Is an AFROTC scholarship guaranteed after SFT?

mahmoudk

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Jul 27, 2016
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Hi,
I'm enrolling in the AFROTC program as a freshman this Fall without a scholarship. However, I have read that even if you do not receive a scholarship you'll still have to make a commitment to serve before your junior year and of course if you made it thru Summer field training. So does it mean that everyone who passed Summer training gets a scholarship? Or can you sign a contract and still not receive any type of scholarship? And if it is not guaranteed, would I have more chances than during my freshman and sophomore years since I will have to make a commitment to serve at that point?

Thank you, Mahmoud.
 
No. I think you read that if you have a scholarship and don't make it through Summer Field Training or didn't get selected for SFT you still have to make a commitment to serve (Not true in all cases sometimes they let you go without paying back or you pay it all back). As a nonscholarship cadet you can walk away freely with no repercussions before SFT and contracting. Even if you go through SFT and contracting you are not guaranteed a scholarship. You are guaranteed a monthly stipend that ranges from 400-500 dollars a month. By the conditions I saw this year any upcoming freshman or sophomore cadet has a very high chance of getting a scholarship as long as they have outstanding grades and are in good standing in the detachment.
 
Are there new conditions regarding the AFROTC scholarships? That is news to me because what I read here in the forum and other sources is that AFROTC scholarship funds are the least among all ROTC scholarships, I also read that it varies by detachment.
 
AFROTC scholarships only cover tuition and most (@75%) only cover in state tuition.
~ Does not mean you can't take it to a private college or OOS, but the cost cannot be more than what your in state tuition would be.

AFROTC does offer the least number of scholarships, but also realize that it is the smallest branch of the 3 ROTCs. However if you look at it from a statistical perspective it is on par with everyone else, @18% of all cadets are on scholarship.

The big difference for AFROTC compared to A/NROTC is that AFROTC does not care how many are on scholarship at each det. There is no top number like there is for the other two. If University of Timbucktoo has 100% on scholarship and SoWhat College has nobody on scholarship, well that is just how it worked out.
~ IOWS, the scholarship is tied to the cadet, not the cadet AND the school.

As for being on scholarship after SFT for the last 2 years, no you are just contracted, which means you get a stipend and you will serve ADAF upon commissioning. They will not pay for your college tuition.
~ I believe for NROTC their threshold is you MUST get selected for a scholarship to remain in NROTC once you are a POC. NROTC is like AFROTC, upon graduation and commissioning you will go AD. AROTC does not guarantee AD.

I do disagree with Alpha regarding if on scholarship and not selected for SFT you will have to serve. In all of the years I have been here I have never seen anyone say that they were mandated to enlist if not selected. Typically they will disenroll you and let you move on with life.
~ Caveat: If you do get selected and turn it down or do not make it through the course (rare) as a scholarship cadet, than, yes, they can either require you to serve it out as an enlisted member or demand the money back. Typically they will hand you the scholarship bill.

I do agree that by all aspects HQ AFROTC knows that ADAF MPC is stating they need more personnel. Currently, according to CSAF, just for the pilot pipeline alone they will be short 700 pilots by 2019. The RPA world will also be short. On top of that, for the 1st time as long as I can remember they are now going to offer maintenance officers a bonus because they're are now being hired just like pilots at a rapid pace from the airline companies.

For AFROTC cadets that is great news like Alpha stated; keep your nose clean, and strong grades, than your chances of being selected for SFT is almost guaranteed.

Finally, as an incoming freshmen not on scholarship you should look into the ICSP. ICSP is the equivalent to the HSSP, but for college kids. It is national. Additionally, some detachments have scholarships available for their detachment only.
~ To you that means show up physically fit. Spend the next month practicing the PFA in order and make sure your form is perfect. Run in the heat, run when you are tired, run when it is spitting rain. The reason why is because that is your 1st impression when you show up. The PFA is done the 1st week in ROTC
~~ There will be a PT instructor/leader (cadet) that will lead it. They will watch over you to make sure your form is correct for a sit up or push up. If not they will not count it. That means not only a lower count, but also wasted energy and time for it not counting. My DS was an instructor because he always maxxed the PFT. For the run at his det. there were pacers. 2 in the front (1 girl/1 guy) and 2 in the back (1 girl/1 guy). The pacers job in the back is to get you across the line before the bust time. If you are dragging than the pacer will be screaming your last name loud enough for everyone to hear it to pick it up. They may even sprint in front of you to motivate you.
~~~ The point is: after that PT the CWC/CVC/CFC and PT instructors will talk about those that shined and those that faltered. You don't want someone screaming your name in a negative way during that 1st week because all it is doing is putting a bulls eye on your back.

I wish you the best thoughts, and thank you for wanting to defend this great nation. You can do it.

Aim High, Above ALL!
 
@Pima , when you state 75% cover in state tuition, what occurs when there is a variance among state schools cost? We are PA residents. There is a sizable cost/tuition difference between Penn State and PASSHE schools. There are also a sizable number of majors not offered at PASSHE schools.
 
Thank you Pima for your detailed response.. I will try to get in a better shape before the semester starts!
 
I wrote it poorly. 75% of all the scholarships are type 7. Type 7 covers in state tuition, so if the private school is the same cost as in state than you can use the type 7. If it is more expensive than the cost of in state than you need to convert it to a 3 yr. type 2. A type 2 maxxes at 18K.
 
I got a Type 1 scholarship ICSP, which covers about $50,000+ a year for my university (tuition & fees). All of the engineers in the detachment has Type 1, while the humanities are either on Type 2 or 7. Because I am contracted, I do get monthly stipend. Like above members said, starting your C/2C (3rd year) after SFT, you are eligible to get monthly stipends, but AF will not pay for your school.
 
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