Founded in 1916 by the Army, the ROTC is one of the military's main commissioning sources. Students can join ROTC and participate in military-type training throughout their college careers while still attending classes in whichever discipline of study they see fit. After completing a few ROTC-sponsored classes, fulfilling all of the program's requirements and graduating from college, students receive a commission as either a second lieutenant or ensign and can begin serving in the armed forces.
The Army, Navy and Air Force all host separate ROTC programs and offer students the chance to become an officer in any branch of the military except the Coast Guard. Army ROTC produces nearly 40 percent of the service's officers and has branches at 273 colleges around the country as of 2011. Air Force ROTC, meanwhile, has a presence at 144 different colleges around the country as of 2011, while Naval ROTC has branches at 160 college as of 2011 and produces officers for both the Navy and the Marine Corps.
Each service's ROTC program has specific enrollment standards, although all students must meet certain requirements. Students must be enrolled in college while in ROTC --- either at a university with a host detachment or at a school with a cross-town agreement that allows them to attend activities on a different campus. All ROTC cadets must also be at least 17 years old, hold U.S. citizenship and graduate from college to receive their commission.
To attract qualified candidates, ROTC programs offer scholarships of varying degrees that can pay for some, if not all, of cadets' college costs while they are in the program. For example, those qualified to receive a scholarship in Naval ROTC could be eligible to receive up to $180,000 for tuition while also receiving stipends for fees, books and other miscellaneous costs. Students must meet certain standards above and beyond the minimum to qualify for these scholarships. For example, students applying for the Navy's ROTC scholarship must apply to a selection board and compete against other qualified candidates. The Air Force and Army also offer their own scholarship programs.