The NROTC Program was established to educate and train qualified young men and women for service as commissioned officers in the unrestricted line Naval Reserve or Marine Corps Reserve. As the largest single source of Navy and Marine Corps officers, the NROTC Scholarship Program plays an important role in preparing mature young men and women for leadership and management positions in an increasingly technical Navy and Marine Corps. Follow the links below for more information about this exciting opportunity, and learn how to apply today! There are a variety of ways to achieve your goal of becoming a Naval Officer through the NROTC program:
National Scholarship: Apply for the National NROTC Scholarship (which is a 4-year scholarship if you are graduating high school) at https://www.netc.navy.mil/Commands/Naval-Service-Training-Command/NROTC/... . Students typically start the application before the end of their junior year of high school with the goal of having everything submitted during the fall of their senior year. High school seniors and college freshmen are eligible to apply assuming they have completed fewer than 30 college credits (credits taken at an undergrad institution -- AP credits do not apply to this rule). The NROTC Scholarship program selects from a national pool of applicants. The selectees are then assigned to one of about 70 universities across the country that have NROTC units. Scholarship applications for fall matriculation are due by 31 January of that year. After you submit the online application, continue to check the status of your application online. Eventually, you will see the contact information of a local recruiter that will work with you to complete the remaining items of the application package. Feel free to contact Purdue NROTC with any questions regarding the overall program.
Non-Scholarship (known as the "College Program"): Students who join the Purdue NROTC program as non-scholarship Midshipmen compete for "Sideload Scholarships" or "Advanced Standing" during their freshman and sophomore years here at the unit. Students cannot continue in the program past the end of their sophomore year unless they receive a scholarship (either National or Sideload) or are awarded Advanced Standing. Non-scholarship applications are due by 1 July in the summer preceding starting the program.
Sideload Scholarship. Full tuition scholarship (for remaining 2 or 3 years) awarded to top performing freshmen or sophomore College Program Midshipmen. The number of available sideload scholarships varies year-to-year based on projected attrition and production goals in the NROTC program. Students are nominated for this scholarship by NROTC units across the nation, and the awardees are selected by our parent command in Pensacola, FL. It is typically more difficult to get a sideload scholarship because there are relatively few available.
Advanced Standing. A non-scholarship path to commissioning in which students are permitted to continue in the NROTC program through their junior and senior years without a scholarship. Students on Advanced Standing are paid a monthly stipend, but are not awarded any tuition money. Advanced Standing selections are made based on a competitive selection process among the pool of combined sideload scholarship candidates from all NROTC units nationwide.
