Army ROTC Scholarship

Do you want to serve your local community and nation after college as an Army officer? If so, the Army ROTC scholarship may be for you. The Army ROTC scholarship pays either all tuition and fees or housing and food up to $12K a year. In return, recipients commission as Army officers in either the Active Duty Force, the Army Reserves or the National Guard.

Critical Dates

ROTC National Scholarship Application round opens: June 14, 2025.
Army ROTC National Scholarship Board dates for the School Year 2025-2026

Applications are due by Oct. 14, 2025 to be reviewed by the board from Oct. 20-24, 2025
Applications are due by Jan. 20, 2026 to be reviewed by the board from Jan. 26-30, 2026
Applications are due by Mar. 17, 2026 to be reviewed by the board from Mar. 23-27, 2026

Note: Your application must be started no later than March 4, 2026 to be eligible for review by the Army ROTC National Scholarship Board.

Important Note

If you enlist or are currently enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves, National Guard, or other branch of military service, you are considered ineligible to receive a General Army ROTC Scholarship.

Criteria for Army ROTC Scholarships

For ALL Army ROTC Scholarships, Cadet Command utilizes the following three criteria areas to determine eligibility and awards. This is a competitive process, just because you are qualified does not mean you will automatically receive a scholarship.

Scholar criteria is determined from your high school grades and SAT or ACT scores. The higher your grades and scores, the better your chances.

Athlete criteria is determined by your participation in sports, your performance on the Physical Fitness Assessment, and whether or not you meet the Army's height and weight standards. The better your physical and athletic ability, the better your chances.

Leader criteria is determined by your participation in leadership positions in extra-curricular activities both in and out of high school during your high school years. Particular emphasis is placed on leadership positions you may have held on sports teams, volunteer activities, part-time work, clubs, scouting, church, etc.

General Army ROTC Scholarship

Rising high school seniors may apply for the scholarship as early as mid-June between junior and senior year. A National Board awards 4-year and 3-year advance-designee scholarships worth up to $69,000.

The scholarship can pay either tuition and fees or housing and meals; a $420/month stipend, and $1,200 per year for books, course materials, supplies, and equipment. They are awarded based on high academic achievement, excellence in athletics, and demonstrated leadership skills. After graduating from the University of North Georgia, Army ROTC Scholarship recipients will serve as an officer in the Regular Army, Army National Guard or Army Reserve.

Note: For Georgia residents who are eligible for the HOPE scholarship, it can be used in conjunction with an Army ROTC Scholarship. Hope can only be applied to tuition. The Army ROTC scholarship can be used to pay for housing and meals. Georgia residents on the ROTC scholarship will also receive up to $2,000 in grants from the State of Georgia at the end of each semester after contracting.

Ready to Apply? Application Instructions

FAQs

How do I improve my chances or receiving an Army ROTC Scholarship?
Army Cadet Command looks at three areas of performance in what they term Scholar/Athlete/Leader (SAL) criteria.

The more extensive your leadership record in these activities, the better your chances. The Cadet Command selection board makes decisions based on the strength of your application compared to the applicant pool. The profile for the 2023 academic year nation-wide recipients:

94% were in the top 50% of their classes in academics (71% were in the top 25%)

18% were class officers

72% earned varsity sports letters

64% were varsity team sports captains

27% were in JROTC

17% were club presidents

3.75 average GPA

1289 math + critical reading SAT

How many scholarships are available nation-wide?

For the academic year 2022-2023, more than 7,000 high school senior applications for the scholarship were reviewed.

About 3,000 applicants were awarded a scholarship. About 25% of those were 4-year scholarships and 75% were 3-year scholarships.

What is the difference between a 4-year and a 3-year Army ROTC Scholarship?

Cadet Command awards both 3-year and 4- year scholarships through the centralized selection process.

The top candidates are selected for 4-year scholarships, others are awarded 3-year scholarships, and others are not selected at all. If you are awarded a 4-year scholarship, then your benefits will be paid your freshman year as long as you pass the Army Combat Fitness Test, medical exam, and meet height and weight requirements.

If you are awarded a 3-year scholarship, your benefits will begin your sophomore year as long as you pass the Army Combat Fitness Test, physical exam, remain in good academic standing, and meet the height and weight requirements.

Final award of the 3-year scholarship is at the discretion of the Professor of Military Science at UNG.

What is my service obligation?

Any Army commission, Active Duty, Reserve or Guard, carries an 8-year service obligation.

If you receive an Army ROTC scholarship, then you can commission and serve as an active duty (full-time) Army officer for four years after you graduate from UNG. For the last four years of your service obligation, you can continue to serve on active duty, or transfer to the Army National Guard, Army Reserve, or Individual Ready Reserve.

It is also possible to commission directly into the Army National Guard or Army Reserve instead of commissioning active duty. The obligation is served as six years of active drill duty (one weekend per month and two weeks of annual training). For the last two years, you can continue to drill one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer, or transfer to the Individual Ready Reserve.