When applying for an ROTC scholarship, you must supply a grade transcript from your high school and submit to an interview. For the Army, you may apply to three different schools. The scholarships are awarded based on their availability at the schools you choose, with the final decision on which you school attend up to the ROTC program. For a four-year scholarship, you must maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 2.0, and achieve a combined 920 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test or a 19 on the ACT examination. The scholarship allows a limited range of majors for study when you finally arrive on campus.
Once a branch of the U.S. Navy, the Marines now function as a virtually independent service, but the two branches have similar requirements for their ROTC scholarships. A minimum GPA of 2.0 in high school is required; the Navy requires candidates to be attending, or already accepted to, universities with NROTC programs. There are 67 host universities that offer places to Navy and Marines scholarship students. The choice of major is open to the student, who must complete a year of calculus and a year of physics based on calculus. College-board scores for the Navy must be minimum 520 math and 530 verbal on the SAT. The Marines require a combined 1,000 on the SAT or a combined 45 on the ACT; both branches require candidates to be in good physical condition.
Students interested in an Air Force ROTC must choose an approved major; the service offers a limited number of scholarships in each of these majors. The Air Force requires a grade-point average of 3.0 and an academic ranking in the top 40 percent of your class. Candidates must pass the Air Force Officers Qualifying Test (AFOQT) and a physical fitness test, which includes a set of crunches, push-ups, and a 1.5-mile run. Scholarships allow students to attend any school they choose, as long as it offers the major selected and hosts the Air Force ROTC program. Board scores must be a minimum 520 math and 530 verbal on the SAT and/or a minimum 22 on the ACT.