Scholarship Midshipman

NROTC Scholarships — General Eligibility Requirements

Since only the best candidates are accepted for the NROTC Program, certain general, academic and physical standards are required.NROTC Requirements

An Applicant for NROTC Programs must:

  1. Be a U.S. citizen
  2. Be 17 years old by September 1 of the first year of college and no more than 23 years of age on June 30 of that year. Must not reach their 27th birthday by June 30 of the year in which graduation and commissioning are anticipated. An age waiver may be granted for prior active military service.
  3. Be a high school graduate or possess an equivalency certificate by August 1 of the same year that entrance into the four-year NROTC Program is anticipated.
  4. Be physically qualified by Navy standards
  5. Have no moral obligations or personal convictions that will prevent conscientious bearing of arms and supporting and defending of the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic
  6. Apply for and gain admission to NROTC colleges. (Admission to an NROTC institution is not required during the selection process; however, notification of admission must be received before the scholarship can be activated.)
  7. Achieve qualifying scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or the American College Test (ACT), or be in the top 10 percent of your graduating class.

Minimum Scores needed are:

SAT — 530 Critical Reading, 520 Math
ACT — 22 Math, 22 English

Please note that Boston University and the schools with which it has a cross-town agreement generally require significantly higher scores for admission.

General Academic Requirements

  • Calculus I and II (completed by the end of the sophomore year)*
  • Physics I and II (completion of calculus-based physics by the end of the junior year)*
  • English grammar and composition (two semesters)
  • National Security Policy/American Military Affairs*
  • Cultural Awareness

NROTC students also take a Naval Science course each semester, participate in weekly drill instruction periods and complete a four- to six-week training period each summer. Navy Nurse NROTC students participate in summer training in compliance with their individual nursing curriculum requirements.

All NROTC students must be in top physical shape and pass a rigorous physical examination to qualify for the NROTC Program.

Some medical diagnoses can disqualify applicants.

If you have health-concern questions, please consult your local NROTC coordinator.

The Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board (DODMERB) schedules and reviews all physical examinations. Applying for more than one military academy or ROTC scholarship program requires only one physical examination.

If DODMERB detects a disqualifying medical condition, a written request is required for waiver consideration. Some disqualifying medical conditions may be waived after additional review. Surgical, laser or mechanical procedures to correct defective visual acuity are absolute cause for disqualification. Keratoconus or a history of treatment for this condition is absolutely disqualifying.

Military Service Requirements

  1. Upon graduation, NROTC Navy option graduates are commissioned as Ensigns in the U.S. Navy
  2. Students will have an eight-year military service obligation. Four years of Active Duty and four years of selective-reserve or inactive ready-reserve duty
  3. A minimum of two years of Active Duty Enlisted service or reimbursement of all tuition dollars paid may be required for students who disenroll or are disqualified for academic or personal reasons after the first day of their sophomore year
  4. If disenrolled, personnel on Active Duty who were released early to accept NROTC Scholarships must complete their original Enlisted contracts