Can you decline scholarship but still join ROTC?

Keepgoingeast

New Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2016
Messages
3
My son received an AFROTC non tech scholarship but also received an academic scholarship for his top school. If he takes the ROTC scholarship he loses the academic one. My concern is what happens if medically something takes him out of ROTC or if he doesn't make it into the 2nd part of the program after sophomore year. He would lose his ROTC scholarship and the academic $ would not be there as a backup. I'm assuming he can decline the scholarship but still join AF ROTC at school. Would there be any problems with this?
 
He can also skip ROTC and apply after college. That way he can way all options available to him - military and non-military.
 
Yes, he can turn down an ROTC scholarship and still join the program.

Why can't he take both scholarships? One to cover tuition and one to cover room and board? If he lost the ROTC scholarship or didn't progress beyond Sophomore year in ROTC, why wouldn't financial aid give him a new award?
 
Yes, he can turn down an ROTC scholarship and still join the program.

Why can't he take both scholarships? One to cover tuition and one to cover room and board? If he lost the ROTC scholarship or didn't progress beyond Sophomore year in ROTC, why wouldn't financial aid give him a new award?
Great advice as always. Talk to the school to see if any of @MohawkArmyROTC options are possible.
 
According to the AF website, Air Force ROTC scholarships cannot pay for room and board. (Unlike Army ROTC scholarships which can pay R/B but become taxable by the IRS).

Source:
https://www.afrotc.com/contact/help
 
Last edited:
AROTC -dad answered as I was typing the same thing. Most would say to take the scholarship with the most money. I would take the academic one. It allows him to drop AFROTC without an issue. It also allows him to continue on scholarship if he is not selected for field training after sophomore year. I say the academic one provides more of a "cushion" for the what if scenarios. Obviously this is contingent on him maintaining the scholarship minimums. Does it tie him to specific major or extreme GPA? All things to evaluate.
 
According to the AF website, Air Force ROTC scholarships cannot pay for room and board.

Source:
https://www.afrotc.com/contact/help

I am starting to like Army scholarships more and more. Although, I am biased. I have no hate for the AF though. They let me jump out of their perfectly good aircraft in my younger years.
 
Yes, he can turn down an ROTC scholarship and still join the program.

Why can't he take both scholarships? One to cover tuition and one to cover room and board? If he lost the ROTC scholarship or didn't progress beyond Sophomore year in ROTC, why wouldn't financial aid give him a new award?
Some schools will drop their merit aid if outside scholarships are received. My son had a good bit of money from St. Louis U and when he got his AFROTC Type 2 we thought we had the whole tuition covered. But then SLU told us he would lose the merit aid. I have heard thought that they might have changed the policy now.
 
Talk to the school. My DD school uses both to cover her total cost of tuition. We were also told if she dropped rotc her academic award would be reinstated to the total original award.
 
My son received an AFROTC non tech scholarship but also received an academic scholarship for his top school. If he takes the ROTC scholarship he loses the academic one. My concern is what happens if medically something takes him out of ROTC or if he doesn't make it into the 2nd part of the program after sophomore year. He would lose his ROTC scholarship and the academic $ would not be there as a backup. I'm assuming he can decline the scholarship but still join AF ROTC at school. Would there be any problems with this?
Something to ask the financial aid office and the answer might be no, but this came up in a Q & A at an Army ROTC ooen house when my daughter was in high school. One of the kids had received the schools presidential scholar award and a 4 year ROTC scholarship (ROTC scholarship recipients receive free roomand board at this school so he wanted to use the ROTC for tuition and fees and get the free room and board because presidential scholarship does not cover all tuition and fees, just most). Anyway, his dad asked what would happen to his academic scholarship if his son for some reason left ROTC later, not medically qualified, etc. The ROO said that he should talk to financial aid and Have them hold the scholarship for future years. For example for my 3 year AD kid, she used her academic scholarship her first semester, now that she is contracted, the money sitll shows up in her account from academic but then gets reversed once the Army scholarship is deposited. There might be a solution so that he is covered either way, but just an idea of how to prompt a conversation with financial aid. Good luck.
 
My son received an AFROTC non tech scholarship but also received an academic scholarship for his top school. If he takes the ROTC scholarship he loses the academic one. My concern is what happens if medically something takes him out of ROTC or if he doesn't make it into the 2nd part of the program after sophomore year. He would lose his ROTC scholarship and the academic $ would not be there as a backup. I'm assuming he can decline the scholarship but still join AF ROTC at school. Would there be any problems with this?

If your son accepts the AFROTC scholarship and wants to later work on a master's degree, he will have to serve five years to repay the ROTC scholarship before beginning his three years of service to earn full GI Bill educational benefits. If he is going to be in for at least eight years anyway, it makes no difference.
 
Thank you everyone for the responses. I have spoken to the school. His academic scholarship is a full tuition scholarship and the GPA is reasonable to maintain to keep it. If he changes majors it will not affect that scholarship at all. This school unfortunately does not allow stacking of scholarships and if you do not use the merit scholarship from the start it is not available to you later on if needed. It's awarded to incoming freshmen and renewed each year. If he accepted the AFROTC scholarship the school would pick up his room and board but we have decided that paying for Room and Board is worth giving him options in case he does not make it to field training for whatever reason. It also allows him an out if he decides ROTC and the military is not for him. I just wanted to make sure declining the scholarship wouldn't cause him any issues with joining ROTC anyway. I will recheck with the school and with the AF as well just wanted to see what people thought who have been through this process. Thanks again.
 
Thank you everyone for the responses. I have spoken to the school. His academic scholarship is a full tuition scholarship and the GPA is reasonable to maintain to keep it. If he changes majors it will not affect that scholarship at all. This school unfortunately does not allow stacking of scholarships and if you do not use the merit scholarship from the start it is not available to you later on if needed. It's awarded to incoming freshmen and renewed each year. If he accepted the AFROTC scholarship the school would pick up his room and board but we have decided that paying for Room and Board is worth giving him options in case he does not make it to field training for whatever reason. It also allows him an out if he decides ROTC and the military is not for him. I just wanted to make sure declining the scholarship wouldn't cause him any issues with joining ROTC anyway. I will recheck with the school and with the AF as well just wanted to see what people thought who have been through this process. Thanks again.
Congratulations to your son! He has lots of amazing options. One thing that is clear with AFROTC is more cadets typically do not have a scholarship than do have one, so most likely this should not be an issue. Again good luck to your son, although sounds like he will not need it!
 
Back
Top