Tuition Protection Program for Freshman?

[GLeopard]

I just received notice of my son's tuition charge for next semester, which NROTC pays at his college. With the notice is information about a Tuition Protection Plan that will cover the tuition expense for a covered reason, I'm assuming a legitimate medical reason. My son is in excellent health and enjoying NROTC tremendously, with no plans for leaving school or getting sick. However, in a worst-case scenario, if something awful happens, would we have to reimburse the tuition to the Navy if he has to leave school due to a medical reason as a second semester freshman? After he commits to NROTC when a sophomore and beyond, would we have to reimburse the Navy then? I'm trying to determine if and/or when I should buy the Tuition Protection Plan. He's attending school out of state, so repaying the tuition would be extremely difficult. Thank you.

 

[Herman_Snerd]

The tuition protection sounds like it would help you only during this semester should your son need to not finish the semester for any reason expressly outlined in the agreement, and/or in his case lose his NROTC scholarship and opt to drop out vs have to pay? Before you pay for it, make sure it would help you if he lost his scholarship but wanted to finish the semester. I think it's more for people who don't complete the semester, but don't want to lose the money they had laid out (let us know what you find out please).

• if he leaves school for an unavoidable, non-caused medical reason this semester, it is unlikely the Navy will ask for recoupment. To confirm, he should discuss risks directly with his chain of command, read his rulebook, and know exactly these risks and what to avoid.
• If you feel he will complete the semester with all standards met in NROTC (no arrests, failed drug test, physical tests, participation, grades, etc.), then the hedge coverage of tuition protection would not really be of high value to you. If you feel he is at risk to not finish the semester, then you could decide to take it.
• Your son can walk away from NROTC after 2 semesters his freshman year and owe nothing as long as he quits before day 1 of sophomore year- a "free" first year to try the program so to speak. But, yes, once he starts day 1 of sophomore year, then he's on the hook for all scholarship monies from the start, until he commissions and serves as a form of scholarship repayment with years of service, if you will. There are some exceptions (medical DQ for SOME) but there are horror stories of people in ROTC and service academies who don't make it to commissioning, and get handed a recoupment bill and are in a nightmare scenario.
• the bottom line is that participation in any ROTC program is a big risk regarding financial liability after year 1. If you cannot afford this specific school without the scholarship, please do some soul searching and decide if you're taking a larger risk than needed. You should discuss the option to transfer the scholarship to a perhaps in-state state school you could more afford should something not work out in NROTC, or you can carry the risk. As a parent of a child in a private, expensive school, this risk has weighed on me since we started this program. Good that you're aware of it - plan accordingly and "no sad faces" if you sign up for an expensive school and in the years ahead you get a 250k bill and end up having to pay for it- that's an avoidable risk and choice you've made and are making.

Hope that helps.

 

[justdoit19]

Echo above: make sure your event would be a COVERED EVENT. My gut (only a guess) tells me that this would be a bigger challenge…actually using the policy, as opposed to the risk of being separated and responsible for repay.

My experience with insurance policies such as these is that the exclusions are plentiful. Making using them actually difficult. I would recommend checking, and double checking, the your event would actually be covered. Vs excluded. And yes, let us know!

 

[GLeopard]

Thank you, Herman_Snerd and justdoit19, I appreciate the quick and thoughtful responses. My only concern is what may happen if my son receives a medical injury. I will need to do more research to determine what would disqualify him from NROTC if a medical injury occurs. (The insurance only covers a medical injury that requires him to disenroll from school, and yes, with a few "exclusions.")

My son loves his NROTC unit and the university he is attending. He, his father, and I are extremely grateful for the scholarship - and my son has no intention of doing anything that would disqualify him from NROTC. Yet accidents happen, and repaying out-of-state tuition would be extremely difficult. At this point transferring to an in-state NROTC program, just to avoid the possibility of a financial hit, would be heartbreaking for him.

During Thanksgiving break, I will discuss with my son the reasons as indicated in his rulebook that could medically disqualify him. In the meantime, I will continue to accept the risk and pray for continued excellent health!

Once I receive more information from my son about NROTC medical disqualification criteria, I will discuss these with the insurance company to see what they would cover.

Thank you again.

 

[justdoit19]

If this insurance policy would cover tuition, if disenrolled from a military program due to a medical issue? And it is affordable? I would get it in a heartbeat, just for piece of mind, in your situation. Medical separations DO happen. No matter how careful one is. So do academic, legal, etc ones. Every year. And then the student (family) is faced with exactly what you describe. It is also why it is advised to select a school that one could afford if that does happen (for general readership…).

I have never heard of tuition insurance! Thats A new one!!

 

[Herman_Snerd]

Thank you, Herman_Snerd and justdoit19, I appreciate the quick and thoughtful responses. My only concern is what may happen if my son receives a medical injury. I will need to do more research to determine what would disqualify him from NROTC if a medical injury occurs. (The insurance only covers a medical injury that requires him to disenroll from school, and yes, with a few "exclusions.")

My son loves his NROTC unit and the university he is attending. He, his father, and I are extremely grateful for the scholarship - and my son has no intention of doing anything that would disqualify him from NROTC. Yet accidents happen, and repaying out-of-state tuition would be extremely difficult. At this point transferring to an in-state NROTC program, just to avoid the possibility of a financial hit, would be heartbreaking for him.

During Thanksgiving break, I will discuss with my son the reasons as indicated in his rulebook that could medically disqualify him. In the meantime, I will continue to accept the risk and pray for continued excellent health!

Once I receive more information from my son about NROTC medical disqualification criteria, I will discuss these with the insurance company to see what they would cover.

Thank you again.

All sounds constructive/ good. If the best education option works out, how wonderful to get the top education vs alternative. Just remember that the great majority of mids that don't make it to commission and serve did not intend to not have this work out - but, it sometimes happens.

If you look at a picture of AFROTC or NROTC first day first year participants at a unit including college programmers, and the commissioning ceremonies 4 years later it's often a much smaller group (example: 180 new mids turning into 40 new Ensigns). Even isolating those on scholarship, in prior years 5-10% of Navy National Scholarship winners didn't make it through NSI alone - some of which dropped entirely, additional mids will drop in the first and second semesters, then before year 2, and annually. It's tragic but it happens - mechanical injury, can't get through calc/ physics, emerging mental health issues in their early 20s, alcohol issues, grades, PT failure, realizing this in reality isn't for them, etc.

Good luck.