Learning about Military Colleges

My son's goal is an appointment to USAFA. Long term goal is to become an AF pilot, but even if he does not get a pilot slot, he wants to serve as an AF officer. Already has a few AF careers in mind. He's also looking into USNA, but he's not sure if he sees himself in the Navy if he doesn't get pilot.

We are currently researching other pilot/officer paths such as ROTC and military colleges. ROTC is slowly starting to make sense. But coming from a non-military background, we have no knowledge of what military colleges are all about, and it's a little confusing. The only data point we have is a friend's son who did not get into USNA (his top choice) and went to Norwich. He got a degree in engineering, but ended up not getting a commission from Norwich, mom said due to military cutbacks. She says all his ROTC coursework is done, so if Navy expands before he turns 27, he will go to OCS and be commissioned.

Can someone give us an explanation of how military colleges work? Some look like 2 yr schools, others 4 yr. Some look like they are more oriented toward Army. Are there any geared toward Air Force? What is Corps of Cadets and is that the same thing as ROTC? What happens when a student graduates? How do they get commissioned?

I guess we're trying to figure out how a military college differs from a civilian college w/ROTC.
Thank you in advance! We're learning a ton from this forum!

Don't know specific specs, but I know SMCs usually have a lot greater pilot selection rates. I know VMI had a great rate (in the upper 90%s) for pilot selection. Most are Army geared I guess you could say, however have AF ROTC, so you'd still be doing AF stuff. Students don't have to commission however many do, as well have higher chances of commissioning than regular ROTC students at civilian colleges. Good idea would be to do an overnight at one of the SMCs and talk to a recruiting officer with AF ROTC. There are 6 of the Senior Military Colleges. All are four year schools. They're VMI, Citadel, Virginia Tech, Texas AM, Norwich, and I think North Georgia.

The basic difference is at an SMC the student lives a military lifestyle with in a Corp of Cadets. 24/7. it is not for everyone.
As to commissioning, it is a bit of a numbers game. AROTC has many more slots than the other services combined.
You mentioned Air Force. My son attends Norwich. This year the class of 2020 entering with ROTC scholarships was; 65 Army, 16 Navy, 4 Air Force.
There is a ton of information on this site. Search old posts, every possible question has been asked several times and ways.
and then feel free to ask. i will caution you that opinions play a big part in responses, particularly when SMCs are involved. But it is a good resource to confirm information picked up elsewhere.
PM me if you wish, happy to pass along what I learned while my son went through the process.

At an SMC, you must be a member of the Corps of Cadets in order to participate in any ROTC programs. There may be members of the Corps of Cadets who participate in a ROTC program but are part of a civilian leadership program, and have no intention to commission, nevertheless they are full participants in the Corps. Some schools require everyone to be a member of the Corps of Cadets (VMI, Citadel). Some schools have a Corps of Cadets within a civilian college experience (VATech, Texas A&M). I'm not sure where others (Norwich etc) fit in this spectrum.

I know Texas A&M has participants in all ROTC programs. It has the largest NROTC program in the nation. Don't know the numbers on Air Force, but they have it. Citadel, Virginia Tech, VMI, and Norwich also support all ROTC programs. Citadel is well known for commissioning large numbers of Marine officers, many of them being prior enlisted.

One of the key differences which separate an SMC from a civilian college with a ROTC program is that an SMC is much more military oriented in a sense. In some ways they are a mere step below an academy at least in terms of what each day's schedule looks like. Members of the Corps of Cadets are in uniform each day as opposed to one day a week in a "civilian" ROTC program. I'm definitely oversimplifying here. I also don't mean to diminish doing ROTC at a civilian college because I think it produces officers who are as good as any other officer and who are perhaps a bit more well-rounded. My son commissioned into the Marine Corps through NROTC at a civilian college and is going to make a fine officer (yes, I'm biased. ). Once you commission no one really cares where you went to school anyway, they're interested in your performance.

I would add that if your son might consider becoming a Marine pilot he might also look at the Marine Corps Platoon Leadership Course as a backup plan. PLC is normally done during the summers while in college.

Good luck. A visit to an SMC and a civilian college with ROTC would reveal much to you both. There is also plenty of info available on the internet.

I would highly recommend learning about each SMC and visit if possible. For many they are "plan B" to the service academies but they are top tier schools. I believe VMI and Citadel are the only ones that do not also have non-cadets students ( although I think Citadel has night or masters degree programs that have civilians not certain). Norwich is the oldest SMC. I cannot speak for the others but my son is a 3rd (sophomore) at VMI, all cadets are required to live on post at VMI. All are enrolled in ROTC, they choose branch, if they have no preference they are put in Army ROTC. Not all cadets choose to commission but those that do, most get active duty and close to, if not their top choice. I know VMI has the ratline and Citadel has something similar, not sure about the others. It is not easy, it is not for everyone but these are great schools and a wonderful option for those interested in the military for a career.

The Senior Military Colleges have many similarities, and many differences too. No one school is right for everyone. The posters have given you great advice. There are many paths to the top of the mountain. At Texas A&M the cadets who aren't already contracted (have a scholarship) can choose the ROTC program that they want to associate with. They aren't required to commission and currently only have to take ROTC for either 1.5 or 2 years - I've heard both. Which brings up a great point, you "hear" a lot; so ask the professionals at the school you are inquiring about. Texas A&M commissions into all four of the services. There are upsides to a big school like Virginia Tech and Texas A&M, and some real drawbacks too (both are well known for their respective STEM programs). Each of the schools has a presence on Youtube, on Facebook, and most of the other social media sites, and, of course, websites of their own as well. Recently there was a fly-over of F-22s at a TAMU game. The pilots included an A&M graduate, two U.S. Air Force Academy graduates, and one from Penn State's AFROTC program - like I said, many paths to the top of the mountain. Now, at A&M, and I would presume at V-Tech, while the cadets live in their own world (dorms) they take classes with everyone else. That has some advantages, and some disadvantages too - there is a little ying in every yang as it were. I wish you and your son the very best on your journey - it'll work out. Really, you can't go wrong with any of these schools, nor, really, with most good colleges.

Here is my shot.
Service Academies, you know them USMA, USNA, USMMA and USCGA

Military College a 4 year college that that uses a similar training and teach philosophy as the SA. Citadel, VMI and Norwich fit this category. But unlike a SA you do not have to commission into the military. Some students believe that the military training philosophy is best for their college experience. Some will also participate in a ROTC program and commission. There are also prep (transition between HS and college) and 2 year college programs in this category.

Corp of Cadets (not necessarily sure that this is the correct title for this category) Virginia Tech and Texas A&M have these programs. It is a military group or Corp within a traditional university. The cadets in the corp live together and train together but most if not all there non military classes are taken with everyone else at the university. If it is also a Senior Military College (SMC) everyone in the corp participated in a ROTC program, but they do not have to commission after graduation

Senior Military College (SMC) It is not a style of teaching, but rather a designation by the Military branch. my). There are 6: University of North Georgia, Norwich University, Texas A&M, The Citadel, Virginia Military Institute and Virginia Polytechnic Institute. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senior_Military_College One most notable difference is Cadets at an SMC are authorized to take the ROTC program all four years, but taking a commission upon graduation remains optional, unlike other colleges where ROTC cadets are required to sign a contract to take commission before entering their final two years (for army).

And then another subject is ROTC programs. Army, Air Force, Navy and Navy Marine Option (AROTC, AFROTC, NROTC, & NROTC-MO) have programs that can lead to a commission that you participate in while attending a civilian college or one of the miliary type programs described above. The ROTC programs are very similar in training philosophy but very different in the training details and administration of the scholarship programs.

Mintyicedtea,
Great question! With so many colleges out there today, each with their own character, it's best to get all the information when making such an huge investment. Many contributors already added valuable information to your question so far, so no doubt you understand there are 6 Senior Military Colleges. It's easy to identify them, but what are their similarities and/or differences? If you look back at the pages on this forum, there is a great deal of loyalty to each school from their dedicated alumni and you can see there has been heated discourse! I did some research (learned a lot) on each school and listed the schools from largest (Texas A&M--huge campus with many diverse offerings and the oldest Public University in Texas) to the smallest (VMI--very service academy-like and a school which still looks and feels like it probably did in the 1800s!)
I've included when the school was founded or established (two different terms), student enrollment, corps of cadet enrollment and percentage, degree offerings, and ROTC choices. Most of these schools now offer online degrees and those numbers are not included (one school for example, has 1300 post-graduates online but only ~2100 students on campus). I'm sure other categories could be expanded on as well, but thought this was a good start to show the differences (and similarities) in these schools. Hope this helps...

Texas A&M (Oldest Public College in Texas)---Founded 1876---64,376 students with 2,200 Corps of Cadets members, 3.4% of student body---Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorate, Online degrees---All ROTC Branches offered.
Virginia Tech---Founded 1872---33,170 students with 1,200 Corps of Cadets members, 3.6% of student body---Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorate, Online degrees---All ROTC Branches offered.
University of N. Georgia, The Military College of Georgia---Est. 1873---17,289 students (all campuses) with 744 Corps of Cadets members, 4.3% of student body---Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorate, Online degrees---only Army ROTC offered.
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina---Est. 1842--3,506 students (distance degree students not included) with 2,200 Corps of Cadets members, 62.7% of student body---Bachelor's, Master's, Online degrees---All ROTC Branches offered.
Norwich University (America's first Private Military College and Birthplace of ROTC), Founded 1819---2,100 students (distance degree students not included) with 1,260 Corps of Cadets members, 60% of student body---Bachelor's, Master's, Online degrees---All ROTC Branches offered.
Virginia Military Institute (America's first State Military College)---Founded 1839---1,653 students---100% Corps of Cadets---Bachelor's degree---All ROTC Branches offered.

From the information @repatriot posted my is not accurate. I did not know that Norwich and The Citadel had a civilian component. I had just assumed that they were like VMI where 100% of the student body was in their Corp of Cadets.

5Day said:

I did not know that Norwich and The Citadel had a civilian component. I had just assumed that they were like VMI where 100% of the student body was in their Corp of Cadets.

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Great info on this forum! Not trying to fuel heated debate here, but used to think the same thing. Not the case. Citadel and Norwich both have civilian components and various civilian student programs. School webcites have more info.

Norwich tries to maintain a balance of cadets to civilian students similar to what is common within the DoD.
This year 12 civilian students switched to the Corp of Cadets.
Cadets receive two diplomas; Norwich University and The Military College of Vermont.

Wow, I have learned more in this one thread about military colleges than all the time I've spent reading other posts. Thank you, everyone!

More questions:
Above academics, what is required of cadets at military colleges?
Can a student be part of Corp of Cadets but not ROTC, or vice versa? (I'm still fuzzy on the distinction between the two.)
Are all those who choose to commission accepted by their branch? (thinking of my friend's son.)

Corp activities vary for College to College.
As do the ROTC requirements for Corp members.
At Norwich only Corp members can participate in ROTC with the exception of nursing students.
there has been talk of Civilian students being able to participate but to date that is not the case.

mintyicedtea said:

I guess we're trying to figure out how a military college differs from a civilian college w/ROTC.

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This thread has not addressed this question yet. It has just focused on the different types of military colleges. At the end of 4 years a SA, Military College w/ROTC and a Civilian College w/ROTC all lead to a commission. You will find lots of debate about which produces the "best" officer, but it is more the person than they style of college education that is the biggest factor. All of these options have and will produce excellent officers.

It is most important to pick the best fit of educational style and environment for college. The one where you will thrive and excel. I cannot accurately describe the difference between a Military College and a Civilian College, but it is more the feel. Structure and rigid vs. independent and flexible. If you look at the numbers above, at both The Citadel and Norwich (both highly regarded military schools) ~40% of the student body do not participate in the Corp of Cadets. They want the structure of a military school, but they do not want to serve in the military. When you go to a civilian college and participate in ROTC only a portion of your schooling has that military structure. You need to decide which will be the best fit for you.

I can only speak for VMI, all cadets are required to participate in ROTC for all 4 years. They are not however required to commission - unless they are scholarship / contracted Cadets.

The participation in ROTC does add to to cadets schedule not just the actual class but PT and Field Training Exercises. VMI also has it's own fitness test and other activities that take up time in the cadets schedule, but they do have free time. They ( again I can only speak of VMI) are fairly restricted to staying on post unless they have a permit to leave, I believe Wednesday afternoons and Saturday afternoons ( unless there is a football game, the entire Corp attends home games) they have general permit and can walk to town or take the shuttle to Walmart etc.

There are lots of clubs and activities they can join like regular colleges. They have a chapel on post for Sunday service but many local churches also send shuttles to pick up Cadets for services and lots of parishioners adopt rats ( freshman) and take them home after service for relaxation and home meals.

Time management is key at the SMC's because other required activities do take time.

Oh, they don't generally go home for weekends. They can earn weekend but they don't start until after control time on Saturday and they have to be back by 8:30pm Sunday ( again VMI) so be prepared for them not coming home except holidays and breaks.

mintyicedtea said:

Wow, I have learned more in this one thread about military colleges than all the time I've spent reading other posts. Thank you, everyone!

More questions:
Above academics, what is required of cadets at military colleges?
Can a student be part of Corp of Cadets but not ROTC, or vice versa? (I'm still fuzzy on the distinction between the two.)
Are all those who choose to commission accepted by their branch? (thinking of my friend's son.)

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As someone who has practiced law since 1985 I can tell you that one of the reason that people, perhaps rightly, hate lawyers is that the answer to almost every question is "Well, it depends ...."

The federal academies are different, so if that is what you mean by a military college the answer would be different.

If by the term "military college" you mean the six "Senior Military Colleges" (SMCs), the answer is kinda institution specific, and I don't want to try to misstate information. At Texas A&M University (TAMU), if you are in the Corps of Cadets (Corps), you are in the Corps. Virtually all members of the TAMU Corps take ROTC for at least two years. As I understand it, honorably discharged veterans who are in the Corps after a period of active duty don't have to take Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), but that is pretty small subset, and not applicable to your son's situation as I understand it. At the conclusion of their second year in the Corps the students decide if they want to commission. If they do want to commission, and are accepted by that service, they continue to take ROTC courses. Of course, there is an exception. If the cadet is pursuing a commission with the Marine Corps and in the Platoon Leaders Course program then they don't have to continue to take ROTC courses. All that said, they still continue with the Corps which requires other commitments. They all have to live in Corps dorms (except the folks in the Veterans' unit), wear uniforms, participate in Corps activities such as physical training, etc. And yes, go to classes too. I don't know enough about the "Junior Military Colleges" such as Marion Military or New Mexico Military so I hesitate to say much. I believe those are Army oriented but I'm not sure.

As for the question "are those who choose to commission accepted by their branch?"; I think the answer is no. Just because someone want to commission doesn't mean that the service will accept them. That is a question better posed to the ROTC staff.

Bottoms line, at the SMCs generally, and certainly at TAMU, being in the Corps and being in ROTC is kinda like junior high school geometry, and overlapping circles; so the answer is partially yup, and partially nope; meaning this. For most students in the TAMU Corps, yes, you'll take ROTC for the first couple of years. Then you can still be in the Corps and not take ROTC.

Lawman32RPD said:

As for the question "are those who choose to commission accepted by their branch?"; I think the answer is no. Just because someone want to commission doesn't mean that the service will accept them. That is a question better posed to the ROTC staff.

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Lawman is correct on this with one exception. That is for Army ROTC, an SMC graduate who completes all AROTC requirements is guaranteed an ACTIVE DUTY commission UNLESS the Professor of Military Science (for AROTC) disapproves him or her. This is based on a Federal statute for the Army. AF and Navy normally commission all officers into active duty, wheras the Army can choose to commission many graduates from AROTC into the reserves or National Guard. This is a soluiton for someone who absolutely desires an Army commission with the highest possible assurance of active duty (other than USMA).

Here is the statute:

1. U.S. Code › Title 10 › Subtitle A › Part III › Chapter 103 › § 2111a

(e)Assignment to Active Duty.—
(1)
The Secretary of the Army shall ensure that a graduate of a senior military college who desires to serve as a commissioned officer on active duty upon graduation from the college, who is medically and physically qualified for active duty, and who is recommended for such duty by the professor of military science at the college, shall be assigned to active duty.

as I mentioned on another thread, the Norwich PMS (AROTC) has chosen to not recommend for active duty this year any cadet below the OML cutoff.
there could be several reasons for this; the cutoff was very low this year, the PMS is not an SMC graduate, etc..
so, while they all still commission, not all that wanted it got active duty

AJC said:

as I mentioned on another thread, the Norwich PMS (AROTC) has chosen to not recommend for active duty this year any cadet below the OML cutoff.
there could be several reasons for this; the cutoff was very low this year, the PMS is not an SMC graduate, etc..
so, while they all still commission, not all that wanted it got active duty

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Totally agree. An SMC still optimizes the chances for an Army officer candidate for active duty so long as they perform reasonably well on the OML.

The single biggest advantage to the SMCs is the larger number of commissioning slots, The Citadel produces the most officers of any college aside from the service academies with VMI and TAMU not far behind. The Army has the most slots simply because its the largest service and thus has the most need, the Marines are the smallest DOD service and consequently the most selective. The larger number of commissioning slots also translates to a better chance of getting slots in highly competitive specialties like pilot, SEAL and nuclear power; as for pilot slots another option to consider is the Coast Guard which operates large numbers of both fixed and rotary wing aircraft, the SMCs now have a direct commission program for the USCG if certain criteria are met, I know The Citadel has had a fair number of Coast Guard pilots who got commissioned through OCS or transferred from other services.