What is ROTC and Why Should I Care?

If your child has any inclination to serve their country, consider two compelling paths that lead to graduating from college as a military officer (at little-to-no cost).

What are the options?

If your child wants to serve as a military officer in any of the branches, service academies and ROTC programs are two great places to start.

What do these programs have in common?

• world-class education
• unparalleled leadership training
• international travel
• high-prestige and reputation
• engaged alumni network
• emphasis on camaraderie and teamwork
• guaranteed summer jobs
• highly-transferable technical skills
• guaranteed job for 5 years after college
• paid a monthly stipend starting freshman year
• free education

Yes, a free (or nearly free) education. With the rising cost of college, these programs are becoming more and more competitive.  And with options like attending Harvard and Princeton on an ROTC scholarship, people are paying attention.

What are service academies?

Military service academies are 4-year colleges rich in military tradition, culture, and training. Their goal is to educate, train and inspire the future leaders of the U.S. military.

There are five service academies:

• U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis, MD)
• U.S. Military Academy - aka West Point (West Point, NY)
• U.S. Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs, CO)
• U.S. Coast Guard Academy (Groton, CT)
• U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point, NY)

To learn more about the specifics of applying to service academies, check out this blog post.

What is ROTC?

ROTC, on the other hand, stands for the Reserve Officer Training Corps. This program awards scholarships to students who want to become military officers, but do not necessarily want to attend one of the service academies. I talk to many parents and students who have never heard of ROTC before.

Instead of attending the Naval Academy or West Point, ROTC candidates can attend traditional colleges like Notre Dame, Northwestern, and Harvard - but with the same goal of serving as military officers upon graduation. A comprehensive list of colleges and universities that offer ROTC programs can be found here.   

I often refer to ROTC candidates as full-time college students and part-time aspiring military officers.  As such, ROTC candidates do have requirements that regular college students do not.

ROTC programs often attract students who prefer the ROTC college experience over the more intense "academy life" experience.

What to expect with ROTC programs:

• multi-step application process: must receive an ROTC scholarship and get accepted/matched with a school on applicant's priority list (list of 5)
• attend a traditional college like Boston College, Vanderbilt, Fordham, Ohio State, etc. (not a military campus) - see attached list
• a less regimented campus experience
• attend school with other ROTC candidates, but generally function as a regular college student on campus
• wear uniforms around campus 1-2x per week (varies)
• must enroll in a few "military" courses in addition to standard course load
• some restrictions on college major choices
• more free time
• mandatory physical fitness program
• monthly drills
• summer cruises (multi-week commitments)
• cost to attend: $0 or some portion of tuition
• guaranteed job for 5 years post-graduation

ROTC or service academy?