The Marine Corps does have its own Junior ROTC (JROTC) program, which is hosted at the high-school level. While this program does not directly commission new officers, it is designed to instill military interest and discipline into students at the high-school level. This, in turn, is designed to drive recruitment into the college level NROTC programs or, in some cases, into the enlisted ranks. Students in Marine Corps JROTC do not incur a military commitment, but they do receive the opportunity to enlist at an advanced rank should they join the military after graduation from high school.
Naval ROTC, meanwhile, is the college-level commissioning program that produces both Navy and Marine Corps officers. Those in NROTC who select to join the Marine Corps take the same classes and participate in the same training as their Navy counterparts up until the summer after their third year at school. During this time, USMC participants will attend Officer Candidate School (OCS) in Quantico, Virginia. Upon completion of OCS and graduation from college, participants will become commissioned officers in the Marine Corps.
Participating in either NROTC or Marine Corps JROTC requires that students are either enrolled in a school or live near one with a host program. At the high-school level, students must be enrolled at a school with a Marine Corps JROTC program to participate. These programs are at 222 locations around the United States and at overseas high schools. Students wishing to enroll in NROTC, however, must be enrolled in college but are allowed to commute to a unit at another school if their school does not have a unit of its own. NROTC is available at more than 150 colleges nationwide in 32 states and the District of Columbia.