Army Reserve enlisted soldiers wanting to go to school while serving can go through officer cadet training. The Army's ROTC program provides a few scholarship options, including the Guaranteed Reserve Forces Duty scholarship (GRFD). The GRFD scholarship provides qualified candidates up to $20,000 in tuition and fee assistance and room and board, and provides soldiers with a yearly book allowance and monthly stipend.
Requirements for the GRFD scholarship stipulate that soldiers have two years remaining in their education. They must also serve in a particular unit prior to commissioning as an officer to complete the program. At the end of the ROTC program, an Army Reserve soldier receives an officer's commission, after which they must meet their obligatory term of service as an officer. Scholarship requirements and amounts vary from school to school, and not all colleges and universities have ROTC programs.
Army Reserve soldiers train in specific vocations, just as active Army soldiers do. The Army provides scholarships and tuition assistance to reservists wanting to expand their skills. Medical and nursing scholarships such as the Army Health Professions Scholarship are at the top of this list.
The health scholarship provides those who are eligible with full tuition plus a monthly stipend in return for a year of service for every year they use the scholarship. Criteria usually include that the candidates meet standards for a commissioned officer, remain a full-time student at an accredited program and be a U.S. citizen with a bachelor's degree. This scholarship applies to the fields of nursing, medical, veterinary science, dentistry, optometry and psychology.
Army Reservists can apply the Montgomery GI Bill's Selected Reserve program scholarship to their studies, if they are part of a selected reserve unit. The scholarship provides reservists and veterans with funding to pay for college or vocational school, on-the-job training and even flight training. Requirements for it are a six-year commitment to the Army Reserve, maintaining a position in good standing within a Selected Reserve unit and having earned a high school diploma or G.E.D.
Scholarship recipients may receive up to 36 months of financial benefit, depending on the program. It is the Army's decision whether a soldier will be in a Selected Reserve unit, and the scholarship may not be used in conjunction with other GI bill educational benefits.