Extension of scholarship benefits - AROTC

[JJJ240]

My DS got 3yr campus-based scholarship and has transferred to a school in a different brigade (scholarship got transferred). Now, he needs additional year to graduate due to misinterpretation/miscalculation of the graduation requirements. He has started a communication with PMS already.

According to CC-reg-145, there are many constraints/requirements to get extended scholarship benefits, including below;

(6) No loss of credits due to change of major.
(7) No loss of credits due to transfer of schools (not as a result of a school closure).

He has changed the major at the new school (104-R got approved), and his credit has not lost but he realized that the new major requires him to take additional credits to graduate.



Qs:
To me, it appears DS situation met both conditions (6) & (7) - BUT, is it met by the view/interpretation of USACC?

For those of whom got approval of the extended benefits, how long the whole process take (I understand that it will be case by case, but anyone could provide their timeline, or share their own experiences)?

TIA.

 

[Montana State Army ROTC]

Changing majors creates a huge hurdle to extension of benefits. Its the students fault they go longer than 4 years.

 

[Herman_Snerd]

Agree with above. The student owns working to manage their four year plan to ensure they can graduate on time. With a 3 year scholarship the Army is willing to pay for years 2-4 (3 years). In some cases and some units a student is permitted to take extra time (I've seen this with mechanical engineering for example). but these are approved.

Good that he started a conversation with the unit, but with the PMS? Why is a PMS needed to handle this (why use a hammer to kill a mosquito)? Energies need to be focused on your son working directly with his chain of command - I'd engage with the ROO, Army Academic Advisor and University Academic Advisor to align on a plan to graduate and to align on who will pay for the 5th year of schooling you state he now needs since he changed majors. You should also work with university financial aid to see what merit monies/ financial aid could be available for that added schooling year. You can ask if there could be any scholarship funding from the unit for that 5th year. His 4 year (or 5 year) plan should outline his path to graduate course by course by semester and you should both be aligned on who will pay what. IMO he'll end up paying for the extra year because he chose to change majors and Army really cares less about majors as compared to Navy-option or Air Force who care a great deal, but see what you can work out. He should explore options to take courses at a community college over the summer or at school to mitigate time delays.

My brief recommendation is that you not attempt to say his credits are not "lost" when he changed majors. Because he will have credits now that won't count as electives or major requirements from the other major, and additional credits will have to be taken in order to graduate with the new major (otherwise he would graduate in 4 years right)- so they are in a sense lost and you'll IMO look silly trying to state otherwise.

The details you shared state the scholarship transfer is contingent so make sure you bring expectations and alignment on a plan to closure so you don't find yourself losing the scholarship or not understanding your obligation. If they approved the transfer thinking he wouldn't need an extra year, and now you're coming back once it's approved and sheepishly stating "oh, my bad" when the regs you shared state you can't extend - that's not a good optic. He should straighten this out with his new unit asaip.

Good luck.

 

[MohawkArmyROTC]

Extension of benefits are handled on a case by case basis. His major, GPA, and reason are all big factors in the decision. Scholarship money is tight these days, so it is much harder to get these approved as opposed to 5+ yrs ago.

 

[JJJ240]

Good that he started a conversation with the unit, but with the PMS? Why is a PMS needed to handle this (why use a hammer to kill a mosquito)? Energies need to be focused on your son working directly with his chain of command - I'd engage with the ROO, Army Academic Advisor and University Academic Advisor to align on a plan to graduate and to align on who will pay for the 5th year of schooling you state he now needs since he changed majors.

Yes, he has stated conversation with ROO first, then PMS as well. Agree- definitely he needs to align a plan with academic advisors.

My brief recommendation is that you not attempt to say his credits are not "lost" when he changed majors. Because he will have credits now that won't count as electives or major requirements from the other major, and additional credits will have to be taken in order to graduate with the new major (otherwise he would graduate in 4 years right)- so they are in a sense lost and you'll IMO look silly trying to state otherwise.

The reason why I stated "his credit was not lost" was that his new major requires 6 more units to graduate (i.e., 120 vs. 126) and he's not able to complete that additional 6 units in the Senior year, as planned.

The details you shared state the scholarship transfer is contingent so make sure you bring expectations and alignment on a plan to closure so you don't find yourself losing the scholarship or not understanding your obligation. If they approved the transfer thinking he wouldn't need an extra year, and now you're coming back once it's approved and sheepishly stating "oh, my bad" when the regs you shared state you can't extend - that's not a good optic. He should straighten this out with his new unit asaip.

No, that is not his situation; I should have stated more details, as his situation is bit different and complicated:

In 2018 Fall, he has joined AROTC w/o scholarship.
In 2019 Fall, he's contracted and 3-yr campus based scholarship kicked in.
In 2020 Fall, he has transferred to new school (kept the same major) - scholarship transferred. 104R updated and approved.
In 2021 Spring, he has changed the major - 104R updated and approved.
In 2021 Fall, he has realized that the additional year will be necessary, so begun communication with the cadre.

Yea, he went through a lot- transferring school was not a gimme, and transferring the campus based scholarship requires complex logistics need to be aligned right in timely matter. Now, he has another huddle to take care of; one of many he will face and needs to take care of for the rest of his career/life. Regardless of the outcome, I am certain he will learn lessons and get better prepared- I am here standing by him to help and support, as needed.

Changing majors creates a huge hurdle to extension of benefits. Its the students fault they go longer than 4 years.

Extension of benefits are handled on a case by case basis. His major, GPA, and reason are all big factors in the decision. Scholarship money is tight these days, so it is much harder to get these approved as opposed to 5+ yrs ago.

Thanks for the information provided.

Additional insight and constructive feedback would be much appreciated.