Anybody ever heard of this NROTC rule?

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wnsham96

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My DS and I went to visit Norwich University last week, and I was a little shocked to learn about their NROTC program. Apparently, a cadet cannot commission into the Navy *unless* they receive a NROTC scholarship. So, if my DS does not get the 4-year (which he did not), and he does not get the 3-year or 2-year scholarship, then he is disenrolled from the ROTC program and will not commission. (Of course, there is still the option of OCS.)

This means there is a possibility of going through 2 years of the ROTC program, along with its additional coursework and requirements, for no benefit.

I had no idea this was a rule. I was under the impression that whether or not he got a scholarship, as long as he meets the minimum GPA and fulfills all other NROTC requirements, then he can commission upon graduation if he chooses. Isn't that why it's called officer training?

And, honestly, it kind of felt like the NROTC reps were trying to talk him out of it. They warned him that it will still be very competitive, that his Tier 3 major will probably work against him (though he should major in what he is passionate about), and that if he *does* commission out of ROTC, his service options will be very limited after he graduates and he'll basically be "stuck" in his service assignment for 5 years. They also said that his major doesn't have any influence on where he ends up - whether he majors in engineering or international studies - and has no bearing on his Navy career. Which makes me wonder, why are there different tiers then?

They told him that OCS would offer more options and seemed to present it as a more appealing choice.

Totally was not expecting any of this. I even brought it up to his admissions rep, who also had no idea this is how their NROTC unit does things. She thinks that if this is their policy, then they *must* give scholarships to all cadets eventually, because they do want them to commission. But this is not the vibe I got from the NROTC reps. It was more like beware, because it is very competitive and there are no promises that you'll be commissioned.

Has anyone ever heard of this policy? I've been reading on these forums for several months, and I've never heard anyone mention it. Is this something unique to Norwich, or senior military colleges? (I should've asked, but didn't think of it at the time.)

He's still going to go to Norwich. He really likes the school (and so do I), and the scholarship package offered by the school is excellent. I just always thought there are several paths to being commissioned - some with more benefits than others - and if you stay committed, do your best, and meet all the requirements, you'll get there. Now, I'm not so sure.
 
My understanding regarding NROTC is that you do not need a scholarship to commission. If not on scholarship, however, you do need to be selected for "advanced standing" in order to commission. I believe one applies for advanced standing in spring of sophomore year if not already on or selected for a scholarship.
 
franknd said:
My understanding regarding NROTC is that you do not need a scholarship to commission. If not on scholarship, however, you do need to be selected for "advanced standing" in order to commission. I believe one applies for advanced standing in spring of sophomore year if not already on or selected for a scholarship.
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Thank you for reminding me of this! Yes - she did say that if he doesn't get the scholarship, then he must get advanced standing. If he doesn't, then he is disenrolled from the NROTC unit. (She skimmed over that part ... but I do remember her briefly mentioning this)
 
If we went back many years, the concept of College Programmers didn't really exist. You participated in an NROTC program only if you were on scholarship (similar to service academies). But we realized there were a lot of missed opportunities and so people could walk on and ask to participate in the program even if they had not been selected for scholarship. For those people, they should know up front that they will need to excel and prove themselves to be considered for a 3 year or 2 year sideload scholarship. Just meeting the minimum standard will not help much.

For a few years, there were large numbers of side load scholarships being awarded each year and nearly everyone who entered as a College Programmer received a scholarship. But it isn't like that these days. And for tier 3 majors, that becomes an extra hurdle because we are limited to 15 percent of 4 year scholarships and "I think" that percentage goes up to 20 percent for 2 year scholarships.

Putting all this aside, I have had 3 Midshipmen in as many years who did not make the cut for a 2 year side load or advanced standing and were disenrolled from the program. All three finished college, applied for OCS with a letter of recommendation from me, and were selected for OCS and a commission. If someone wants it bad enough and performs well they can make it. And if NROTC says no.....AROTC has tended to say yes.
 
GWU PNS said:
Putting all this aside, I have had 3 Midshipmen in as many years who did not make the cut for a 2 year side load or advanced standing and were disenrolled from the program. All three finished college, applied for OCS with a letter of recommendation from me, and were selected for OCS and a commission. If someone wants it bad enough and performs well they can make it.
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Thank you for this explanation and encouragement. We've been going through the NROTC process since January and I'd just never heard of this policy, so it surprised me.

GWU PNS said:
And if NROTC says no.....AROTC has tended to say yes.
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Yes, I was thinking maybe he should widen his net. But, does this mean he could switch to AROTC as a junior?
 
wnsham96 said:
Thank you for this explanation and encouragement. We've been going through the NROTC process since January and I'd just never heard of this policy, so it surprised me.



Yes, I was thinking maybe he should widen his net. But, does this mean he could switch to AROTC as a junior?
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I would have to defer to some of the Army folks on here. I am not sure how their MSI scholarships work (if I used the correct terminology).
 
I do personally know of one midshipman who dropped from the program during his sophomore year and directly entered the AROTC program. AFROTC has a "2 year" selection point similar to NROTC. I recall some AFROTC cadets on these forums were picked up by AROTC. I'm unaware of the details on how this works but I do know the process began by speaking to the AROTC officers. I assume you had to be in good standing but just didn't make the cut .
 
You can be non scholarship and attain a commission through AROTC unless Norwhich has some kind of rule against this. This was my path.
I enlisted in the National Guard and took a semester off for basic training after my sophomore year. Because of this I did not need to attend Cadet basic camp. I enrolled in the SMP (simultaneous membership program), where you drill with the Guard and take ROTC. I commissioned as an active duty LT when I graduated.
Being non scholarship gave me the flexibility of going reserves or active duty after graduation.
 
franknd said:
Yes, it is. I'm not sure whether or not he would be required to attend AROTC Basic Camp, but either way it is possible. Basic Camp, 32 days in the summer, is designed for incoming juniors who have not been in ROTC.
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Yes it is possible. It is PMS dependent whether you attend Basic Camp as 2x yrs of AFROTC or NROTC can be accepted as equivalent credit. Army ROTC needs to commission about 6000 2LTs every year. We don't have that many scholarships, so if you meet commissioning requirements, you will be commissioned.
 
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