Average ACT for Scholarships?

justinkingrea

5-Year Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2013
Messages
3
What are the average ACT scores for getting a ROTC scholarship in any branch? I know there is the minimum scores to apply for a scholarship, but do the actual recipients have a much higher ACT score? I currently have a 25 on the ACT and am working to get it up to be more competitive for these scholarships.Thanks
 
I believe Army is 27 and Air Force and Navy are 29-30.

AFROTC speaking that 29-30 is for all types of scholarships. If you're specifically looking at a Type-1 scholarship than I believe the average is 32.
 
Average AROTC Scholarship Winner Stats (YR 2010)

“The profile of this year's scholarship winners shows that;
Class of 2014, 2,579 Army ROTC 4 year scholarships awarded

Average high school grade-point average was 3.5
Mean college board test score was 1186 SAT / 26 ACT

96 percent were in the top 50 percent of their classes
74 percent were in the top 25 percent of their classes
39 percent were in the top 5 percent of their classes
77 percent were varsity-letter winners
53 percent were varsity team captains
41 percent were National Honor Society members
28 percent took part in Junior ROTC
17 percent were involved in Scouting
 
way higher now

I have to think that for class of 2017 the scores are much higher than that
for 4 year:

Average AROTC Scholarship Winner Stats (YR 2010)

“The profile of this year's scholarship winners shows that;
Class of 2014, 2,579 Army ROTC 4 year scholarships awarded

Average high school grade-point average was 3.5
Mean college board test score was 1186 SAT / 26 ACT​
 
My son received a 4 yr AROTC scholarship. ACT was 31. GPA (unweighted) was 3.7 and weighted was 4.0. 3 sports each year for all 4 years but no captains. Boys State. Wounded Warrior volunteer for 3 years (had other volunteer activities but that was strongest). Student council and class officer. Am Legion Oratorical contest winner for our county. Like most kids, there is more but those are the highlights. At the recommendation of the ROO, he structured his résumé to emphasize "Scholar-athlete -leader" roles.
 
Also for AFROTC SAT/ACTs are not superscored, it is best sitting. I believe A/NROTC do superscore.

With a 25, keep taking both over and over again until you can get to at least a 29 to feel comfortable for a Type 7 AFROTC scholarship. However, realize that a type 7 is capped for IS tuition, if you opt to attend an OOS school or private that costs more than IS and you would have to convert it to a type 2 3 yr.

Additionally, if you are going to major in a non-tech degree for AFROTC you will def. want it to be much higher because overall only 15-20% of all scholarships go non-tech. Only 5% of the 5% that are awarded Type 1. In numbers it is about 2-3 out of the @900 awarded which is out of a pool of @5000 applicants.
 
NROTC 2012 National Selection Profile for 4 year scholarship midshipmen was 1304 SAT which converts to 29 ACT. DS had 34 composite ACT, not superscored and 1500+ SAT.
 
DD was awarded 3 yr. AROTC scholarship with a composite ACT 29,superscore 30, unweighted GPA of 3.7 in an IB program. 4 yrs basketball, Team Captain,1 yr. CC, Girl State, NHS officer, Student Council, a couple of leadership positions in clubs and 200 hrs of community service.

We were told that Army CC had 1000 4 yr. scholarships to give out this year as compared to 2000 in prior years. The October board cutoff was an ACT score of 31 where 200 scholarships were issued.
 
DS received a three-year AROTC scholarship to a school in the Big Ten. He has 3.7 GPA (unweighted) with many A.P/Dual-enrolled Courses. His ACT was 29 (super scored) and he holds three varsity letters, captains two sports, and other leadership positions in school/community organizations. He is a non-tech major.

Good luck and keep working at it!
 
I feel for the OP reading these stats because all of the sudden reality probably kicked in very hard, that the mins required to compete are nowhere near the scores for those that are getting at least a 3 yr scholarship.

A 25 is an 1150 on the SAT chart. A 29 is 1300. As I stated before AFROTC does not superscore, this is a huge jump for a sitting. It is achievable, and most likely the way to achieve it is to take each test over and over again. Yes, you are teaching yourself the test.

You have a lot of time and a lot of test opportunities. Mar., Apr., May, and June before any board meets. Sept and Oct. in the fall before it becomes the full on award boards. That is 6 ACT tests, and 6 SATs.

It comes down to finance and how many weekends you want to spend from 8 am to 12 taking a test. I will say this, if you can afford to take all of them, but opt not to because you would rather be in bed that Sat. a.m., than re-think the military life. We all get, financially, 100 bucks+ a month might not be doable, especially come Sep/Oct when you are also paying for college applications at 50-75-100 bucks a pop. Two different things.

AF/NROTC will go Active Duty for 4 yrs. at least. It is 24/7/365 days a yr. for those 4 yrs.

There is also a bigger reason why to do this from an AFROTC perspective.

As a sophomore (C200), you will meet a board for summer field training (SFT aka EA). Part of the scoring is your SAT/ACT score. Scholarship recipients are not known by the board...it is all numbers. Traditionally 55-60% will go. If you aren't selected AFROTC will most likely dis-enroll you. No commissioning.

Do the math, you get no scholarship from any of them, but decide to go AFROTC. Your best sitting is 27. Scholarship cadets have on avg 29. Approximately 1000 scholarships are awarded per yr. 2200 are selected for SFT. Assuming they have the same cgpa as you, those 1000 will get it, leaving 1200 slots nationally from a pool of 3000. 4000 total - 1000 (scholarship because they have the highest SAT/ACT) = 3000.

Again scholarship is not a player, but that SAT/ACT score is. This score will stay on your file.

Finally, scholarship is gravy. We all understand if there is a financial need to go this route, but honestly the price you pay is too high to take this route because 1 branch offers a scholarship over another. Take a loan if you are doing this for paying to attend Duke instead of your IS college. Life is priceless...college is not...there is an actual price associated with it.

They are called sister services...not identical triplet services. They are a family, but like your siblings they are unique, each with different needs and wants.

The AF is known to be the corporate branch. 8-4 if you're not flying....as soon as a runway is built, they build the golf course! Bad TDY is staying at a Motel 6. They also can be landlocked in places like MINOT, ND...why not Minot? Freezin is the reason!

A total different life than the Army. If you want to not go AD, but Reserves or Guard, AF and Navy are not a life for you. See above.

If living in a tent is not for you the Army is not for you. If you can't imagine not seeing land for days/weeks/months...Navy isn't for you.

4 yrs of your life after graduation/commissioning is meeting their needs, not yours. Unlike college where you choose where you will live for 4 yrs., and it is 30 weeks a yr (15 weeks per semester), 20 hrs in class,weekends off; this will be 4 yrs. of living where they say, working when they say, and asking approval to go on vacation.

If you want to fly, it is also a factor. Want rotor AF is not the way to go because it is limited, just like if you want fixed Army is not the way either.

Take this time now and investigate each branch. Visit every college and det. Study the SAT/ACT, but IMPO it is time to narrow down to what life you want to live once you raise your right hand and take the oath of an officer in the military.

You can dis-enroll ROTC, transfer out of a college, you can change your majors once there after a yr or two. You can't go to your AD commander 18 months in and say, I want to resign, move (PCS) or change my career field, this place/job isn't working for me.
 
Last edited:
AVERAGE

To the OP. Keep in mind that you asked for the average score. If the average AROTC act score is 27, that means that if someone with a 29 got a scholarship then someone with a 25 got a scholarship, or two applicants with a 26 got a scholarship to offset the 29 score. Follow?

My DS had a lower score than you, worked hard and bumped it up to a 26. He's a two sport athlete with varsity letters 2 yrs. JV team captain, involved in community and school activities but not a lot of documented leadership positions, just one of those that people follow He applied for and received a junior military college scholarship that will then transfer to a partner 4 yr state university. (these are both in state by the way). Thus equaling a 4 yr scholarship.

Don't think that the national 4 yr scholarships and the large out of state universities are the only ones available. Do some research and talk to the schools, see what they have to offer. They might have something besides ROTC scholarships to offer you.
 
I agree with QA, but I will caveat it with, again each branch is unique.

AFROTC is not tied to the college, it is tied to candidate and their major. NROTC is a blend of AFROTC and AROTC from what I understand. 85% go to STEM majors (AFROTC), and tied to the school (AROTC). AROTC as far as I understand currently do not differentiate the amount regarding STEM vs Non-STEM, but are tied to the battalion/school.

The point is they all have very unique aspects.

You will see in the next yr. that there are candidates that get no scholarship, but get an SA appointment because of the system. ROTC is national, SAs are geo-centric at first (MOC noms in your district/state).

For AFA candidates their ALOs will tell them to apply AFROTC as plan B. The same is not true for AFROTC candidates applying AFA as plan B. AFROTCHQ will not know this, they are going straight off of the Whole Candidate Score (WCS) from a national level.

It is also important to stress what QA1517 stated regarding ECs. It is called the WCS for a reason...they want the best candidate that has managed to balance academics and ECs too. Lower SAT/CGPA, but 3 sports, will be viewed more positively than the candidate that has a 2400, 4.0 and no ECs. Book smart is not a guarantee for a ROTC scholarship.

ROTC as you climb the ladder will mean more hours besides PT and LLAB. By your junior yr it could be 20 hrs a week if you have a leadership position, plus PT, LLAB and your 21 credits. This is why the ECs matter.

I am sure this is now a frightening thought, but you can do it. I do this because when DS entered yrs ago, this forum was not like today. There weren't people like Aglahad,-Bull-, Marist, Clarkson, kinnem, Jcleppe, dunninla, or Edelahanty that chimed in regarding what real life will be like as a ROTC cadet/mid.

Scholarship award is one part of contracting...DODMERB is another.

5:30 a.m. running in the rain is not fun...week after week for 4 yrs.

PFT to contract 1st week is a stressor. It will be part of contracting, at least for AFROTC every semester for 4 yrs. It will be part of the score for your career choice. It doesn't end with the scholarship award. It only matters more because now your tuition bill is dependent on them.

I am not trying in any shape, way or form to say walk away. I am saying ACT scores is the easy part. Buy a test book, and take it over and over again. Sticking with it for 4 yrs is not easy.

DoDMERB waiver is not a given.

Take this time, read every thread that could touch your life. Visit the dets of all the branches at every college. Ask the folks to walk the campus while you are there, ask the cadre to talk to upperclassman (MSIII, C300s, don't know the NROTC equivalent). Just like a college, dets/units have a personality. Your happiness will impact you regarding success.

Good luck.
 
Ask the folks to walk the campus while you are there, ask the cadre to talk to upperclassman (MSIII, C300s, don't know the NROTC equivalent). Good luck.

NROTC equivalent to a sophmore is Midshipman 3/C (3rd class).
 
My son took one of the courses (kaplan test prep) that helps to raise your ACT/SAT test score and it helped him get 4 points higher on the ACT. You may want to look at doing that. Add four points to your score and you'll be in high cotton!

Best of luck to you.
 
Thanks!

Thanks to everyone for the very informative replies. This has been very helpful to me.

I'm waiting on results from my Feb ACT (due anytime now) and I am already signed up for the March and April ACT. I'm about half way through an ACT review course with an individual tutor so I'm hoping to get my score up quite a bit.

Thanks again for all your advise.
 
Great decision. Also think about taking the SAT if after the April test it really doesn't increase a lot. For some kids they do better on one type of test than the other.

Doing what you are doing now will only benefit you more even from an a college admittance perspective. For our state schools, the avg ACT is close to what you will see with ROTC scholarship awards.
 
Back
Top