Typical to receive additional school scholarships in addition to NROTC? Honors? Etc

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NavyFamilyTN

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Son has applied for NROTC for 2020 start and now the wait begins. Been reading through these forums the past couple of years and they are very helpful. Wondering if NROTC schools typically award any merit scholarships, honor scholarships, etc on top of NROTC scholarship. Meaning would the college help toward other expenses not covered like housing/meals or does the school say ok. NROTC pays your tuition, fees, books and now you owe $ for room and board/any additional expenses . We will also look at outside sources for scholarships, just wondered how schools did this. We are also aware that some schools cover room and board. Eligible for Hope Scholarship, if he stays in state of TN- Vandy and Mephis. Any help is appreciated in this whole process. Already filled out FASFA. Thank you. Asking because I am aware of some honors scholarships that do cover tuition, room and board, etc.
 
My son is on NROTC Scholarship and attends SMC Norwich University in Vermont. The cadets that are on ROTC Scholarships receive a scholarship which covers their room and board for the four years.
 
Lots of details covered in the Room and Board section of this website. https://www.serviceacademyforums.com/index.php?threads/room-and-board.5429/
But short answer is that it varies. There are some schools that ensure room and board are covered say with a 14 meal a week plan and double occupancy room for Navy scholarship winners who attend their university. There are other schools that do not offer support and in those further some schools have a strong merit / financial aid award pattern, and some simply do not. Franklin and Marshall for example has outstanding aid for those who need financial aid, but little focus on merit scholarships. (We met with them at a college fair last week for my DD). I think the question to ask is what aid or merit scholarships are typically granted for X university, and does the school allow those to be applied toward room and board. Lastly, some students at schools who do not offer room and board opt as upperclassmen to serve as RAs which can cover some of these costs. The FAFSA judgement should let you know what financial aid will be coming and lots of data out there on cutoffs. But if you can't rely on that aid, then look for merit. and talk to each school directly. Happy to help if you have more specific questions. Just be aware it's all about the specific school and how they operate and what happens for one school does not happen at all in this case. Good luck.
 
Fellow TN parent here! DS has been told it depends on the school, but most schools he's been accepted to have let him know any merit scholarships could be stacked with ROTC to cover room & board. Vandy gives an automatic $6,000 for room and board to all ROTC (Navy and Army) recipients, but DS went ahead and applied for one of the big merit scholarships (chances are very slim he'd be awarded any additional merit there, but it was worth a shot. Heck, chances aren't great he'll even be admitted!). Rhodes College has on their website they'd cover room and board for ROTC recipients, but DS wasn't able to verify this (he's not applying there, but was curious). Have your son reach out to the officers at the units; they should know (or will know who to ask) and good luck!
 
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Herman_Snerd said:
Lots of details covered in the Room and Board section of this website. https://www.serviceacademyforums.com/index.php?threads/room-and-board.5429/
But short answer is that it varies. There are some schools that ensure room and board are covered say with a 14 meal a week plan and double occupancy room for Navy scholarship winners who attend their university. There are other schools that do not offer support and in those further some schools have a strong merit / financial aid award pattern, and some simply do not. Franklin and Marshall for example has outstanding aid for those who need financial aid, but little focus on merit scholarships. (We met with them at a college fair last week for my DD). I think the question to ask is what aid or merit scholarships are typically granted for X university, and does the school allow those to be applied toward room and board. Lastly, some students at schools who do not offer room and board opt as upperclassmen to serve as RAs which can cover some of these costs. The FAFSA judgement should let you know what financial aid will be coming and lots of data out there on cutoffs. But if you can't rely on that aid, then look for merit. and talk to each school directly. Happy to help if you have more specific questions. Just be aware it's all about the specific school and how they operate and what happens for one school does not happen at all in this case. Good luck.
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Yes, thank you. Exactly what I was wondering - if the school's merit/honors scholarship can be applied to room and board. Didn't know if any others had experienced getting toward r/b. Actually if you can be in a honors program at the same time?
Holden100 said:
Fellow TN parent here! DS has been told it depends on the school, but most schools he's been accepted to have let him know any merit scholarships could be stacked with ROTC to cover room & board. Vandy gives an automatic $6,000 for room and board to all ROTC (Navy and Army) recipients, but DS went ahead and applied for one of the big merit scholarships (chances are very slim he'd be awarded any additional merit there, but it was worth a shot. Heck, chances aren't great he'll even be admitted!). Rhodes College has on their website they'd cover room and board for ROTC recipients, but DS wasn't able to verify this (he's not applying there, but was curious). Have your son reach out to the officers at the units; they should know (or will know who to ask) and good luck!
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Holden100 said:
Fellow TN parent here! DS has been told it depends on the school, but most schools he's been accepted to have let him know any merit scholarships could be stacked with ROTC to cover room & board. Vandy gives an automatic $6,000 for room and board to all ROTC (Navy and Army) recipients, but DS went ahead and applied for one of the big merit scholarships (chances are very slim he'd be awarded any additional merit there, but it was worth a shot. Heck, chances aren't great he'll even be admitted!). Rhodes College has on their website they'd cover room and board for ROTC recipients, but DS wasn't able to verify this (he's not applying there, but was curious). Have your son reach out to the officers at the units; they should know (or will know who to ask) and good luck!
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Thanks!
 
"Yes, thank you. Exactly what I was wondering - if the school's merit/honors scholarship can be applied to room and board. Didn't know if any others had experienced getting toward r/b. Actually if you can be in a honors program at the same time? "

Yes, some schools have honors programs that come with a number of benefits - additional mentoring, special housing, preferred/ 1st registration of classes, special support/ tutors, and there is a community of honors students you'll live within. Sometimes honors classes too and an honors track. Sometimes a scholarship too per annum. Sometimes these programs come with additional responsibilities too like writing an additional six papers or added research. Direct short answer - yes, there are plenty of ROTC kids who are also in the honors program at their respective universities. Just check with each specific school you're interested in to confirm if there is any concern with doing so. There are definitely a few currently doing this. I'll just say that. I'd just find out if others do it at those schools, and if it's too much sometimes or just an easy benefit for those who qualify. ROTC can be pretty intense as can be the academics at school.

Last point - the navy scholarship is not taxed but merit/honors scholarships used toward room and board are taxable. Just so you know.
 
DS is at Clemson. They do not stack scholarships. Once he found out that he received an ROTC scholarship his merit scholarship was withdrawn. Alabama on the other hand would have allowed him to keep the substantial merit scholarship that they offered him. He loves Clemson though so that’s where he ended up despite the financial benefit of choosing Alabama. He had since received a couple of smaller scholarships from Clemson. So it really does depend!
 
As others have stated it really does vary school to school.
I will say, that at least for our DS (AFROTC) every college he applied to for admittance gave him generous merit packages. Basically, he started out as a free ride.
~ Understand that most colleges will increase the cost of attendance by 5-10% per annum. So, even if it does seem like a free ride now, it might mean loans a few yrs from now. DS graduated in 4 yrs. His cost started at 28K, by his senior yr it was 41K to attend.

Look closely at the merit, as other posters have stated some schools will stack, some will not. Our DS's school took off the top the ROTC scholarship and the merit was applied afterwards.

JMPO, but the stats for many of these recipients are very high, and from a school perspective they are meeting the standards for their merit. Many candidates will not know if they are awarded a ROTC scholarship until early winter, about the same time the merit from schools are awarded. Again, you need to contact the FA directly to see how they do this.
Lastly, the link given is a good start, but also realize some of these schools have changed up their offering to ROTC cadets, so contact them directly.
As a parent, we all think that they will commission 4 yrs later out of ROTC, but these boards are littered with posters that after the 1st semester they have decided this is not their path. How will you pay for the school if they love the school, their major, but not NROTC?
The boards are also littered with because the ROTC scholarship is tied to a major (tier) and academically they are not making it, how will you pay if they go on probation. IE no scholarship for a semester until they pull up their grades.
~ Most merit scholarships are also tied to a gpa like ROTC. AFROTC gpa is 2.5. Our DS's merit was 3.2 cgpa to maintain the scholarship. He was given a warning by the school 1 semester because he fell below the 3.2. His cgpa was 3.198, yep that is how far out they took the cgpa. He brought it up the next semester, but he had not, than he would have kept his ROTC scholarship, while at the same time losing his merit.
~~ This was true for my other 2 at different colleges with merit. They had a min cgpa that they had to carry and it was above the ROTC min. 1 was 3.0, the other was 3.2
 
Herman_Snerd said:
Last point - the navy scholarship is not taxed but merit/honors scholarships used toward room and board are taxable.
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All merit scholarships, grants, financial aid, etc. in excess of academic costs (tuition, Lab fees, books, mandatory student fees, et. al) are taxable. Room and Board are not academic costs.

xROTC stipends are not taxable.
 
my son won the NROTC 4 year scholarship and also won the National Merit scholarship which we use towards room and board. at some of the schools he was accepted to he was additionally offered academic awards, but not at the school he ultimately attends. so we are on the hook for part of the R&B only
 
I automatically got $10k a year in need-based financial aid from my college and I put all of it to room and board.
Just make sure he fills out the FAFSA.
 
At a school DS applied to after receiving the AFROTC scholarship the merit and all other aid was withdrawn but as a scholarship recipient, he also got full room and board. It is a school by school decision, so call the financial aid/scholarship office and the ROTC office for answers. It was so confusing last year, so many ups and downs.
 
DS had his school merit scholarship applied towards his room and board since his NROTC scholarship covered the full tuition. However this is his first semester, and when he first contacted financial aid when he was admitted about using both they said the school aid would be withdrawn. So waiting to see if anything changes...
 
The link above is very helpful for sure (Thanks @UnderseaWarrior ), I'd like to add a few details that readers won't see there but may find helpful.
1. Purdue also allows NROTC students to keep their merit scholarships and apply toward room and board, as long as they apply for them in the EA/ not regular admission deadline.
2. In addition to a number of scholarships, Ohio State has the buckeye merit scholarship and honestly very few people would win the national NROTC scholarship but not qualify for that too. When awarded allows out of state students who qualify to pay in-state tuition. This means NROTC scholarship winners can apply their scholarship to the more expensive Room/ board and only pay in-state tuition. Plus if they get other merit scholarships these too can stack to use for whatever you are paying for.
3. Embry Riddle has some coverage for national NROTC scholarship winners, allows students to apply merit scholarships toward room and board and in some cases for national scholarship winners may cover the rest.
Verify if interested in learning more. Also, there are AROTC programs too that do cover Room and board for scholarship ROTC kids. Lots of them. And some AFROTC too. Hopefully these young people are applying to multiple service branches, will get their choices in front of them by late-April then make a decision on what is best for them. Others can add more details and hope this helps.

There are some cool off campus setups that seem to pass from ROTC upper to rising upper classmen at some universities - that combination of convenient/ pretty cool, etc. In some cases the ROTC kids get a check for what would have been room and board, to use off campus.

Good luck.
 
CadetDreamer said:
I automatically got $10k a year in need-based financial aid from my college and I put all of it to room and board.
Just make sure he fills out the FAFSA.
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Yes. Have completed Fasfa and CSS. That’s kind of my question. Say EFC is $30K. School costs $40 K $16k room
And board. Say You get scholarship from Nrotc covers tuition. Is the family then responsible for room and board? Or would financial assistance be likely? This is so confusing.
 
Herman_Snerd said:
The link above is very helpful for sure (Thanks @UnderseaWarrior ), I'd like to add a few details that readers won't see there but may find helpful.
1. Purdue also allows NROTC students to keep their merit scholarships and apply toward room and board, as long as they apply for them in the EA/ not regular admission deadline.
2. In addition to a number of scholarships, Ohio State has the buckeye merit scholarship and honestly very few people would win the national NROTC scholarship but not qualify for that too. When awarded allows out of state students who qualify to pay in-state tuition. This means NROTC scholarship winners can apply their scholarship to the more expensive Room/ board and only pay in-state tuition. Plus if they get other merit scholarships these too can stack to use for whatever you are paying for.
3. Embry Riddle has some coverage for national NROTC scholarship winners, allows students to apply merit scholarships toward room and board and in some cases for national scholarship winners may cover the rest.
Verify if interested in learning more. Also, there are AROTC programs too that do cover Room and board for scholarship ROTC kids. Lots of them. And some AFROTC too. Hopefully these young people are applying to multiple service branches, will get their choices in front of them by late-April then make a decision on what is best for them. Others can add more details and hope this helps.

There are some cool off campus setups that seem to pass from ROTC upper to rising upper classmen at some universities - that combination of convenient/ pretty cool, etc. In some cases the ROTC kids get a check for what would have been room and board, to use off campus.

Good luck.
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Nrotc- doesn’t that cover tuition in and out of state?
 
NavyFamilyTN said:
Nrotc- doesn’t that cover tuition in and out of state?
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The Navy ROTC scholarship entitles its recipients to full-tuition assistance or room-and-board reimbursement, as well as a textbook/fee allowance and a monthly stipend. As discussed, some schools cover both tuition and room and board - others do not, offer partial assistance, or only offer a handful of scholarships to cover room and board.

The point here is that national scholarship winners may have less expenses in applying the scholarship toward the higher room and board than the lower in-state tuition - usually not, but... If tuition is 9k and room and board is 15k, I know which one I'd want to pay for 4 years:) When a school like Ohio State offers in-state tuition to out of state people through that buckeye scholarship, it's a pretty fantastic deal. Without that, it would be a no-brainer to apply it toward out of state tuition.

Personally, I advocate for attending a school that covers both but if not, then deals like this should be explored.
 
Herman_Snerd said:
The Navy ROTC scholarship entitles its recipients to full-tuition assistance or room-and-board reimbursement,
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This is incorrect. The NROTC scholarship covers full-tuition, plus fees, etc. NROTC does not cover room & board, although some schools may elect to help NROTC students with that cost. Midshipmen cannot choose to apply the scholarship to room and board.

Source Link: https://www.nrotc.navy.mil/scholarship_benefits.html
 
NavyFamilyTN said:
Yes. Have completed Fasfa and CSS. That’s kind of my question. Say EFC is $30K. School costs $40 K $16k room
And board. Say You get scholarship from Nrotc covers tuition. Is the family then responsible for room and board? Or would financial assistance be likely? This is so confusing.
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I think it depends on the school. Some schools give some money for room/board, and then if you stay in TN and qualify for Hope and Hope Merit, that can be applied to room/board (I think b/w the 2 - Hope and Hope Merit - that's about $5-$6K). So, let's say you got into Vandy and have an NROTC scholarship, room and board there is about $16K. The school grants all NROTC recipients $6K for room and board. Then, if you get another about $5K with the 2 Hope scholarships, you're left with a balance of about $5K. I 'hope' that helps!
 
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