AFROTC Scholarship + USAFA Appointment

[2026]

Good AM!

I wanted to get information from those that have traveled this road before.
My DS received a Type 2 AFROTC Scholarship and a couple college acceptances and has also received a USAFA appointment. He has accepted his appointment to USAFA and we are navigating the next steps for his other options.

We are planning on contacting his #1 college choice to discuss the steps of putting down a deposit to ensure a Fall 2022 spot in case he gets hurt, etc and cannot continue @ USAFA.

We are unsure about the AFROTC process. On his portal, it says he must accept/decline the scholarship by May 31 2022.
Do some students accept the scholarship and then connect after basic training to decline if they are going to stay at their academy? Or do we need to decline now....but if DS needs to return to college w/ AFROTC option, then is he "out of luck" in terms of a scholarship? Should my DS contact AFROTC tech/connection to discuss?

I am sure there are students every year that navigate this scenario, advice and guidance is appreciated!

 

[IronmanDaremo]

If he is accepting the USAFA appointment, and intends to report on I-Day, then it is only fair to decline the scholarship to allow it to roll down to the next person on the list. Plus, I do not know how it works if someone accepts both. The expectation in others eyes will be that he will be obligated to both - perhaps with one not knowing about the other. And that will probably be a huge can of worms.

I'd say if he drops out of the Academy, then perhaps pursuing an AF officer career may not be the path he wants.

Basically? He's got to suck it up and make a choice. Plan for success. That doesn't mean that he shouldn't keep his civilian options open, but even those will require a non-refundable deposit by a certain date before school starts.

 

[kinnem]

People have accepted the scholarship and the Academy appointment. I believe the Scholarship is lost once he reports to the Academy, so it will not cover injuries during basic. Many colleges will accept a deposit with the knowledge that you may end up attending an Academy. Others have been known to sue. Best to keep the college in the loop.

 

[DrMom]

Ditto what Kinnem says. If your kid is sick on I-Day or sprains his ankle the week before and cannot report for I-Day...it is good to have the back up. It will work itself out once your child reports.

 

[2026]

Thank you @DrMom and @kinnem and @IronmanDaremo for the info -I will pass along to DS.
After he reports, do I have to get in touch w/ AFROTC to tell them that he will not engage the scholarship?

 

[unkown1961]

If he is accepting the USAFA appointment, and intends to report on I-Day, then it is only fair to decline the scholarship to allow it to roll down to the next person on the list. Plus, I do not know how it works if someone accepts both. The expectation in others eyes will be that he will be obligated to both - perhaps with one not knowing about the other. And that will probably be a huge can of worms.

I'd say if he drops out of the Academy, then perhaps pursuing an AF officer career may not be the path he wants.

Basically? He's got to suck it up and make a choice. Plan for success. That doesn't mean that he shouldn't keep his civilian options open, but even those will require a non-refundable deposit by a certain date before school starts.

This is a good point about fairness. I've had a couple of kids receive late acceptances from colleges or an academy as a result of spots opening due to others waiting to decline offers and it was realistically too late to change things.

And I wonder, are there injuries that would keep a student from elgibility at the Academy but still be eligible for ROTC?

 

[2026]

This is a good point about fairness. I've had a couple of kids receive late acceptances from colleges or an academy as a result of spots opening due to others waiting to decline offers and it was realistically too late to change things.

And I wonder, are there injuries that would keep a student from elgibility at the Academy but still be eligible for ROTC?

Thank you! You make a good point about an injury.....

 

[kinnem]

This is a good point about fairness. I've had a couple of kids receive late acceptances from colleges or an academy as a result of spots opening due to others waiting to decline offers and it was realistically too late to change things.

And I wonder, are there injuries that would keep a student from elgibility at the Academy but still be eligible for ROTC?

It's an issue of recovery time. Early June vs late August.

Sometimes a person, injured during Basic and can't continue, is awarded an LOA for next year. I surely don't know what the parameters are.

I would add it's the kid's scholarship. He earned it. He can do what he wants. The program overbooks knowing folks will decline.

 

[Herman_Snerd]

I don't know the OPs status, but I'll offer this - Until the candidate's respective portals are showing DODMERB physical and vision evals are finalized/ passed, I would not yet close doors. Candidates who aren't through that process don’t yet know if a medical waiver is needed and which branch SA or ROTC program might grant or reject it or how quickly. Ex. Color blindness, field of vision, astigmatism, prior surgery with documentation. Good luck.

 

[kinnem]

I don't know the OPs status, but I'll offer this - Until the candidate's respective portals are showing DODMERB physical and vision evals are finalized/ passed, I would not yet close doors. Candidates who aren't through that process don’t yet know if a medical waiver is needed and which branch SA or ROTC program might grant or reject it or how quickly. Ex. Color blindness, field of vision, astigmatism, prior surgery with documentation. Good luck.

OP has an appointment AND a scholarship.