Veterans Program

Prior Service Has Its Advantages with Army ROTC
Are you a veteran who is considering college? Well, prior service has its advantages with Army ROTC.

What is Army ROTC?
It's a program offered at hundreds of colleges and universities nationwide, training college students to be officers in the active Army, Army National Guard and Army Reserve. It's a four-year program, divided into two parts: a Basic Course and an Advanced Course. Its mission is, "to commission the future officer leadership of the U. S. Army."

ROTC Credit for Military Service
Your military experience could fulfill your credit requirements for the ROTC Basic Course. This means that if credit is granted, and you are not on an Army ROTC three-year scholarship, you can skip the freshman and sophomore years of ROTC and enroll directly in the Advanced Course.

Learning to Be a Leader
In the ROTC Advanced Course you will learn leadership development, organization and management, tactics, and ethics and professionalism -- qualities essential to a future Army officer. Your instruction will go beyond the classroom to help you gain practical management and leadership experience.

Practicing What You Learn
At Advanced Camp, you'll put into practice the principles, theories and decision-making skills you learned in the classroom. You'll plan and execute tactical missions, and you'll shoulder a lot of responsibility as you are given the opportunity to serve in leadership positions. At the end of Advanced Camp, you'll leave with renewed pride and increased confidence in your ability to serve as a leader in the Army officer corps.

Financial Help During College
You may be eligible to compete for an ROTC scholarship while you're in college. The scholarship pays for most tuition and on-campus educational fees which are required of all students, and provides a fixed amount for books, supplies, and equipment. It also provides an allowance of up to $2,000 for each year the scholarship is in effect. Even if you don't win a scholarship, you will still receive the allowance for each year of the Advanced Course, along with your uniforms and military science textbooks and materials. Plus, all cadets are paid for attending Advanced Camp. And, if eligible, you may also collect any VA benefits to which you would normally be entitled.

Your Age at Commissioning
To be awarded an ROTC scholarship, you must be under 27 years of age on June 30th of the year you expect to graduate and receive your officer's commission. However, as a veteran, you may receive up to three years' extension for your past military service. If you do not win an ROTC scholarship, you must be younger than 30 years of age at the time you are commissioned. Requests for a waiver of age may be considered on an individual basis.

Join ROTC and the Guard or Reserve While You're in College
You may be able to take advantage of a program that allows you to participate in ROTC and enlist in the Army National Guard or Army Reserve at the same time, provided a vacancy exists in either a Guard or Reserve unit. It's called the Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP), and it means that while you're still in college you can be gaining valuable experience and earning extra income. Under the SMP, you will be paid at the rate of at least a sergeant (E-5) for your Guard or Reserve service, and you'll receive the ROTC Advanced Course allowance as well. You'll serve as an officer trainee in a Guard or Reserve unit and perform duties commensurate with the grade of second lieutenant. And once you are graduated and commissioned, you may continue your military service with your unit or apply for active duty in the US Army.

Military Service Obligation
Following graduation, ROTC cadets are required to serve in the active Army, Army National Guard or Army Reserve. All scholarship students will be required to serve in the military for a period of eight years. This obligation may be fulfilled by serving two to four years on active duty, followed by four to six years' service as citizen-soldiers in the Army National Guard (ARNG) or US Army Reserve (USAR). Or, by serving eight years in the ARNG or USAR preceded by a period necessary to complete the active component resident Officer Basic Course (OBC). Non-scholarship graduates may serve three years on active duty and five years as citizen-soldiers, or they may select or be selected to fulfill their total military obligation as citizen-soldiers. If Reserve Forces Duty is selected, graduates will serve a period of active duty necessary to complete the active component resident OBC, and spend the remainder of the eight-year obligation in the ARNG or USAR.

Find Out More!
Army ROTC is a good deal for anybody. It's an even better deal for veterans like you, because Army ROTC helps you apply what you've already learned to new situations as you train for a leadership role. You'll receive an officer's commission and, when you return to active duty, your previous active duty enlisted time will even count toward both longevity pay and retirement. If you are already out of the service, select a college that offers the program and contact the Professor of Military Science for more information. Let Army ROTC help you make the most of the time you have already invested and the experience you have already gained in the military.