Differences between scholarship and non-scholarship ROTC?

nysegop

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What are the key differences? I don't have to pay tuition at my local university since my parents work there. So I don't think I will even bother with the scholarship as I would like to go to my state university, and my chances of scholarship are slim. My question: What are the key differences? Is it just money? Do non-scholarship cadets still have gear and uniforms? Can they still go on field trips?

Please list any differences you know of.
 
Other than the money, and with the exception of some receiving the uniform earlier than others, there is no difference in the treatment of the two.
 
It depends on the program. There are some programs out there that may not allow you to fully participate until you are contracted. You should really talk to the ROTC Battalion you plan to join. If you aren't on scholarship you will have to wait for junior year to contract, and once you contract you will receive stipend whether you are on scholarship or not.
 
clarkson brings up a good point. I'm talking from an Air Force point of view, but other branches may do it differently. Sorry for any misinformation.
 
What are the key differences? I don't have to pay tuition at my local university since my parents work there. So I don't think I will even bother with the scholarship as I would like to go to my state university, and my chances of scholarship are slim. My question: What are the key differences? Is it just money? Do non-scholarship cadets still have gear and uniforms? Can they still go on field trips?

Please list any differences you know of.

Actually there are some differences and it depends on which branch ROTC you are in.

I can give you some of the difference for Army ROTC, someone else will have to answer for the other services.

In AROTC it is all about the contract. If you are a 4 year scholarship cadet you can contract the first day of your freshmean year providing you pass the APFT.

If you are a 3 year Scholarship cadet you contract the start of your sophomore year.

If you are a non scholarship cadet you need to be recommended by the PMS to continue on to the Advanced Course and you contract the start of your junior year.

There are ways for a non scholarship cadet to receive a scholarship while in the program but that's another discussion.

Let's start with the freshman year, if your a contracted cadet you are eligible to apply for CULP which will happen the summer after your freshman year, remember, only 4 year scholarship cadets are contracted their freshman year. If your scholarship/contracted and meet the requirements set in the contract you will automatically move on to the next year. A non scholarship/non contract cadet will be competing with the other non contracted cadets for spots available the next year, you need to be at the top of your game with GPA and APFT.

Sophomore year, if you are not contracted your have a very slim chance of being able to attend any summer training such as Airborne or Air Assault, I know some battalions allow non contracted cadets to go but overall, and with the budget cutbacks, it will be a small number. During your sophomore year as a non contracted cadet you will again be competing with other cadets for the number of contract spots the battalion has available, which may be fewer then the number of cadets.

Junior year, Once you make it to this point you will be contracted and then there is no difference between any of the contracted cadets whether they are scholarship or not.

Some battalions will give you a full uniform and gear and some will not, it will depend on the battalion though most will try. If you sign up for all the classes, MS class, PT, Lab, you may be involved in all the activities, there may be some battalions that won't let you participate fully in some of the activities until you are contracted, it really depends on the battalion. It's a good idea to talk with the battalion and see how they run their program in respect to non contracted cadets. In some battalions as a non scholarship/contracted cadet you can still participate in Ranger Challenge and Color Guard, Color Guard will depend on if they give you a dress uniform, again this depends on the battalion.

The end resul, if you work hard, keep your GPA up and your APFT high and become involved in the battalion you should be able to make it through the first 2 years and move toward your commission.

The fact is that higher percentage of cadets in AROTC these days are non scholarship.

Other then the things I mentioned above you will not be treated any differently as a non scholarship cadet, your goal is the same as everyones. You will just need to work hard in both school and ROTC to maintain your position and stay in the program.

One tip...Don't call them Field Trips, they are Field Exercises, I got what you meant though.
 
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Other than the money, and with the exception of some receiving the uniform earlier than others, there is no difference in the treatment of the two.
agree with jcleppe. One difference is summer training for Language or military skills. A cadet must be contracted to qualify for these summer programs. To be contracted, yo must either have a scholarship or wait until beginning of Jr. year to contract without a scholarship.
 
About the same

I'm a 200 in my detachment (still waiting for my EA slots) and yes I'm talking about the Air Force.

Let me first say, if money is not your immediate problem, DO IT!

In cadet wing "social life", the treatment between scholarship cadets and non scholarship cadets are the SAME regarding to training.

If you walked into my detachment and looked at the cadets, you would not spot out the scholarship cadets and non scholarship cadets. Cadets in my detachment get along very well. If you feel that you would be looked "down" because you're not on scholarship, that is false. We get our uniforms at the same time too.

So bottom line, there is no real difference between scholarship vs non scholarship cadets. Just money, thats it.
 
I'm a 200 in my detachment (still waiting for my EA slots) and yes I'm talking about the Air Force.

Let me first say, if money is not your immediate problem, DO IT!

In cadet wing "social life", the treatment between scholarship cadets and non scholarship cadets are the SAME regarding to training.

If you walked into my detachment and looked at the cadets, you would not spot out the scholarship cadets and non scholarship cadets. Cadets in my detachment get along very well. If you feel that you would be looked "down" because you're not on scholarship, that is false. We get our uniforms at the same time too.

So bottom line, there is no real difference between scholarship vs non scholarship cadets. Just money, thats it.

Remember this answer is for Air Force ROTC which is entirely different then Army ROTC, just make sure you know the difference, in Army ROTC there is a difference and it's more then just money as I stated above.

foebux is correct regarding how you are treated, even in the AROTC no body will treat you any differently in fact the scholarship cadets are in the minority in the battalions.

By the way, it would be nice to know for which ROTC program you are asking these questions.
 
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What are the key differences? I don't have to pay tuition at my local university since my parents work there. So I don't think I will even bother with the scholarship as I would like to go to my state university, and my chances of scholarship are slim. My question: What are the key differences? Is it just money? Do non-scholarship cadets still have gear and uniforms? Can they still go on field trips?

Please list any differences you know of.

As others have mentioned, there are programs available only to contracted cadets as well as a degree of certainty that if you faithfully do your duty that you are guaranteed a contract (subject to continued DoDMERB passing of course).

Beyond that, at most universities, the tuition benefit is done as a credit on your bursar's account. If you receive additional scholarships beyond the tuition, it will be refunded to you at the end of the term. So if you do want to lock in the contract, you may get a financial benefit from the scholarship. YMMV, so check with the university first. If you go in as a college-programmer (no 4-year scholarship), you probably will not receive a 2 or 3 year scholarship because PMSs are instructed to give scholarships to those who are well qualified and NEED the tuition help (so they don't have to work as many hours). This will not affect your ability to contract - that is entirely based upon your grades, EC's, athletic achievements, APFT scores, Unit participation, etc.

If you have the slightest doubt as to your wanting to contract, I suggest you walk on and do your best and forget the scholarship. Clearly money is not the issue. The only reason you should apply for the scholarship is that you are 100% committed to serving as an officer and want the ability to participate in the parts of the ROTC program ONLY available to contracted cadets.
 
One other thing I forgot to mention.

If you are a 4 year scholarship cadet you can quit the program and not owe any obligation to the Army, as long as you quit before your first day of your sophomore year. Quitting after you start your sophomore year will mean you either owe the Army the entire scholarship payed to date or you owe Active Duty Enlisted service, the Army chooses which one, not you.

If you are non scholarship cadet you can leave the program up to the end of your sophomore year with no obligation. The obligation starts when you get your contract.
 
Navy

Navy and Marines are similar to Army in that you cannot do summer training cruises until you are contracted. They are different from Army in that there is an established process to apply for a scholarship while you are in the program. Everyone gets the same uniforms, gear, and training during the academic year. Every midshipmen is treated the same regardless of scholarship. The only people looked down upon are poor performers, regardless of scholarship (at least during bull sessions). And even so, everyone tries to help the poor performers and everyone is treated with courtesy and respect... same as you would expect and desire every officer to treat someone.
 
It depends on the program. There are some programs out there that may not allow you to fully participate until you are contracted. You should really talk to the ROTC Battalion you plan to join. If you aren't on scholarship you will have to wait for junior year to contract, and once you contract you will receive stipend whether you are on scholarship or not.

2 years ago, there was no difference between contracted and non-contracted Cadets at my battalion. Now, there is a huge difference. Only contracted Cadets get to go to some of the training events. For the remaining non-contracted Cadets, it becomes highly competitive to earn a contract.
 
2 years ago, there was no difference between contracted and non-contracted Cadets at my battalion. Now, there is a huge difference. Only contracted Cadets get to go to some of the training events. For the remaining non-contracted Cadets, it becomes highly competitive to earn a contract.

Is the difference you are seeing now based only on budget cuts? Just curious how many non-contracted cadets were turned down for summer training, and what type of summer training were they not able to receive?? Thanks.
 
2 years ago, there was no difference between contracted and non-contracted Cadets at my battalion. Now, there is a huge difference. Only contracted Cadets get to go to some of the training events. For the remaining non-contracted Cadets, it becomes highly competitive to earn a contract.

Not sure why an ROTC Battalion would not let the non contracted Cadets participate fully, especially freshmen and sophomores. We still have the same training resources, and we are still able to outfit and train all comers. Obviously some aren't going to contract and continue past sophomore year, but I'd think we want to train as many as we can, so we can identify the best and brightest.
 
I expect, besides summer training, Marist was referring to high cost events like trips to Hawaii or maybe drill team competitions half-way across the country. I expect Clarksonarmy's view of them being treated the same is much closer to the truth. I'm certain its the case in training that really matters.
 
Not sure why an ROTC Battalion would not let the non contracted Cadets participate fully, especially freshmen and sophomores. We still have the same training resources, and we are still able to outfit and train all comers. Obviously some aren't going to contract and continue past sophomore year, but I'd think we want to train as many as we can, so we can identify the best and brightest.

Clarksonarmy: Sent you a PM
 
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