So I was accepted at the University of Miami with $26,000 per year for merit aid. I appealed for more aid and will not find out my financial aid until tomorrow. But, I also applied for the NROTC scholarship and received it for a language major. This scholarship includes 4 years of tuition, a book stipend, and a monthly stipend with the condition of 5+ years of military service as an officer in the Navy. I decided I would like to do ROTC in college and do the military after. But, I have only two schools left that will accept the NROTC scholarship and there is a chance I will not get in. If I go to UM, they offer Army ROTC and Air Force ROTC but there is no guarantee that I will be picked up for the scholarship. And even then, they do not offer full-tuition like the Navy one, but I have the merit aid from there so it would make up for the difference. I love UM, but it’s very expensive. And there still is a chance that I can get into USC and St. Mary’s College in Indiana (I was rejected from Notre Dame, but at St. Mary’s I am still able to participate in their ROTC because they are a “cross-town affiliate”).
I understand this post might be slightly confusing so if anyone needs clarification, don’t hesitate to ask! It’s a huge decision for me so I appreciate anyone who can give me the slightest insight. Thank you in advance!
I recommend that you make the decision based on finances and which military branch you are most interested in. Each branch really is different. People who might fit in well in the Navy might not fare so well in the Army (and vice versa). Plus, it looks like the Air Force no longer offers scholarships after you have begun college; but I could be wrong about that. I recommend that you contact the Executive Officer of the AFROTC unit at Miami to double check whether they offer scholarships to cadets already enrolled at Miami.
I am curious, did the Navy tell you which school your NROTC scholarship was good for? In the past, they made the choice, not you. Has that changed? You are the second person recently who seems to think you have options. That has not always been the case. Please let me know if you have a choice or if your NROTC scholarship is good at only one university.
There are options in that you rank which schools you would desire to be at and they select from the list keeping your rankings in mind. You can appeal that decision and ask to be transferred to a different unit and that is possible as long as there is space.
Yes, that is the way it has been in the past.
Just be aware that normally the best schools fill up first, and often when you “appeal” what you are offered is your state university. This happened last year to a student who got an NROTC scholarship to U.California-Berkeley but then was not admitted to Berkeley (he was out of state). The Navy then offered him his state school, but his parents were very resistant to that option. Ultimately he gave up his NROTC scholarship to attend an Ivy level university.
Also keep in mind that the Air Force is less generous than the Army and Navy. The AF wants you to attend a state university and 85% of AFROTC scholarships are for state schools. So, even if scholarships can still be awarded after you enroll as a cadet, it could be harder to earn one at Miami than at state schools.