Marine Option NROTC

sdhitt

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I've been looking into applying for a Marine Option NROTC scholarship if I decide not to go to a service academy. I know that there are tiers for the navy scholarships, do they apply to the marine scholarships also? I plan on majoring in Political Science or Economics which I know the Navy and Air Force allocate a minuscule number of scholarships for, is it the same for the Marines?
 
If by tiers you mean 4-, 3-, and 2-year scholarships, the answer is yes. My son received a 4-year Marine option scholarship this year but I don't recall it being based on what he plans to study in college.

Marine options scholarships are very competitive. I've heard anecdotally that for every six Navy option awards, there is one Marine option awarded. In our multi-state geographical area, somewhere around 50 applicants were qualified academically and athletically, and 18 received scholarships.

NROTC scholarships only cover tuition, uniforms, books, and mandatory fees. Room and board are not covered. It is up to the individual school to determine their room/board policy. My son's school provides a full room/board scholarship to ROTC scholars. Some schools don't cover anything.

Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions.
 
Everything NHUSNA said is true. The Marine Option is difficult to get. My son was one of 11 out of 34, so bring your A game throughout the entire process. As far as what you major in, it does not matter. And my understanding is the only service that wants specific degrees is the Air Force. The Navy, Army and Marines just want to make sure you can handle college level coursework, but they don't care what your degree is in. I'm not 100% sure, but that is what I remember.

Good Luck---you should be starting to get your application in now!
 
My son is looking into NROTC, and college major does matter. From the NROTC website:
"In structuring our academic programs to meet these challenges, undergraduate academic majors for NROTC Navy option midshipmen are divided into three categories or tiers: Tier 1 - engineering programs of Navy interest, Tier 2 - other engineering, math and science programs, Tier 3 - Foreign language and remaining academic programs. In order to keep pace in this high tech and diverse environment, approximately 85% of Navy Option NROTC scholarships offers will be awarded to students interested in completing a Tier 1 or Tier 2 academic major."
It says Navy Option ROTC, so I'm not sure if this applies to Marine Option as well, or not.
 
PosThinking- Thats correct. I got a tier 3 scholarship so i'll be majoring in business. I know that at George Washington where i'll be headed this August, they give 4000 towards room and board for anyone who is on scholarship and is an engineering major. Every school is different in whether they pay for room and board or not.
 
Hmm...

I think what you need to look at is that if it comes down to you and another candidate of equal value, but you have down as your major "underwater basket weaving" and the other candidate has "Mechanical Engineering," then the other candidate will probably get the scholarship.

Another thing to think about is that you can change majors once you are in the school. Most students change their majors several times before the end of their freshman year. You should pick a major that makes you competitive for receiving the scholarships.

Also, the tiers do not refer to how many years the scholarship is for. They refer to what makes you competitive, and what the Navy or Marine Corps is looking for. For example, the more technical your major, the higher tier it is. Mechanical Engineering is in Tier 1 because it is a very technical and mathematical major, those are things the Navy and Marine Corps want.
 
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