How AROTC Scholarships are awarded?

Tanner95

5-Year Member
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Oct 15, 2012
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I have received some conflicting answers when talking to “real” people and can't seem to find a definitive answer in checking previous posts...

How exactly are scholarships awarded...I know that all the applicants are boarded and given a score.

My question is, is there a list of "certified applicants" that have met the boards criteria and are eligible to receive an offer and the individual schools pick from that list?

Or does Cadet Command arbitrarily decide this particular cadet will receive an offer to this or these schools?

Are there schools that have unfilled positions that will contact an applicant that has not listed them in their 7 school choices?

Thanks!
 
Not really sure what you mean by "Certified Applicant"

Every applicant that has completed all the steps of the application and meet the minimum requirements are sent before the board.

If an applicant is awarded a scholarship by the board, the board then picks one or more of the schools on the applicants list to award the scholarship.

Before the applications are sent to the board the PMS at every school the applicant lists will review the application. The PMS will then check a box, yes or no, for each applicant, these boxes are:

4 year Scholarship
3 year AD Scholarship
No Scholarship

This information will be added to your application that is reviewed by the board.

Each school has an alloted number of scholarships it can be awarded. Some of the very popular schools may fill up fast leaving no spots available for the 2nd or last board. Some schools do not reach their allotment, it really comes down to the schools on your list.

For example:

Applicant #1 may list all popular and very competitive schools/ROTC programs, their stats may be high but because of the large number of applicants that have listed the same schools, they would be just average compared to everyone else. This applicant may not receive a scholarship.

Now, for applicant #2, they may have stats that are lower then applicant #1 but they selected less competitive ROTC programs that don't always meet their scholarship quotas. This applicant may receive a scholarship where the one with higher stats did not.

As you can see, school selection can play a big part in the scholarship process.

If you are not selected for a scholarship by any of the 3 boards you won't have other schools that you did not list calling you to fill spots, those spots will just remain unfilled leaving the battalion with the opportunity to offer campus scholarships to their cadets.

You may find throughout this process that you will receive phone calls, letters, or emails from schools that you did not list on your application. ROO's can see your name and contact info through CIMMS and they may contact you, sometimes in a mass mailing to see if you might be interested in their program.

My younger son received several of these letters when he went through the process. He actually called one of the ROOs back and they talked a few times. The ROO told him he would check the yes box for him and would like to meet him. The whole back and forth was enough for my son to change his school list and add that school as his #2 choice. In the end he received a scholarship to 5 schools (That doesn't really happen anymore) We actually ended up traveling to Florida to see the school and meet with the battalion, it was a tough choice for him but he ended up selecting his #1 choice.

The point is that some of the schools that contact you may be schools that don't usually fill their quotas or are looking to attract the best applicants. It can also mean you may have a better chance at a scholarship with one of these school but again it's no guarantee, they are worth a look.

This is why it's important to only list schools you would be willing to attend, and schools that you are confident you can gain admission. There are many applicants each year the receive a scholarship but then post here saying they really didn't want that school "Can I transfer", the answer is yes, sometimes, maybe, but could be very difficult.

I hope that at least helped answer some of your questions.
 
The additional info about school choice is very helpful. I understood from previous posts that it was easier to get a scholarship at less expensive schools but I never gave much thought to which schools in the same cost range had more popular ROTC programs. I am very flexible on where I go to school I just want to make sure I can earn a commission and hopefully get a scholarship. Is there anywhere I can find out which schools are less popular and thus I may have a better shot at?

Thank You
 
Not really sure there is a list that would tell you that. You can bet that a good deal of the Flagship Public Schools and well known Privates will be more competitive. You can always contact various schools and talk to the ROO and get a feel for how you compare with their usual slate of applicants.
 
Jcleppe,

Thank you for the information. Very much appreciated! You answered more questions in one post than I have found doing a ton of research!

My biggest question was trying to figure out how the individual schools are invovled in selecting an applicant.

One follow up question...there are several schools in my state that are not on the list/drop down menu for school selection. Does the PMS for each of these schools also see the application or is it only the PMS from the primary school?

To be clear I am not talking about when a student from college A travels to college B to particpate in ROTC but where college A actually has an on campus ROTC program under college B. If that makes sense? :smile:

Again Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.

I am in the same position as Bill1899...I am very flexible on where I go...my main goal is to commission. Is it possible to change the school(s) of choice after the first board but prior to the second, if not offered a scholarship?
 
The PMS from schools that are not on your list can't see your entire application, they can see some basic information, Clarkson may be able to answer that question a bit better.

Only the schools on your list can see the entire application.

If your talking about whether the schools that are part of a host school then I'm not sure, that's a question you would need to ask the specific battalion.
 
You guys are putting a lot of pressure on me :)
first off, whether there is cadre on campus or not there are host programs (273) and partner schools. Some host programs choose not to allocate scholarships to some of their partners. I would caution you about just shopping around for a school that may have scholarships that may go unclaimed. I would encourage you to find a school that is the best fit, and if you don't get a scholarship coming in, enroll in ROTC and compete for campus based scholasrships.
 
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