Hi all,
I was wondering if international students can join the ROTC. I am a sophomore at Macalester College which does not offer the program but I believe University of Minnesota does. I am only looking to complete first 2 years of basic training, getting some experience is my only goal here. I’d love to hear what options I have.
Thanks a lot in advance
Contact the University of Minnesota ROTC coordinator. That person will know what is possible for you.
The answer is no. You have to be a US citizen to become an officer.*
*Apparently, international students may be able to participate in ROTC the first two years but can’t complete the program. I have no idea why anyone would participate in ROTC if they are ineligible to join the military as an officer.
To what end? What’s the goal? Learning to march, drill and train???
You wont get Scholarship funding because you are not a citizen.
You wont get citizenship by participating in ROTC.
If want a structured way to exercise more, why not join a sports team instead of ROTC?
I could only see transferring for ROTC make sense if you’re about to become a Permanent Resident (e.g. through a family-based petition) and you’d like to join the US military afterwards. I don’t see any upsides for the typical F-1 student. Why not focus your energy on something that will help you after college, e.g. career development or preparing for graduate school?