Meal Plan?

justin777

5-Year Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2010
Messages
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I am just wondering... if i receive the full ride army rotc scholarship, does that include like meal plans at the university? Or is it not included? I know that room and board aren't covered if i get the scholarship but what about the meal plans?
 
The AROTC does not pay for meal plans (board). Housing (room) is also not paid for.

That said, some universities offer either free room and board or discounted R&B as an incentive for ROTC students to enroll in their school. It is important to remember that these "perks" are from the university and NOT the AROTC.

Also, AROTC is somewhat unique in that unlike the other ROTC programs you can opt to use your AROTC scholarship for R&B instead of tuition. I believe there is a cap on the amount that the AROTC program will pay annually for R&B at somewhere around $10k.

Good Luck!:thumb:
 
No just tuition, but I'd imagine you are allowed to put a portion of your stipend towards it. I'm still a HS senior so I don't know how much meal plans cost, but it can't cost upwards of $250-$300 a month, can it?
 
No just tuition, but I'd imagine you are allowed to put a portion of your stipend towards it. I'm still a HS senior so I don't know how much meal plans cost, but it can't cost upwards of $250-$300 a month, can it?

You can spend your stipend on anything you wish. Depending on where you go to school it might be enough to cover board. For instance:
The Citadel
Board (20 meal plan) $3323
(9 months) Aprox $370 mo.
http://www.citadel.edu/finaid/personalfinancing.shtml
 
thank you for informing that! I feel stupid not knowing board was the meal plan but i guess we all find out sometime...Anyways thanks, because it will play a major part in potentially what school i go to if i get the scholarship!
 
but it can't cost upwards of $250-$300 a month, can it?

Yes, it can get pretty hefty actually. Depending on the school, 450-550 a month is a reasonable estimate. The plans are usually by semester though. Some schools will advertise that they have cheap meal plans. But look in depth. There are usually different levels (i.e one meal a day, 3 meals a day, no food on weekends, etc.). And typically they advertise the cheapest option. I'm the type of person that eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I don't skip meals. So obviously a one meal a day plan doesn't work for me. If it works for you, then yes, $250 would be a reasonable estimate.
 
I don't skip meals either and my room and board is around $4000. I think that it's on par for private schools. Plus it's ranked #4 for Food in the NATION!:thumb:

So if food is important to you...
Wheaton College, IL
 
Like probably most other ROTC students I don't skip meals either and my bill for room and board this semester was just under $4400. But I chose the highest level meal plan.
 
Army ROTC scholarships can indeed used for either tuition OR room and board. Some students do this if the room and board is more expensive than tuition OR if their tuition is covered by a state scholarship, i.e. Bright Futures in Fla.

Room and board varies considerably from school to school and at may schools it is now well over $10,000/year.
This is why all Army ROTC scholarship applicants should apply for Financial Aid, even if they are awarded a scholarship.
Filing the FAFSA at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ should be done ASAP after Jan 1.

If awarded financial aid can be used (grants and/or loans) to help pay for room and board.
Colleges that award room and board to scholarship winners have their own criteria. Some grant it to all and some must meet other criteria. You have to check the college.
 
I don't skip meals either and my room and board is around $4000. I think that it's on par for private schools. Plus it's ranked #4 for Food in the NATION!:thumb:

So if food is important to you...
Wheaton College, IL
I was playing phone tag with Wheaton today to see if they would pay for my room and board if I applied my scholarship to their school, but we missed each other. On the website, it says that there is an ROTC room and board scholarship, but it does not specify if it is the full amount or just part of it. Do you know off the top of your head how much that is?
 
My daughter attends University of Portland, they cover meal plan #2, plus the complete cost of the room. This is about $6,300 a semester waived by the University for all ROTC students who have a national scholarship, even if the scholarship is a 3 year AD, they cover all 4 years. So we pay zero for room and board. Some of the male students pay a couple hundred more a semester to upgrade to meal plan #3, but for my daughter meal plan #2 has been fine. Another school that covers room and board, but only for the years that the cadet is under contract (so a 3 year AD would only be for those 3 years), is Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. Their room and board is a lot less though, and the first year tuition is also more reasonable than some other private schools. Their ROO is at Arizona State University so if you want to contact them, then you would go through the host school. We are on the west coast so that is all that we uncovered during my daughter's search. Good luck on your decision and keep us posted.
 
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