NROTC Pilot Selection

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Lilturtl

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Aug 6, 2024
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Hey Everyone,

So sadly I didn't get into USNA :(, but I did get into UC Berkeley for Aerospace Engineering :) and since I'm going to be doing NROTC there is there any info on how selective pilot slots are compared to the Academy. Last time I checked somthing around 40% of academy grads were branching either Pilot or NFO and from what I've heard from current mids it's pretty acheivable if you get keep up grades, pass the physical reqs, and show interest. Is it the same with ROTC or do we require more competitive stats (which might be a problem since berkeley has crazy grade deflation).

Thanks!
 
My advice is not to stress about it. The needs of the Navy change from year to year. Just do the best that you can with your grades and everything else. Don't add additional pressure to yourself. It's either going to happen or it's not.
 
NROTC gets the same pilot and NFO slots as the academy. Same chances. It’s pretty achievable with good grades, ASTB, good reputation, and ok fitness. The main thing to worry about is the nuke draft, which pulls from engineering and STEM majors (yes, even aerospace engineering wouldn’t save you) more than humanities. But, the academy also has the nuke draft. You just have to get lucky (at either place). Good stats, and then not get nuke drafted

The one difference between pilot selection for NROTC and the academy is that you do NOT need to play the networking and interview game with NROTC. That simply isn’t a component in the selection process in NROTC. It’s all stats. 1/C aviation summer cruises also don’t really make a difference because there’s usually not enough slots for everyone interested
 
Posts above give the best advice. To quote the sage advice of @Capt MJ "performance,performance,performance". The better you do all around the better your chances. Nuke Draft is a possibility, but you have no control over that, so don't worry about what you can't control. Do your best with everything and then you can see what happens. Your 3+ years away from selection, so just do your best the next three years and then you can see what happens. How many pilots the Navy will need that year will be a big factor in what you are selected for. No one will know that number until selection time is near.
 
my NROTC son who is now in Pensacola kept saying, "Mom, it's ASTB and grades."
 
Ivy22 said:
NROTC gets the same pilot and NFO slots as the academy. Same chances. It’s pretty achievable with good grades, ASTB, good reputation, and ok fitness. The main thing to worry about is the nuke draft, which pulls from engineering and STEM majors (yes, even aerospace engineering wouldn’t save you) more than humanities. But, the academy also has the nuke draft. You just have to get lucky (at either place). Good stats, and then not get nuke drafted

The one difference between pilot selection for NROTC and the academy is that you do NOT need to play the networking and interview game with NROTC. That simply isn’t a component in the selection process in NROTC. It’s all stats. 1/C aviation summer cruises also don’t really make a difference because there’s usually not enough slots for everyone interested
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This is the first time im hearing of any nuke draft. I was underthe impression that all Nukes were volunteers and it was pretty competitive to get selected for it? Is it something I should really worry about and if so is there anything I could do to try and avoid it?
 
Does Nuke Draft = NUPOC? I thought that was a application program and very selective. Maybe I'm not thinking of the same program.
 
MOCOMOM said:
Does Nuke Draft = NUPOC? I thought that was a application program and very selective. Maybe I'm not thinking of the same program.
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NUPOC is an alternative commissioning path for the nuclear communities. Nuke draft is when the Navy says you have to be a nuke if your grades are high enough and the demand is there.
 
@Lilturtl
You have a great plan and path.

Focus on the wolves howling closest to your sled and leave the ones howling in the forest for later. “Performance, performance, performance,” as someone already referred to my own oft-stated guidance. Lean in. Be the midshipman who is always early, not just on time. Be squared away in grooming, uniform and military bearing. Excel in your academics and professional development. Be a good team player but also a respected peer leader. Volunteer for the crappy collateral duties. Develop relationships with the upperclass for mentoring and understanding how and why they are going into different warfare specialties. What was their strategy to go Navy pilot?

Lose “branching” as a term for Navy warfare specialty selection, officer community or “designator” choice. Because - you know the Navy has to have its own terms, though many are held in common with Marines and Coast Guard. “Branching” is definitely more Army and perfectly appropriate in that culture. Of course, there are branches of service, but a Navy option midshipman is not likely to say “I’m branching Navy” either.

“What do you wanna do for your warfare community/specialty?” (USNA uses “service assignment.” Not sure if NROTC does that too or to what extent.)
“Yeah, I’m hoping to go Navy air as a pilot. I think that’s a 1310. One of my instructors is a P-8 pilot, and I think that’s what she says she is.”

All officer communities have a 4-digit designator assigned to their officer community. I am not going to dive deeply into this rabbit hole, but Unrestricted Line and Restricted Line Officer designators all begin with a “1.” URL and RL are all the major warfare specialties, Surface Warfare, Navy Pilot, Navy NFO, SEAL, EOD, Submarine, etc. are URL. RL includes EDO and several others. Staff Corps (Medical Corps, Dental Corps, Nurse Corps, JAG Corps, CEC, Chaplain, etc.) designators begin with a number other than 1. Limited Duty Officers and Chief Warrant officers also have a family of unique designators. You may have in designator that signifies your warfare community but in a pre-warfare qualification status. When you earn your warfare pin, your designator will reflect a the warfare qualification. Bonus trivia: if it ends in 5, it’s Reserve.
 
basically; if you were competitive for Pilot/NFO slot chances in USNA you will also be for NROTC. Keep your head up. NROTC produces hundreds of aviators every year.
 
Lilturtl said:
This is the first time im hearing of any nuke draft. I was underthe impression that all Nukes were volunteers and it was pretty competitive to get selected for it? Is it something I should really worry about and if so is there anything I could do to try and avoid it?
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Basically when you accept your NROTC scholarship you "volunteer" to be considered for Nuke. Just the way it is. The benefit of NROTC is 4 years of preparation to become a Naval Officer and paid tuition (with some other benefits, but these are the big ones). The big negative is that the Navy will decide what community you end up. "Needs of the Navy" will always prevail. All you can do is set yourself up to try and get that one community you really want, but it is not guaranteed; also, It does not end with service assignment. If and when you get pilot or NFO, you still do not get to chose what airframe you end up flying. You might dream of being Maverick in a F-18, but end up flying helicopters. Just as awesome, but maybe not want you wanted. Just the way it is. You do your best and see what happens.

Again, this is a down the road issue. You have 3 years before this becomes a issue. You are on step 3 of the NROTC process. Service Assignment is like step 300. As mentioned above, do your best in all aspects of college and NROTC now. Learn about the other communities also. Many Mids are dead set on one community before and during freshman year. That often changes as you learn more about each community. You might find Nuke or Subs is alot more interesting that you think now. It happened with my DS. He was dead set on SWO Freshman and most of Sophmore year, did a 2/C sub cruise and now he wants to be a bubblehead. Priorites change as you go through college.
 
So son took ASTB and scored avg to above avg and just received an email of a mandatory sub application. He was 1 of 3 to receive application. What does this mean? Hopes of being a pilot not submariner.
 
Jen4873 said:
So son took ASTB and scored avg to above avg and just received an email of a mandatory sub application. He was 1 of 3 to receive application. What does this mean? Hopes of being a pilot not submariner.
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Per my class of 2025 son: “It's the application everyone fills out if they're above the gpa threshold for their major.”

He said he had to fill one out too. “Just don't put it on your preference sheet.”

As I’m sure you’ve read, the needs of the Navy determine their Service Assignment but he can focus on what he can control (ASTB score, grades, PT score). There is definitely a strategy for taking the ASTB because you can only take it 3x and the previous score is wiped out with each re-take. Good luck 🍀 to your son!
 
Jen4873 said:
So son took ASTB and scored avg to above avg and just received an email of a mandatory sub application. He was 1 of 3 to receive application. What does this mean? Hopes of being a pilot not submariner.
Click to expand...
They make everyone who has a high enough GPA for their tier of major fill out a nuke application to be considered for that. Most years, there’s a nuke draft of some sort at USNA and NROTC because they don’t get enough people to put it #1. I think it’s around 3.5 for Tier 3, 3.0 for Tier 1, and maybe like 3.2ish for Tier 2?

PT score doesn’t matter as much as people think for aviation, seen those with “Good”’s get picked up for pilot and those with “Outstanding”’s get sub drafted
 
Boymomof3 said:
Per my class of 2025 son: “It's the application everyone fills out if they're above the gpa threshold for their major.”

He said he had to fill one out too. “Just don't put it on your preference sheet.”

As I’m sure you’ve read, the needs of the Navy determine their Service Assignment but he can focus on what he can control (ASTB score, grades, PT score). There is definitely a strategy for taking the ASTB because you can only take it 3x and the previous score is wiped out with each re-take. Good luck 🍀 to your son!
Click to expand...
Some years, they make everyone put subs or SWO-nuke somewhere on the preference sheet and consider everyone to have “volunteered” for nuke. It depends
 
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