NROTC Alternate Status

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I received an email that stated I have been placed as an alternate for the NROTC Scholarship. I got some clarification on what this means from my JROTC Instructor but still am unsure exactly. My main question is about my chances of being awarded a scholarship. I know this likely varies from year to year but do a large percentage of Alternates generally get offered a scholarship or is it rare for that to happen? The answer might be there's no real way to know but I would just like to get some opinions on this.
 
There are a lot of opinions on this, and while I have significant experience in the board selection process, the building of the list of alternates is a combination of art and science.

The first board of 9 is complete, and there is a benchmark of average SAT or ACT, AFA scores, interview scores etc. The unknown is whether the people still sending in applications will be better, worse, or the same as the first board.

The fact that you have been told this early that you are an alternate tells me your score was VERY close to being a selectee. This doesn't mean you are a guarantee but it does mean the placement team at NSTC wanted you to know you are a competitive applicant. So does that mean if people didn't get an email that they aren't competitive? NOPE!! All it means is they were not as close as you were.

Last year, there was a pull of around 22% of alternates. This is not a hard and fast number, but it's something to keep in mind. What drives how many alternates get selected? The key drivers are how many selectees opt for a different ROTC program or opt for a service academy, or if there are folks who have clearly disqualifying medical issues. Another driver is the Tier I major. The limiting factor for Tier 3s is 15%.

So, I am not sure which is more frustrating.....hearing nothing back at all, or hearing you are an alternate but have to wait potentially until next March to find out if you get selected.

Hopefully this doesn't make you grind your teeth. We try to make the process as fair as we can, but there are just a lot of variables in the mix.
 
My son received the same alternate email. The question I would ask based on your reply is "Do all people not selected get the alternate email" and "Do they send out declination emails to those not on the alternate list"

Thank you for your time!
 
sfgiant said:
My son received the same alternate email. The question I would ask based on your reply is "Do all people not selected get the alternate email" and "Do they send out declination emails to those not on the alternate list"

Thank you for your time!
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Not everyone will get an "alternate email". And declination letters won't go out until January at the earliest. The reason is that most applications don't start rolling in until January. It seems like people wait until the Christmas break to do their submissions.
 
My DS last year (2022, College Class of 2026) was Boarded the week of Jan 3rd for NURSE OPTION. We did not receive an email for "alternate" but found out through a contact on this forum that he was sitting Alternate #2 and was awarded the NROTC Nurse Option Scholarship on April 6th.
 
GWU PNS said:
Not everyone will get an "alternate email". And declination letters won't go out until January at the earliest. The reason is that most applications don't start rolling in until January. It seems like people wait until the Christmas break to do their submissions.
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In your experience/estimation, about how many scholarship recipients come from January's "bumper crop" of applicants? I found a thread you were posting in for the 2022 cycle that gave some breakdown of how applications were shaking out probably in the Feb-March 22 timeframe.... I'm trying to guesstimate if DD URL alternate has a fighting chance or if over 50%-70% of the scholarships have been awarded already....
 
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