NROTC Scholarships

+1 to @kinnem as usual. I will just add that, even it you get the scholarship, you will be on the hook for at least the first year of tuition.
 
I actually have a question that I didn’t have until recently. I’ve decided I’m going to go to RPI, I didn’t get the NROTC scholarship which is fine because my Plan C has lowered my first year costs significantly. At RPI, they have a program which allows engineering students to graduate in 5 years with their engineering degree and an MBA. I understand that NROTC Scholarship is a 4 year one, can I simply pay for that 5th year of college or will I have to commission after 4 years? Is there a way to get a “5 year scholarship” even though they don’t “exist”?
 
From everything I have read NROTC pays for a Bachelor's degree and you are generally expected to graduate in 4 years. There have been cases where a 5th year has been authorized to obtain the Bachelor's degree, where the student is not able to graduate in 4 years because classes are not available. There have also been cases where a 5th year has been authorized to obtain an advanced degree, but those are exceptions, not the rule. Your best bet would be to discuss your plan with the ROO at the unit.
 
There are a number of engineering programs that take 5 years to get an undergraduate degree.
At those schools, the Navy pays for 5 years.
As for doing the masters, the unit can approve it or you made need to make a request to the folks in P-Cola.
OS
 
Not to contradict @Oldsalt who is very wise, but just so you go in with your eyes wide open, do not count on getting that masters on their dime. I would speak with the officers in the unit when you arrive. They'll steer you straight and will know if NROTC will cover that particular program. In any case it won't make a difference in which classes you take during your freshman year, so you have time to sort it out.
 
Kinnem is spot on.
I failed to communicate the chances are not high. I was sharing the process to make the request.
I also point out that local units are not the final authority on such decisions, unless you get the answer you want.
Do your homework first! Read the instructions, they cover what is allowed and what is not.
Grad degrees are pretty much req'd now to make O-6.
If you don't get the answer you want, work with your officer advisor to fill out the request forms through P-cola.
Good luck!
OS
 
Not to contradict @Oldsalt who is very wise, but just so you go in with your eyes wide open, do not count on getting that masters on their dime. I would speak with the officers in the unit when you arrive. They'll steer you straight and will know if NROTC will cover that particular program. In any case it won't make a difference in which classes you take during your freshman year, so you have time to sort it out.

I’m okay with the fifth year not being on the Navy’s dime, my main concern is can I put off being commissioned for a year in order to finish the Masters Degree or do I have to do my five years first and then go back. I would like to serve more than five years and I am afraid that if I leave after 5 to finish my degree thinking that I will return to the navy, I may feel comfortable with just starting a normal life. I don’t want that to happen until I am happy with with my time in service. I don’t want to start a normal life and then look back regretting not spending more time in the Navy.
 
If the program is you get a BS then in a year, you get your MS, you could ask to delay your commissioning.
If it is a combined, both at the same time, you can take a "gap" year.
I have seen both options, as well as the Navy picking up the whole tab.
I have also seen being told No.
OS
 
If the program is you get a BS then in a year, you get your MS, you could ask to delay your commissioning.
If it is a combined, both at the same time, you can take a "gap" year.
I have seen both options, as well as the Navy picking up the whole tab.
I have also seen being told No.
OS

Thanks for the advice. Money is certainly not my primary reason for wanting to do ROTC, it helps with the decision of course haha, but I just want to get the best out of both my college and Navy experiences. I don’t want to have regrets of not finishing a degree or serving enough when I’m older. I just want to make sure I do this right because it is of the utmost importance to me
 
If you stay in the Navy, you will have plenty of opportunities to get one or more advanced degrees.
One of my closest friends was commissioned without a degree. He has a BS and two masters today. All on the Navy. Both masters are from top 25 schools.
OS
 
If you stay in the Navy, you will have plenty of opportunities to get one or more advanced degrees.
One of my closest friends was commissioned without a degree. He has a BS and two masters today. All on the Navy. Both masters are from top 25 schools.
OS

But was he still in Active Duty while obtaining those degrees, like I said I’m afraid of “taking a break” to get a degree and then accidentally starting a normal life, making it harder for me to go back into the Navy
 
Still don't understand why you would need broken service to get a grad degree. There are numerous opportunities to get them on active duty while getting paid. My friend finished his BS on the Navy at a University with no other commitments. He continued to get paid, his tuition was free. His second Masters was similar. That's better than normal in my book.

A "normal" life. That made me smile.
My wife wanted a "normal" life.
There is no normal in the military, but I would argue, neither is there a normal in life in the civilian world.
Let's look at extremes. Pima's number of moves is an outlier, but as I remember it was in the teens. After training I did 8 years on the same base. Had I stayed in, I would have likely done 8-12 more at the same base. A peer's first move was when he made O-7. He did 24 years at one base.
Try doing that making it to the executive suite of a Fortune 500. Been there done that, can't be done.
"I won't travel as much in the civilian world."
Climbing the corporate ladder, most jobs leading people require 60-80% travel.
I will be away from my family. Try taking 3 months off from a civilian job. I did that when one of my children was ill. Not my choice, I was ordered to. "Don't come in until your child is home. Just check in with me once a week."
There are hard times in the military. But the acquired "family" that comes with it is hard to explain to those that haven't lived it.

You are planning for your future, looking past next week. That is awesome. Continue to focus on delivering results, you will always have options.

OS
 
Still don't understand why you would need broken service to get a grad degree. There are numerous opportunities to get them on active duty while getting paid. My friend finished his BS on the Navy at a University with no other commitments. He continued to get paid, his tuition was free. His second Masters was similar. That's better than normal in my book.

A "normal" life. That made me smile.
My wife wanted a "normal" life.
There is no normal in the military, but I would argue, neither is there a normal in life in the civilian world.
Let's look at extremes. Pima's number of moves is an outlier, but as I remember it was in the teens. After training I did 8 years on the same base. Had I stayed in, I would have likely done 8-12 more at the same base. A peer's first move was when he made O-7. He did 24 years at one base.
Try doing that making it to the executive suite of a Fortune 500. Been there done that, can't be done.
"I won't travel as much in the civilian world."
Climbing the corporate ladder, most jobs leading people require 60-80% travel.
I will be away from my family. Try taking 3 months off from a civilian job. I did that when one of my children was ill. Not my choice, I was ordered to. "Don't come in until your child is home. Just check in with me once a week."
There are hard times in the military. But the acquired "family" that comes with it is hard to explain to those that haven't lived it.

You are planning for your future, looking past next week. That is awesome. Continue to focus on delivering results, you will always have options.

OS

Like I said I didn’t want the “broken service” I’m just trying to figure out if I can finish a degree while remaining in active duty.
 
Back to the simple answer, is it possible? yes. Is it normal? no.
OS
 
Back to the simple answer, is it possible? yes. Is it normal? no.
OS

Thanks for the help, it’s funny because I’m making all these plans as if I were going to stay at the college I’m planning on attending, but I plan on reapplying to the Academy until I’m 23 (which I believe is the oldest you can be). Hopefully it won’t take that long but I’ll do whatever it takes to end up where I believe I am supposed to end up.
 
Back to the simple answer, is it possible? yes. Is it normal? no.
OS

Thanks for the help, it’s funny because I’m making all these plans as if I were going to stay at the college I’m planning on attending, but I plan on reapplying to the Academy until I’m 23 (which I believe is the oldest you can be). Hopefully it won’t take that long but I’ll do whatever it takes to end up where I believe I am supposed to end up.
Like OS said, there are many opportunities to earn advanced degrees while on active duty and on the Navy's dime. Not sure who is paying for them but I think at every NROTC unit my DS and I visited, there was at least one active duty staff member working on a Master's degree.

As far as continuing re-applying to the Academy until you end up where you are supposed to be, I go back to what a friend told me last year when my DS has be deferred to regular decision at his #1 school, she told me "he will end up where he's meant to be". Certainly follow your dreams, but be open to new dreams as well. You might just find that you love your regular college and the NROTC experience.
 
But was he still in Active Duty while obtaining those degrees, like I said I’m afraid of “taking a break” to get a degree and then accidentally starting a normal life, making it harder for me to go back into the Navy
People get degrees while on active duty all the time. It's required for promotion at some levels. Getting a Masters or PhD is part of the job. One way people do it is to take a post at an NROTC university. They teach and work with the unit while obtaining their upper level degree. Others do it attending online Universities. Some are detached and get paid while attending a college to get a degree. Trust me, you won't accidentally start a normal civilian life. If you do it, it will be your decision to do so.
 
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