A person must be a citizen of the United States to participate in the Navy ROTC training program and to receive an NROTC scholarship.
Candidates must be 17 years of age by the time they start college and must not be over 23 years old as of June 1 of the year they start college. Candidates must be less than 27 years of age on June 30 of the year in which they plan to graduate. If an applicant has prior military service, he or she may be eligible for age adjustments commensurate with service, for up to three years.
In order to be eligible for Navy ROTC, and thus a Navy ROTC scholarship, an applicant must pass a physical fitness test. This entails the ability to do a specified number of pull-ups and crunches, and to run three miles in a specified amount of time. In addition, both males and females must fall within certain height and weight parameters.
Conscientious objectors are not eligible for Navy ROTC training or Navy ROTC scholarships. Candidates must have no moral objections or personal convictions that would prevent them from using force to defend the United States from enemies both foreign and domestic.
In order to be eligible for a Marine NROTC scholarship, a student must have achieved at least a composite score of 1,000 on the SAT, or a 22 composite score on the ACT.
If a student has already completed 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours of his collegiate program, he is ineligible for a four-year Marine Corps NROTC scholarship. However, he may still be eligible for a two-year or three-year option.
In order to be eligible for a Marine Corps NROTC scholarship, an applicant must have received her high school diploma or GED by August 1 of the year that she plans to begin her four-year ROTC program. She must also gain admission to an NROTC school and submit notification of acceptance, before any NROTC scholarship funds will be made available.