AFROTC tough year for HSSP

M

MDRDV

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Feb 6, 2022
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Applied. 3.9+ GPA, 1450+ SAT. First board result - Declined, no reboard.

Good luck to all that applied. It's all about the interview...

I guess it's the free ride to Univ of Illinois! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
MDRDV said:
Applied. 3.9+ GPA, 1450+ SAT. First board result - Declined, no reboard.

Good luck to all that applied. It's all about the interview...

I guess it's the free ride to Univ of Illinois! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Bummer you weren't selected. UofI is a great large school especially for engineering. Even as an instate applicant UofI is expensive.... what kind of free ride? - room and board too?

Does the 'Decline, no reboard.' actually mean that your application rolls to the next board for consideration based on an OML but is not 'rescored/boarded again'? That is how AROTC boards work - applicants are only 'boarded' once but selection is from the combined OML of each subsequent board.

Good luck - you'll find a path that fits for you.
 
Not over yet! You still can pursue the ICSP and CICS scholarships respectively.
 
AROTC Parent said:
Bummer you weren't selected. UofI is a great large school especially for engineering. Even as an instate applicant UofI is expensive.... what kind of free ride? - room and board too?

Does the 'Decline, no reboard.' actually mean that your application rolls to the next board for consideration based on an OML but is not 'rescored/boarded again'? That is how AROTC boards work - applicants are only 'boarded' once but selection is from the combined OML of each subsequent board.

Good luck - you'll find a path that fits for you.
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UofI reference is a butchered movie quote. 🎬

Although, I did apply to some large schools knowing there is a good chance of full tuition based on merit/stats/national awards. One with room and board + a small stipend. Accepted to 1 so far. Too early for scholarships to be announced. I'd rater not give specifics.

Wings portal says decline-no reboard. Pretty sure that means I'm done. AFROTC HSSP was my plan C based on the big changes this year. Plan A & B are still in play.

Thanks for the encouragement. The next few months are sure to be a roller-coaster as decisions arrive.
 
Sorry for the bummer news. Never good to hear. I think we have read here that AFROTC is tight this year. I’m not an expert at all, but there has been discussion.

ROTC scholarships are a National competition from the get go. So in that sense, more competitive than a SA, as your competition is nationwide.

If your plan A or B work out, none of this will matter! Hang in there, and enjoy your senior year 💯

Good luck to you!
 
My DS also did not receive AFROTC scholarship on first boards. Anyone know if there is any chance that scholarships will still be awarded after the January and March boards?
 
Seniormom23 said:
My DS also did not receive AFROTC scholarship on first boards. Anyone know if there is any chance that scholarships will still be awarded after the January and March boards?
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Yes. As long as your email did not say "no re-board," your application will be reviewed by the 2 remaining boards.

Do note--- the 2nd board is a month-long board and is rumored to only be for Space-Force applicants.
 
Yup, I believe the second board is only for space-force applicants. Does anyone know how many people get afrotc hssp scholarships in the first board vs the second board? I got reboarded for afrotc, but still have an interview for the space force, so if I do get a space force scholarship, I am still eligible for an afrotc scholarship right?
 
Please research this. There is credible reason to believe that AFROTC is cutting way back on HSSP scholarships. Nobody should be surprised by adverse selection results.

rotcconsulting.com

Significant changes to the Air Force ROTC High School Scholarship Program (HSSP) starting in Academic Year 2022-2023 - ROTC Consulting

If you’re a high school student planning to apply for an Air Force ROTC scholarship, the Air Force ROTC program just released important news you must consider when making decisions about your future. 2022-2023 Changes to the Air Force ROTC Scholarship Program In a recent 2022 memorandum to Air...
rotcconsulting.com rotcconsulting.com
 
franknd said:
Please research this. There is credible reason to believe that AFROTC is cutting way back on HSSP scholarships. Nobody should be surprised by adverse selection results.

rotcconsulting.com

Significant changes to the Air Force ROTC High School Scholarship Program (HSSP) starting in Academic Year 2022-2023 - ROTC Consulting

If you’re a high school student planning to apply for an Air Force ROTC scholarship, the Air Force ROTC program just released important news you must consider when making decisions about your future. 2022-2023 Changes to the Air Force ROTC Scholarship Program In a recent 2022 memorandum to Air...
rotcconsulting.com rotcconsulting.com
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We did see that. Disappointing. My son is working diligently on other scholarship opportunities and conversing with the AF ROTC detachment at his preferred school to see about other opportunities there.
 
Wow if I am reading this correctly this makes AFROTC out of high school the most selective path of acceptance. In other words AFROTC is more selective now than any service academy or other ROTC program? My son is applying as well and this makes his chances extremely slim but it helps us get our plan B together.
 
Reducing available scholarships for AFROTC HSSP will hurt the private universities the most. I predict prospective cadets will go to a state school and then earn a 3 or 2 year scholarship. It will be much tougher for students to pay for freshman year at a private school. This could be a DoD idea to not have to pay for as many private school tuition bills.

This program is kind of a shame for families that don't qualify for need based financial aid. Excluding athletics or national merit, ROTC scholarships are one of the only options for these families.
 
I believe applying as a non-STEM will really hurt your HSSP chances, on the flip side, the funny thing is, the #1 major at the USAFA is business, not science/engineering.
 
BJD16 said:
Reducing available scholarships for AFROTC HSSP will hurt the private universities the most. I predict prospective cadets will go to a state school and then earn a 3 or 2 year scholarship. It will be much tougher for students to pay for freshman year at a private school. This could be a DoD idea to not have to pay for as many private school tuition bills.

This program is kind of a shame for families that don't qualify for need based financial aid. Excluding athletics or national merit, ROTC scholarships are one of the only options for these families.
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My guess is that the relatively few HSSP scholarships they are awarding will go to students most likely headed to the Ivy-plus schools, which are the schools that in past years they have upgraded Type 7 scholarships to Type 1.
 
It will be interesting to see the effect on the applicant pool for AFROTC. Some schools pay for room & board if you have a ROTC scholarship. Those future AF cadets will have to pay for tuition and room & board.
 
franknd said:
My guess is that the relatively few HSSP scholarships they are awarding will go to students most likely headed to the Ivy-plus schools, which are the schools that in past years they have upgraded Type 7 scholarships to Type 1.
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That's one theory. Another might be that AFROTC selects from just below this range knowing top students will usually have other scholarship options available. Logic might be, why pay if we don't have to?...

Be careful on your interview responses to, "what will you do if not offered a scholarship?" question. I think my honesty killed my chances by revealing my backup plans and offers in hand. If SA doesn't appoint, I plan to forego ROTC, focus on university, then consider OTS later. For me, mutual commitment is needed before I sign away the next 8 or 9 years. I have no hard feelings. Just relaying my POV hoping it might inform others applying to AFROTC HSSP and those making policy.

Good luck to those applicants still competing!
 
MDRDV said:
That's one theory. Another might be that AFROTC selects from just below this range knowing top students will usually have other scholarship options available. Logic might be, why pay if we don't have to?...

Be careful on your interview responses to, "what will you do if not offered a scholarship?" question. I think my honesty killed my chances by revealing my backup plans and offers in hand. If SA doesn't appoint, I plan to forego ROTC, focus on university, then consider OTS later. For me, mutual commitment is needed before I sign away the next 8 or 9 years. I have no hard feelings. Just relaying my POV hoping it might inform others applying to AFROTC HSSP and those making policy.

Good luck to those applicants still competing!
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Appreciate your reflection and sharing your honest thoughts with the group, as this may help others. Getting a denial is difficult news but you're handling it with grace/ maturity, and showing a leadership trait of communicating on how your growth and experiences can help others - well done.

Sounds like you have solid alternatives, just a quick question. Is it still your goal to commission and serve as an officer in the military? If so, have you considered applying to the service academies or other branch ROTC programs? Your stats are very strong, so from my viewpoint you're not fatalistically "out" of all paths to commission via SA or ROTC yet (or later with OTS, OCS et al.) , unless you want to be. You have until 12/31 (USAFA) or 1/31 for West Point / Annapolis respectively among others, and there's still time for AROTC, NROTC as interested too into January 2023 - would need to get moving if not already doing so. Good luck to you.
 
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Herman_Snerd said:
Appreciate your reflection and sharing your honest thoughts with the group, as this may help others. Getting a denial is difficult news but you're handling it with grace/ maturity, and showing a leadership trait of communicating on how your growth and experiences can help others - well done.

Sounds like you have solid alternatives, just a quick question. Is it still your goal to commission and serve as an officer in the military? If so, have you considered applying to the service academies or other branch ROTC programs? Your stats are very strong, so from my viewpoint you're not fatalistically "out" of all paths to commission via SA or ROTC yet (or later with OTS, OCS et al.) , unless you want to be. You have until 12/31 (USAFA) or 1/31 for West Point / Annapolis respectively among others, and there's still time for AROTC, NROTC as interested too into January 2023 - would need to get moving if not already doing so. Good luck to you.
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Commissioning with USAF is a goal, but not to the level where I'd take out loans and commit limited time to get there. USAFA is on the table for me. One of my nomination sources just checked off today!
I did the soul searching on the other branches last year. I really don't see myself anywhere other than with AF or SF if given the opportunity. If that doesn't work out, that's fine too. Plenty of other ways to serve.
 
jeffinCharlotte said:
Wow if I am reading this correctly this makes AFROTC out of high school the most selective path of acceptance. In other words AFROTC is more selective now than any service academy or other ROTC program? My son is applying as well and this makes his chances extremely slim but it helps us get our plan B together.
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For selectivity in terms of receiving an HSSP scholarship, sure. For AFROTC in general, not quite. Any student enrolled at a school with a det or crosstown agreement can register for and attend AS100 classes. After that, competition for an EA won't be as fierce as for a USAFA appointment offer.
 
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