The Air Force ROTC program trains college students and prepares them to become the next generation of USAF (United States Air Force) officers. Participation in ROTC is voluntary and does not require the participant to be on scholarship.
The basic requirements for the Air Force ROTC include enrollment in an accredited university or college; U.S. citizenship (specifically for scholarships); the age of 14 and up (17 to qualify for scholarships); and good moral and physical condition.
Once a student enters the Air Force ROTC, he or she must attend aerospace studies class and leadership lab during freshman and sophomore years in college, according to the requirements of the General Military Course.
After completing the freshman and sophomore requirements, the student can move onto the Professional Officer course. These students must be of legal age in the state where they attend ROTC (if 17, consent from a legal guardian is required), be in good academic standing and have two years left in a degree program (undergraduate or graduate).
Participants in the Professional Officer course must commit to four years of service in the Air Force after graduation.
The minimum age requirement of 14 for ROTC is because of high school post-secondary education programs. The catch for these young candidates is that even though they are allowed to participate in the Air Force ROTC, they must graduate college with a bachelor's degree in order to be commissioned as a second lieutenant.
On top of the classes, other qualifications exist for those interested in ROTC, including the physical fitness test and Air Force officer qualifying test. Check the Air Force website for additional requirements.
Other age requirements include: pilots (must be commissioned before 29), scholarship applicants (younger than 31 when commissioned) and for tech, nontech or nonrated (commissioned by 30).
Although not all universities have an Air Force ROTC detachment, an interested student could participate in the Army's or Navy's ROTC then transfer to the Air Force for commissioning upon graduation.