ROTC Housing Choice

butlerw2016@gmail.com

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Aug 17, 2014
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If on Army ROTC scholarship do you get to choose any dorm/meal plan you want, as long as the cost is under the 10k amount (how much they provide for room and board option). Contrarily, are your assigned housing or a meal plan?

Thanks
 
1. If you opt R&B and not tuition, beware that has tax implications.
2. Not every college has ROTC dorms, that is a question to ask each college.
 
DS opted for R & B. His money is deposited directly into his account. He is responsible for choosing a meal plan and dorm and paying for it. The school does not assign it. I don't know about 10k, DS gets 5k for R & B. DS is an AROTC MS II. Our accountant, who once worked for IRS said that R & B was not taxable contrary to many on this forum. Who knows? Like everyone else says, "ask your school".
 
DS opted for R & B. His money is deposited directly into his account. He is responsible for choosing a meal plan and dorm and paying for it. The school does not assign it. I don't know about 10k, DS gets 5k for R & B. DS is an AROTC MS II. Our accountant, who once worked for IRS said that R & B was not taxable contrary to many on this forum. Who knows? Like everyone else says, "ask your school".

Does he get $5,000 per semester? If the room and board is less than $10,000/year would they still get $10k anyways and be able to use the excess amount toward other things?
 
Yes he does get 5K a semester. whether it costs that much are not. He can use the extra on whatever he wants. My understanding is that they will pay the school's tuition or you get a set amount for R&B. I guess that number would vary depending on the more expensive school. We chose the R&B options because DS has other scholarships that pay for only tuition. So he would lose money if he did not take R&B.
 
Not to divert the thread....but unless your school has an ROTC exclusive or predominant dorm....living off campus with other cadets/midshipmen can be a big benefit. MSI year DS was the only one getting up at 0500 for pt and it only takes one knucklehead on the floor to really limit your sleep.
 
Was there always a cap on the amount of scholarship money? ... I thought there wasn't. Or is the cap just for R&B?
 
I think the cap might be per school. More expensive school, more money for housing etc.


MSII DS moved from dorm to an apartment with 3 other cadets. He had an awesome roommate last year that was in the band and had weird hours too. But like nofodad said, I feel this will be beneficial for all of them. Already they are encouraging each other and driving them. (more like a competition):shake: His school doesn't have a ROTC dorm. He lived in the freshman engineering dorm, so he had to move into a new dorm totally or an apartment. So far, so good..
 
10k for R &B in VA that is just covering IS costs. BEWARE if they are capping at 10k now, by the time you commission in 5 or 6 years (1 yr still in HS and 4 or 5 in college). It is going to be passed the cap. Most colleges increase 5-10% yearly. Thus, by 2019 it could easily be 15k or more.
~ ROTC hasn't increased their amounts for years and with sequestration going forward for years to come I doubt they will increase it anytime soon.

Cajun makes a good point,check the fine print on all of your scholarships before you decide which way to go, along with figuring out the tax implications.
 
The amount for Room and Board is set at $10,000, so you wouldn't get more even if the school's Room & Board costs are more. When we looked at the University of Alabama, their R&B fees for their honors dorms were $15,000. Yes, you could choose to live in traditional dorms that are less expensive, but our DD wanted to be with all the other honors students. At that school, however, they let you move the school's merit scholarships to cover Room & Board when you have an ROTC scholarship covering tuition.
 
Housing at Alabama

My son is an MSII and an RA at the University of Alabama. Honors housing costs the same as the other suite-style dorms. It is not $15k unless you choose to get a single, private room. Our boys (MSII and MSI) share a four bedroom-two bath suite with living room and kitchen for $4400/semester with two more cadets. Add the unlimited meal plan and you're still three grand shy of 15k.

If you have additional questions about housing or their program, I'll be happy to do what I can to find information.
 
My son is an MSII and an RA at the University of Alabama. Honors housing costs the same as the other suite-style dorms. It is not $15k unless you choose to get a single, private room. Our boys (MSII and MSI) share a four bedroom-two bath suite with living room and kitchen for $4400/semester with two more cadets. Add the unlimited meal plan and you're still three grand shy of 15k.

If you have additional questions about housing or their program, I'll be happy to do what I can to find information.

Whoa, whoa, whoa....just one second here. Y'all are from Texas and your son chose to go to Alabama? Blasphemy!! :wink:

Hook 'em :thumb: (at the very least Gig 'em!!)
 
I'm from Texas, but we've lived in Alabama for over fifteen years. The in-state and out-of-state scholarships coupled with the university's willingness to stack scholarships sold us. I love the Crimson Tide Battalion. The school is far more diverse than many people realize (half of the freshman class is from out of state). It also has more National Merit Scholars than any other public university. Roll Tide!
 
My son is an MSII and an RA at the University of Alabama. Honors housing costs the same as the other suite-style dorms. It is not $15k unless you choose to get a single, private room. Our boys (MSII and MSI) share a four bedroom-two bath suite with living room and kitchen for $4400/semester with two more cadets. Add the unlimited meal plan and you're still three grand shy of 15k.

If you have additional questions about housing or their program, I'll be happy to do what I can to find information.

TXPotato, Yep, you're right, we were looking at a single and with the high freshman meal plan, it seemed so much more expensive than other room and board costs at other schools. It was absolutely incredible housing, though, and would have been a dream to live in those dorms. UA has such an incredible deal with their merit scholarships that will stack with ROTC scholarships. What started out as a financial safety school for DD last year, moved right up to one of her top choices after we visited. The AROTC department was fabulous when we met with them on our tour, too. DD ended up taking her NROTC Scholarship to another school over her AROTC scholarship, but UA is high on our DS's list for the AROTC scholarship this year.
 
If you decide to bring your son for a visit, let us know. I'm sure my boys would be happy to meet with him.
 
Tx,

I was not talking about this year or even next year, but the years later on. For example, you stated you are 3 shy of 15, but if the cap is 10, you are 2 k out of pocket for this year. If they increase even by 7% next year it will equal to be 3 k out of pocket when they enter as a freshman...so on and so forth.

Thus, the reason I stated that was for those that financially need the scholarship to attend their dream college. If they go in assuming that what it cost the year they applied will be close to it come graduation they will be wrong, especially if they assume that they will bump up the limit to meet the costs. Our DS entered his college at the cost of 28k a year. It was close to 40k a year he graduated. It has gone up 7% each year since that time. The same is true for my DD that graduated this past spring from an IS college, and for my DS2 at his college.
 
I'm sorry that your son's costs increased so dramatically. I merely wanted to clarify what the actual costs of housing at the University of Alabama are. Further, Alabama's merit scholarships increase in value if tuition increases. For example, when our first son started, he had full tuition valued at $4600 per semester. Since tuition increased to $4900, his scholarship increased as well. You are correct that parents should be aware of all associated costs and possible increases before making decisions. Ours was a no brainer. He's going to school for free.
 
Actually all of my kids costs dramatically increased over the years. DS was the most because he was OOS. Our DD that jus graduated from IS saw it raise @ 35% from her freshmen year to graduation.

It might be an east coast thing. The cost to take 15 credits/30 per year will cost you 5k a year at the local CC. 18/36 credits and you are looking at 6k a year.

As an IS where they really get you is R & B, because it is the same cost whether you are IS or OOS.
~ I.E. There is a 16k difference for tuition between IS and OOS
~~ This is also why from an OOS perspective you will see it jump much faster if they increase by 7% a year.
~~~ VT is 28 k. OOS now add in 7%. Next year it will be close to 30k. The year after that it will be 32, so on and so forth.
~~~~Meanwhile 7% on 8k for R & B is what 500 bucks?
~ As a ROTC scholarship recipient thus is something to think about, especially when that is taxable.

Read the fine print of the merit scholarships before you chose. My kids merit were flat rate. Here is the amount awarded for the next few years, it will be deducted from your bill.

It is great that AROTC offers this option, but if this your 1st kid going to college, I strongly advise the following:
1. Don't count your chickens before they hatch by looking at the room/board option vs. Tuition
2. If you ignore #1 than make sure you look at the impact for taxes.
3. If the only way you can swing it is with a scholarship...what will you say next year when they drop out of ROTC?

This is the time to spend the months crunching the fiscal numbers.

There has never been 100% of scholarship recipients commission 4 years later. ROTC knows that. However, I am willing to bet that almost 100% of the recipients believe they will commission 4 years later.
~ Think about it...that leaves many graduating without the ROTC scholarship that apply this year.

Hope for the best, expect the worst is my motto.
 
DS opted for R & B. His money is deposited directly into his account. He is responsible for choosing a meal plan and dorm and paying for it. The school does not assign it. I don't know about 10k, DS gets 5k for R & B. DS is an AROTC MS II. Our accountant, who once worked for IRS said that R & B was not taxable contrary to many on this forum. Who knows? Like everyone else says, "ask your school".

Do you happen to know which IRS publication your accountant is relying on regarding the taxability of the R&B? The only one I'm aware of is Pub. 970 and it specifically states that R&B is taxable. I would love to find a way to get around paying tax on it.

Thanks in advance for your help!
 
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