Declining a ROTC scholarship that has been accepted for a West Point appointment

My DS has received an appointment to West Point and a 4 yr ROTC scholarship as well. He needs to decline the ROTC scholarship now, but we are unsure who to contact. He has tried to email the recruiting/operations officer at the school where he had accepted the scholarship, but has not received a response.
Any ideas of who to contact?

Unsure, but congratulations. What a wonderful "problem" to have.

Your son should contact his POC at Cadet Command, if he doesn't have one, someone at Cadet Command should be able to direct him. Make sure that there is not directions on how to decline the scholarship on the paperwork he has received from Cadet Command.

Congratulations to your son.

We can only find a fax number and an email that was for submitting his acceptance of the ROTC scholarship. He didn't have a point of contact at cadet command. Should he email the address where he was to fax his acceptance?

That would be a good place to start.

We had the same issue last year, but for USNA and NROTC--there was a website to print up an application of acceptance or turn down--he printed that, filled it out, and mailed it. He also called the individual in charge of the unit and let him know. Congratulations.

nukepharm said:

My DS has received an appointment to West Point and a 4 yr ROTC scholarship as well. He needs to decline the ROTC scholarship now, but we are unsure who to contact. He has tried to email the recruiting/operations officer at the school where he had accepted the scholarship, but has not received a response. Any ideas of who to contact?

Click to expand...

My DS had this issue last year. He e-mailed the contact (ROO/PMS?) at the university where the AROTC scholarship was accepted before he left for Beast. I don't think anyone responded right away because the AROTC unit called the house while he was at Beast. I explained where he was and that he had e-mailed the ROO/PMS on X date. Never heard from them again. I'm guessing some of the leadership may have changed over the summer and/or they weren't too concerned with the incoming class until it got closer to the start of the new school year. If your DS doesn't hear back from the university before he heads to Beast, you too may get a phone call. I don't recall there being any paperwork (box to check) to decline the scholarship after accepting it (ie notifying the university).

Congrats!

I just read through the insert that was sent with the offer letter and in two places the email address usarmy.knox.usacc.mbx.train2lead@mail.mil is cited as the place to get answers. On your winner letter the same email address is cited as a place you can send in your acceptance or declination. Guess what...that is probably the best place to let Cadet Command know you don't plan to use your scholarship. I would also continue to try to contact the ROO at the school you originally accepted to. He or she will eventually be looking for your son, and it will be good to know he's not coming.

I find it a little hard to believe that ROOs out there are so hard to get in contact with. I'm going to guess that the school your son was accepted to is either big or an SMC. I've got 11 winners, and I've already been in contact numerous times with them. I know what their admissions status is, and I also know if they are also considering an Academy, and they certainly know how to contact me. My cohort is relatively small, so I need to be closely invested. At a larger program it probably wouldn't be as important, but I'd think a ROO would want to be easy to reach.

Send an email to Cadet Command...send an email or mail a nice thank you letter to the ROO and put it behind you and focus on USMA.

I am curious. I was always under the assumption that once you report for I Day at an SA, and if you have a scholarship that. It automatically becomes void.

Am I wrong?

I get being honorable and handing it back, but at this point the boards are done. Nobody will be offered a scholarship if you throw it back in the pool.
~ Many scholarship recipients hold onto the scholarship as a safety net until I Day.

I guess for A/NROTC it is a factor because the scholarship is tied to the school and the cadet, thus for those that are wishing to transfer the scholarship to another school it matters. However, if that is the case, like clarkson stated why can't you call the unit and inform them? Let them give you guidance?

Not trying to flame, just trying to learn

Since USMA and Cadet Command don't always talk to each other "automatically" is probably not a word I would use to describe the process. Eventually Cadet Command will catch the fact that the scholarship wasn't being used and the Cadet didn't show up and the money will be reallocated, but It would be helpful to go into the fall knowing that money is no longer obligated. We are even waiting for a supplemental batch of three year offerings and if this money was turned back in it may indeed get reoffered to an incoming freshmen. In fact I have an OML ready for when Brigade tells me I can offer one more.