Plan B Timing Issues: AROTC 4-yr Scholarship and USMA-BFE Waiting

[ZeroEmish]

I have a question on Plan B timing for USMA with an AROTC 4-yr. scholarship in hand. It looks like AROTC Scholarship has a "must accept" date yet not all WP appointments will be out by end of winter. Any advice on AROTC acceptance for a 4-yr AROTC, then an appointment to USMA coming in well after that date, then accepting the appointment USMA? What's the AROTC obligation of acceptance? How have others handled this situation of timing issues considering appointment for most is a USMA-BFE waiting game, sometimes into late spring? Thank you.

 

[Fiona1124]

We were told to accept the scholarship by the due date, and if you get the BFE and accept from USMA, the 4-year scholarship is automatically forfeited.

 

[Momtoranchkids]

DD was told to accept the AROTC Scholarship, then if she got an appointment, she could then decline, possibly even after R Day came and went. That last deadline I am not totally sure about, however. June 1 seems to be the date I remember to commit to AROTC.

 

[Walman888]

You can accept it and still accept an appointment later. Same thing happened with DD. No issues at all.

 

[Eyfdshv]

I would still reach out to an AROTC representative to confirm these

 

[DrMom]

Army ROTC knows that a lot of the kids who receive early scholarships will also get accepted into the Academy.
Accept the ROTC now, and you can turn it down later--and some lucky kid somewhere else in America will get a scholarship!

 

[dddad]

Our DD accepted the ROTC scholarship. The battalion she would have joined asked her what she would do if appointed and she told it. She understood based on conversation with battalion that the scholarship would disappear if she reported for R-Day, which she did.

 

[Boudreau10]

Accept your AROTC scholarship. Once you get accepted to USMA, if you do, the ROTC scholarship will be invalid and you will not have to worry about anything.

 

[Sargrio22]

Army ROTC knows that a lot of the kids who receive early scholarships will also get accepted into the Academy.
Accept the ROTC now, and you can turn it down later--and some lucky kid somewhere else in America will get a scholarship!

So, another kid would get the scholarship? I think that’s awesome.

 

[dddad]

So, another kid would get the scholarship? I think that’s awesome.

I think this may be an oversimplification of how things work. But a scholarship that isn’t utilized may result in funds available for additional scholarships. This phenomena of AROTC scholarships not being used may be built into the arithmetic as to how many scholarships are awarded initially.After all, every year, USMA and ROTC will be competing for some of the same applicants. I’m curious whether there is further intelligence on this issue.

 

[Jcleppe]

Accept your AROTC scholarship. Once you get accepted to USMA, if you do, the ROTC scholarship will be invalid and you will not have to worry about anything.

The AROTC Scholarship does not become invalid until you decline it, If you receive an appointment to WP the AROTC Scholarship will remain valid until you decide to formally decline, many will hold that scholarship up to R-Day just as a safety net incase something happens between the appointment and R-Day.

So, another kid would get the scholarship? I think that’s awesome.

t's not quite that simple, if a WP Appointee declines their AROTC Scholarship well before the third board then it may mean that it can be given out during the next round. If the appointee declines the scholarship after the last board, it just disappears, it's possible that the funds saved could be used for future campus based scholarships.

Don't feel pressured to decline an AROTC Scholarship as soon as you receive an appointment, you earned both so keep it until you're about to start R-Day as a backup.

 

[DrMom]

When I speak it is from the perspective of someone who knows. An early turn down may results in a scholarship being awarded to a candidate waiting. Otherwise, the funds can be re-allocated with the Army ROTC program and a promising candidate or cadet can receive a scholarship or an additional year of scholarship. It does not go to waste.

 

[williamsdr3]

We were told to accept the scholarship by the due date, and if you get the BFE and accept from USMA, the 4-year scholarship is automatically forfeited.

This is correct - it says this in the portal itself somewhere.

 

[dah19]

My DS (last year) accepted AROTC, AFROTC, and USAFA. When he decided on AFROTC he declined AROTC, and when he visited USAFA and made that his #1 he declined AFROTC. This is very common.

 

[Dadx4]

This year, DD accepted AFROTC, NROTC, and AROTC. Until she knows what civilian colleges (if any) will accept her, she's keeping all three options open. Some of the colleges she applied to have one or two of the branches but not the other(s).

 

[Backcountryasm]

You should thoroughly read your instructions package word for word. DS was awarded AFROTC and AROTC 4 year scholarships and we are awaiting NROTC-MO decision. Both AFROTC and AROTC packages state that acceptance of the scholarship reserves your spot but is not binding. Your scholarship is not binding until you contract. This language is specifically in these packages.