Transferring from a service academy to rotc

WAMM2015

5-Year Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2011
Messages
1
Hey everyone I am in my plebe year at USMMA and I was wondering if it would be possible to transfer to a Marine option NROTC program in the spring. I am doing well in all my classes and this has nothing with me failing classes or the difficulties of plebe life, the main reason for me wanting to transfer is because of the lack of the military aspect here at the Academy.The focus here is on the maritime industry and rightfully so being that it is a maritime school however that does not interest me, I feel I would be better off at an rotc program studying a major that interests me and being able to focus on the military aspect as opposed to the maritime one.
So basically my queston is if I applied for a nrotc scholarship now and transfered after this trimester which ends in November would i be able to receive the scholarship this year or would I have to wait until my 3/c year until the scholarship would take effect, also if I get my package in soon when would I find out if I receive the scholarship?

Thank you in advance for your help
 
Last edited:
I don't think you can apply for any ROTC scholarship (Navy-Navy Option, Navy-Marine Option, Air Force, Army) unless you are a senior in High School.

Those that missed the "Sr. in High School" time frame generally have to join an NROTC Unit as a non-scholarship mid, and hope funding comes through for College Programmers, as they are called, to receive a 3 yr. or 2 yr. scholarship. This is quite rare, however. I'm also not sure if College Program mids are allowed into the Marine Option... I don't think so.

You have other options with the Army ROTC. You can hook up with a program called SMP, which I cannot explain well, but generally means you join the Army Reserves or National Guard now, do basic training now, and join your school's AROTC as soon as you've finished Basic. You get part of your college paid for from being in Army Reserves. I hope I didn't butcher that, but bascially it's a side door into AROTC that doesn't require the Scholarship award out of High School.

Last way with Army is the same as with Navy... join a Unit/Battalion without a scholarship, and hope that money comes in to give you a scholarship after the first year, or second year in the program. This used to be VERY common 3-4 years ago, up until last year. It is going be be pretty rare going forward, I am afraid to report.

I think the most economical route, honestly, if you don't want to do SMP, is to attend an in-state school that offers AROTC, hopefully one that you can commute to from home, and go through four years as a non-scholarship cadet. You will still commission as a 2nd Lieutenant,without any prejudice that you were not on scholarship, but your Active Duty Service Obligation (ADSO) will be three years instead of the four for a Scholarship cadet. There are some Army Branches like Infantry, Armor, and Field Artillery that have some of what may be attracting you to Marines... not "Tip of the Spear" exactly, but certainly still a "Lethal part of the Spear."

P.S. Why did you apply to the USMMA if what you really wanted was Navy or Marines?
 
Last edited:
You need to be prepared to transfer to a school that has ROTC, enroll in the class, and hope you can luck into a campus based scholarship. With the current scholarship situation I would be very surprised if a program would award you a scholarship, walking in off the street, when I'm sure they have cadets in house that they are familiar with who are lined up for the limited resources.

Your best bet is to contact some NROTC programs, if the navy is really what you want and ask the same question.

Good luck.
 
Most colleges are not on trimester, so you may not be able to transfer in Nov., but instead have to wait until Jan. Additionally, it would be important to get your paperwork in ASAP for the transfer since most colleges will also have an admissions board for transfers, and typically they meet in Oct.

When you call you should also look into when the paperwork for campus based scholarships must be submitted for the spring semester. You could find yourself out in the cold if you miss that deadline date, with both the school and the scholarship.

As others have stated with the current fiscal situation the competition is tough. IMPO, it is probably easier to go ROTC scholarship to an SA than SA to ROTC scholarship.
 
Back
Top