in CoC/AROTC. The Emerging Leader Scholarship is tied to the CoC and used as a CoC recruiting tool. It's sponsored by the CoC Alum. And, if you indicated that you were applying for the CoC you got a few extra points added to your admission packet.

You can be in CoC and not ROTC. More people need to understand that. However, at least up to last year, if you elected to leave the CoC before the end of Red Phase, you were required to leave the school and return for spring semester. There were more than a few that did that last semester (Class of '18). I have no reason to believe this rule has changed (but I am not the authority). This is right from the VA Tech website concerning the Emerging Leader Scholarship:

"ELS recipients must, by the beginning of the junior year and each following semester, meet Corps physical fitness standards and must have attained a cumulative 2.5 grade point average minimum to continue the scholarship. ELS recipients must also understand that it may be suspended or lost as a result of disciplinary action and that departure prior to the end of the semester will result in the entire semester’s amount being revoked."

Frankly, ROTC would be the least of my worries as an incoming freshman - the CoC as a freshman is way more demanding on one's time than ROTC. In fact, some even say that General Engineering is Pre-Business for cadets, since many make the switch.

I'm with Bull, remove the "Q" word from your vocabulary.
 
Thank you all for your responses. I will them first thing tomorrow, and I want to sincerely apologize using the word "quit". I just wanted to not get enrolled into ROTC, it was my fault that I didn't do enough research before deciding. I will keep you guys updated about how VT is going to take care of my case. Again, thank you all for helping me.
 
Our DS is a senior, in the VT Corps of Cadets, AFROTC and an Engineering major. Here are a few things that I can answer for you:
1. Whether or not you indicate that you wish to be a member of the VT Corps of Cadets has no bearing at all on whether you will be admitted to VT. There are many factors that determine the individual acceptance decision....the VTCC is not one of them. This contradicts what has been stated above but I am quite sure that I am correct. (as an aside, the GPA of the Corps at VT is higher than the average VT GPA).
2. You must be a member of the VT Corps of Cadets in order to participate in ROTC of any branch.
3. If admitted to VT and accepted into the VTCC, you do not have to join an ROTC. Appx. 20% of the members of the VTCC are "Civilian Leadership" track.
4. There are minimum requirements to be accepted into and to remain in the VTCC.
5. If you are fortunate enough to be awarded an Emerging Leader Scholarship and you leave the VTCC , repayment requirements are defined by the VTCC and you should reach out to the VTCC to determine what those are.
6. If you enroll at VT as a member of the VTCC, you must remain in the VTCC for a mandatory length of time during your 1st semester. If you leave the VTCC prior to that date, you will not be allowed to remain at VT for that first semester. If you leave in good academic standing, you may return to VT 2nd semester as a "general student".
7. The VT Corps of Cadets is a four-year program and concludes with a minor in Leadership Studies. If your degree warrants 5 years, as many Engineering degrees do, you will not be in the VTCC that 5th year as you will have graduated. However, if you are ROTC, as most cadets are, you will still be in the ROTC detachment during that 5th year. At the end of your 5th year, when you graduate from VT with your primary degree and if you are ROTC, your commissioning ceremony will occur at that time.

I hope this helps. and as always, things change but as of now, the above is accurate. Going back to the "does indicating wanting to join the VTCC add extra points"....we have a friend whose son is waiting to hear from VT admissions and who wants to join the VTCC. He and his parents were told, without doubt, that indicating an interest in the VTCC has ZERO bearing on the admission process for VT. This was within the past few months and has always been my understanding. I think that it is an "urban legend" that indication of desire to join the VTCC adds "points" to the application process. We know more than a few students who have indicated VTCC and were not accepted to VT. As always, my opinions, deductions and for what it's worth info.
 
My son was accepted to VT and also received the Emerging Leader Scholarship. I believe the only real 'consideration' that's given on the Application is that the application fee is waived. I don't believe it has any bearing on whether or not you are admitted to the school. Does anyone know what percentage of Cadets receive the Emerging Leader Scholarship?

We are still waiting on the NROTC MO scholarship decision. I was wondering if anyone knows about how many VTCC cadets (also in ROTC) that are on an ROTC Scholarship. 25%? 50%? 75%? Given the size of the corps I can't imagine that most are actually on scholarship (since I keep hearing how selective the scholarships are). For those that are not receiving an NROTC scholarship, I assume they are all considered 'College Program' members? Is the only benefit as a College Programmer the uniforms and books? I read about 'Advanced Standing' for Juniors and Seniors who also have the benefit of a monthly stipend. Is this only for Navy Option or does it also apply for Marine Option?
 
Last edited:
I found my own answer on the Emerging Leader Scholarship. 200 scholarships are awarded each year. 100 for in-state and 100 for out-of-state. Great that it is applied towards Room and Board so it can be combined with other scholarships. It states most are approx $6000. We were fortunate to receive the $12,500 scholarship. Great that they will also apply it to the first 2 years for College Programmers. From the VT NROTC page:

The Emerging Leader Scholarship is awarded to incoming freshmen with outstanding leadership and academic potential who join the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. One hundred 4-year scholarships are reserved for Virginia residents. Another one hundred 4-year scholarships are reserved for students paying out-of-state tuition. The value of the 4-yr. award is approximately $6,000 but can vary depending on the scholarship status of the incoming freshman cadet. For four-year ROTC Scholarship winners, the Emerging Leader Scholarship (ELS) is applied toward the cost of room and board so that when combined with the ROTC scholarship and stipend, the overall cost of education at Virginia Tech (tuition, fees, books, room and board) is reduced to near zero. For ROTC scholarship applicants who are not ROTC scholarship winners, the ELS is targeted toward the freshman and sophomore years and designed to assist in the cost of education until such time as the student wins an on-campus two or three-year ROTC scholarship. Students accepted to Virginia Tech as cadets are automatically considered for the Emerging Leader Scholarship. In addition to the ELS, freshmen cadets who join the Regimental Band are automatically awarded a $1,000 1-year scholarship. Approximately 30 additional scholarships are awarded annually to sophomore through senior cadets, with preference given to cadets who are not in receipt of other scholarships. Membership in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets is mandatory for ROTC participants. (Note: For Navy ROTC members coming from the Fleet through the Seaman to Admiral Program, membership in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets is not mandatory.) Cadets at Virginia Tech participate in a full-time military school environment, but attend academic classes with the remainder of the university and may participate in student activities and organizations outside of the Corps.


EDIT: I found conflicting info on the VT website. The main VTCC scholarship page states: Every incoming cadet for Fall 2014 was awarded this scholarship. For in-state cadets, the Emerging Leader Scholarship provides $8,000 over the four years of college. Out-of-State cadets are awarded $12,000 over four years.
 
Last edited:
On the ELS letter it states that every cadet this year was awarded the scholarship. I'm guessing that means there was less than 200 prospective cadets?
 
See my post edit. "Every incoming cadet for Fall 2014 was awarded this scholarship. For in-state cadets, the Emerging Leader Scholarship provides $8,000 over the four years of college. Out-of-State cadets are awarded $12,000 over four years." That was for the current year. Seems that all incoming cadets for next year were awarded it as well. They also bumped it from $12,000 to $12,500.

As for the number of cadets, this is all I was able to find (on their FAQ page). "For Fall 2013, we expect approximately 1,060 cadets will be participating in the Corps of Cadets, about 13% of Virginia Tech students living on campus and about 4% of the overall student body."

If it is approx 1,060 total cadets, then that would be roughly 265 incoming freshman.
 
Well here's the update.... and Im not feeling good about this........

Dear _____

We have processed your request to change your student status on your application. We have removed your interest in Army (ROTC).

You are now listed as a Citizen Leader Track (non-ROTC) Cadet applicant.

Please feel free to contact our office if you have any questions or concerns about your file.

looks like they are reviewing my application again...... jeezzzz
 
On the ELS letter it states that every cadet this year was awarded the scholarship. I'm guessing that means there was less than 200 prospective cadets?

I doubt that, it's more likely that they're offering more scholarships due to stronger fundraising.
 
w8, is it possible that they can deny admission to you if you were accepted admission earlier? like in my case
 
Back
Top