ROTC and Room and Board

Libertador

5-Year Member
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Jan 23, 2014
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Desperately searching for an answer to this question on any forum I can. I won a 4 year Army scholarship to both American University and George Washington University but I highly doubt my issue is specific to those two schools so if anyone can shed some light on the matter I'd be very appreciative.

Since room and board costs are still a substanial $14000 I really need to cut into that number to make it affordable. I've recieved conflicting answers on whether institutional need or merit based aid can ONLY be used for tuition expenses or whether they can be used by the student to pay for room and board as well? It's great that the Army will pay for tuition but I cannot pay $14000 and do not want to take loans. Do some universities really restrict their need or merit based awards to tuition for cadets and other students? If anyone has experience with this issue at these schools specifically or any other school, I would really appreciate help. This is the difference between being able to attend school on an ROTC scholarship or not. Thanks. As a side note the obvious answer is to ask the school. Well I recieved two a yes answer and no answer from two different FA officers within 30 minutes yesterday.
 
Make sure you/your parents file the FAFSA to determine if you can get need-based financial aid in the form of grants or scholarships, which could help pay for your R&B. Have you applied for each university's general scholarships, which may be merit or need-based? It appears that GW Univ may kick in $4k toward room & board if you have an ROTC scholarship. If you cannot afford the tuition/R&B at the colleges you received the scholarship to, you should think before accepting it there, in the off chance that something happens in your 2-4th years.

George Washington University (from their website):
ROTC SCHOLARS

Qualifying ROTC scholars may be eligible for awards toward the cost of GW campus housing and meals. Navy, Army, and Air Force ROTC scholars who are new to the military service with majors in computer science, mathematics, chemistry, physics, or engineering may be eligible for a $4,000 room and board award. Regardless of major, NROTC scholars with prior Navy experience may be eligible for awards up to the average cost of room and board.

American University (from their website):
Outside awards such as ROTC, some scholarships and employer tuition benefits can also be used only for tuition.
 
Libertador,
Maybe I didn't answer your question. I think you need to go back and ask someone else in the Financial Aid departments of each of those two colleges. I know my DD received merit & need-based financial aid (scholarships and grants) that were used to pay tuition and R&B at her college. She also had work-study and student loans. The scholarship/grants were applied to the tuition and R&B first, then the student loans were applied to the remaining balance. Work-study is not given out in advance. I hope this helps.
 
+1 to ca2's post that you call the financial aid office. This is no longer a broad question, but one that is tied to two specific universities. Only the FA office is going to be able to give you an answer for 2014-15. It is semi tied to the scholarship, but it appears you still are looking for financial guidance, on the best bang for your buck,
~~~ There maybe a parent with a child that will graduate in 16, and they may have had a different program for the year they were admiited than what is current. Only the bursar or FA can give the real deal for 14-15.

Talk to your folks and ask if they have done the FAFSA.

Traditionally, merit and FA packets are awarded after admission, approximately a month later. IOWS for you it may come down to knowing the bottom line after you accept the ROTC scholarship.

You also need to discuss housing availability. Our DS had ROTC and merit. His college placed AFROTC towards tuition, and merit towards board, but they did not guarantee housing for four years. He lived off campus his upperclassmen years, and that merit was not paid by the college in a form of a check. Nor did his college cut you a check if meirt and ROTC scholarship are over the cost. It was up to the cost.

Additionally, if you use the ROTC scholarship for R&B, it is taxable. Hence, talk to the folks, because depending on their tax rate they may decide from a tax purpose it is not advantageous to take the R&B approach. Simplistic terms they could go from, a 28% to 31%.

OBTW, if you want to use forums as a Google search method. I would actually go to WWW.collegeconfidential.com. Both of these schools have forums that have kids, (non-rotc or ROTC) hoping to attend these specific schools. The posters there will IMPO be able to assist you faster than any of us.

Finally, colleges act like businesses. Their business just happens to be education. Don't believe me, than explain why GW has an endowment of 1.56 BILLION, whereas, American has 455 MILLION.

Logic says AU would have less merit offered, but maybe not. Maybe AU offers more merit and that is why their endowment is loweer. Thus, why you need to discuss this with the FA office at each college,

OBTW our DS's merit demanded a 3.2 for merit, AFROTC was 2.5. You need to read the fine print for meirt just as much as you read the fine print for ROTC. We found out that according to his college they took it to the 1/1000th for rounding and it was not his cgpa, but every semester. He had a 3.4 cgpa, yet one semester he caarried a 3.193, and that meant it didn't roll to a 3.20, They sent a you are in jeopardy letter, even though his cumulatiuve was cleakry not in jeopardy. We didn't realize to them it was not 3.2, but 3.20
 
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Libertador,

Looks like they have answered the nut and bolts of your question, I just wanted to add one thing.

There has always been a Mantra on this site to list schools on the scholarship application you can afford without the scholarship, or at least those that would not break the entire bank.

The issue is, the military pays the rack rate (Highest amount allowable) for tuition. There are risks with taking a scholarship, there have been threads on this board telling of cadets that have been disenrolled and are now on the hook for all the scholarship money the military has spent, at the rack rate.

There are many ways a cadet can be dropped from a program, the results can sometime mean close to financial ruin, at least for a while. The other thing to consider is what happens if you decide you don't like it after your freshman year, will you be able to afford the tuition or at least have minimal loans.

These are all things that should be considered before accepting the scholarship at higher cost schools.

Just remember, this scholarship is not like others, if you leave after your first year, you have to pay it all back.
 
Libertador,

Looks like they have answered the nut and bolts of your question, I just wanted to add one thing.

There has always been a Mantra on this site to list schools on the scholarship application you can afford without the scholarship, or at least those that would not break the entire bank.

The issue is, the military pays the rack rate (Highest amount allowable) for tuition. There are risks with taking a scholarship, there have been threads on this board telling of cadets that have been disenrolled and are now on the hook for all the scholarship money the military has spent, at the rack rate.

There are many ways a cadet can be dropped from a program, the results can sometime mean close to financial ruin, at least for a while. The other thing to consider is what happens if you decide you don't like it after your freshman year, will you be able to afford the tuition or at least have minimal loans.

These are all things that should be considered before accepting the scholarship at higher cost schools.

Just remember, this scholarship is not like others, if you leave after your first year, you have to pay it all back.

+1 to Jcleppe. Especially if making bank on room and board alone is a struggle.
 
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