Engineering/ extending scholarship

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gill0610

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DS is told to expect to take 4.5 to 5 years to complete his engineering degree and that his scholarship will be extended accordingly. Does this extend his commitment after graduation? Thanks!
 
Told by whom? That is important.

The Army scholarship contract DA 597-3 states that the military obligation begins upon completion of all requirements for appointment, including medical qualification, all MS classes, and training.

There is nothing I have ever seen about adjusting the service obligation if the Army extends the scholarship.

Perhaps one of the ROO's on the forum can add to this.
 
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It is on the academic curriculum for clemson rotc that several degrees can take up to 5 years (can't find it right now but I know I saw it!) He was also told that by the ROO for Clemson when he met with him.
 
The ROO is usually the best source of information. While I doubt that the military obligation will change, the same ROO would be the best source for for info. Remember, the DA 597-3 document is really what means the most!!!

When in doubt, read the contract!
 
Interesting. My cadet is an Engineering major. This is not something he was told. He is under the assumption that he has to get it done in 4 years even if that means summer classes out of pocket.
 
I will try to find the info from clemson and share but not sure if it depends on the school. He was told the same thing by the cadre at UA
 
This may vary by Battalion.

But I don't believe the post commissioning obligation can change without changing the DA 597-3 contract.

Kinda like which schools equip non-contract cadets with full gear.
 
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I also gotta believe that this varys by the ability of each school to have access to the curriculum required to graduate in 4 years.

Many impacted State colleges are so over crowded that it is nearly impossible for STEM majors to graduate promptly. Given the lower tuition and the lack of classes, my guess is that the Battalions are able to arrange for an extension of the scholarship.

I DOUBT this is available at a private high price ticket university with readily available classes.
 
gill0610, my DS is at Clemson in AFROTC and is an engineering major. For the AF, the extended scholarship does not extend his service obligation, so I would think that the Army is the same way. For what it's worth, my DS is in Civil Engineering and will be graduating and commissioning in December. He only needs 6 hours this fall and in hindsight wishes he had agreed to complete his degree in four years. He's ready to get on with it! He said he could have easily finished in four even with the ROTC commitment and many other clubs and organizations he participated in. Not to disparage CE, but I do believe that EE , ChemE and ME are more challenging and probably merit 4.5 or 5 years.
 
Interesting. Just curious as to how many credits he typically took each semester. DS is thinking environmental or mechanical right now. They did extend his scholarship, correct?
 
He took between 16 -19 hours per semester, and yes they did extend his scholarship. When he contracted as an incoming freshman he had to fill out some paper work that gave him the option of 4.5 or 5 years.
 
Was not able to pm you for some reason. So here's what I was going to ask...
Did any of his ROTC credits count as gen eds? I was under the impression that they needed 24 ROTC credits on top of the 127 he needs for engineering and that few, if any, were counted as gen eds. Or did he have a lot of credits from AP or dual enrollment. Didn't seem like 16 - 19 credits would get him that close to graduating in 4 years. Finally any general tips on Clemson and / or Clemson ROTC?
 
How ROTC credits are counted, or even if credit is given, will vary from college to college.
 
Thanks Kinnem. Goatrope said their DS was at Clemson which is where my DS is headed so was hoping they could provide some school specific info.
 
gill, I don't think I have enough posts yet to PM. DS's 24 AFROTC credits made him eligible for a minor in Aerospace Studies. I think four of those hours were also eligible to cover a technical writing gen ed. He entered Clemson with 20 AP hours that got him out of some required calculus, physics and chemistry classes. I think he'll have close to 160 hrs when he graduates. I'm very biased towards Clemson (DS is fourth generation) and our family has 90 years of continuous military service (I'm the black sheep of the family and was DQ'd for the AFA due to asthma back in 1978). He'll be pinning on his great grandfathers wings when/if he completes UPT. Clemson is a wonderful university steeped in Military tradition. The university and the Clemson community is very pro-military and very supportive of the ROTC programs. DS has thoroughly enjoyed his college and AFROTC experience and has good things to say about the AROTC as well.
 
@goatrope1, 5 posts is all you need to get you authority to do private conversations (PM's). You should be good to go.
 
gill0610 said:
DS is told to expect to take 4.5 to 5 years to complete his engineering degree and that his scholarship will be extended accordingly. Does this extend his commitment after graduation? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Check with ROTC Cadre. If Army ROTC...

AR145-1 http://www.apd.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/r145_1.pdf Paragraph 3-32

(4) The Secretary of the Army (or its designee) shall ensure that students who accept extended scholarship entitlements execute amended contracts that extend their active duty service commitment for a period of time equivalent to the length of the entitlement extention.
 
He is AROTC so looks like that will apply to him. Thinking he will probably do 4.5 years...
 
DS is a super senior. He received the national 4 yr scholarship. However, since his degree program was mechanical engineering, his battalion extended it to a 5 yr scholarship. He was told this immediately from the school HR person. So we knew in advance that he was covered. This is a battalion decision.

And NO!! This does not extend his commitment for taking 5 yrs for the degree program. DS will commission next May upon completion of his 5th year.
 
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