NROTC

Eligibility Requirements

NROTC — General Eligibility Requirements

Target practice with a deck-mounted .50cal machine gun.

Since only the best candidates are accepted for the NROTC Program, certain general, academic and physical standards are required.


An Applicant for NROTC Programs must:

  1. Be a U.S. citizen
  2. Be 17 years old by September 1 of the first year of college and no more than 23 years of age on June 30 of that year. Must not reach their 27th birthday by June 30 of the year in which graduation and commissioning are anticipated. An age waiver may be granted for prior active military service. See your local NROTC coordinator for details.
  3. Be a high school graduate or possess an equivalency certificate by Aug. 1 of the same year that entrance into the four-year NROTC Program is anticipated.
  4. Be physically qualified by Navy standards
  5. Have no moral obligations or personal convictions that will prevent conscientious bearing of arms and supporting and defending of the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic
  6. Apply for and gain admission to NROTC colleges. (Admission to an NROTC institution is not required during the selection process. However, notification of admission must be received before the scholarship can be activated.)
  7. Achieve qualifying scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or the American College Test (ACT), or be in the top 10 percent of your graduating class.

Minimum Scores needed are:

SAT — 530 Critical Reading, 520 Math
ACT — 21 Math, 22 English

General Academic Requirements

To be commissioned, you must complete all requirements for a bachelor’s degree under university rules and regulations. You must also complete certain courses specified by the Navy.

In addition to a normal course load, NROTC scholarship recipients are required to fulfill these general academic guidelines:

  1. Calculus (one year by the end of the sophomore year)*
  2. Physics (one year of calculus-based physics by the end of the junior year)*
  3. English grammar and composition (one year)
  4. National Security Policy/American Military Affairs*

NROTC students also take a Naval Science course each semester, participate in weekly drill instruction periods and complete a four- to six-week training period each summer. Navy Nurse NROTC students participate in summer training in compliance with their individual nursing curriculum requirements.

All NROTC students must be in top physical shape and pass a rigorous physical examination to qualify for the NROTC Program.

Some medical diagnoses can disqualify applicants. These conditions may include:

  • Uncorrectable vision to 20/20
  • Substandard color vision
  • History of asthma
  • Acute or chronic cardiac/pulmonary conditions
  • Arthritis
  • Seizure disorders
  • Severe motion sickness susceptibility
  • Alcohol or drug abuse
  • Pregnancy
  • Chronic skin disorders
  • Chronic mental disorder

If you have health-concern questions, please consult your local NROTC coordinator.

The Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board (DODMERB) schedules and reviews all physical examinations. Applying for more than one military academy or ROTC scholarship program requires only one physical examination.

If DODMERB detects a disqualifying medical condition, a written request is required for waiver consideration. Some disqualifying medical conditions may be waived after additional review. Surgical, laser or mechanical procedures to correct defective visual acuity are absolute cause for disqualification.** Keratoconus or a history of treatment for this condition is absolutely disqualifying.

Start your NROTC application now.

* Not required for Navy Nurse NROTC students.
** Laser eye surgery (PRK), Lasek, Lasik procedures may qualify for a waiver, but all other methods are not waiverable.

Military Service Requirements:

  1. Upon graduation, NROTC Navy option graduates are commissioned as Ensigns in the U.S. Navy.
  2. Students will have an eight-year military service obligation. Four years of active duty and four years of selective-reserve or inactive ready-reserve duty
  3. A minimum of two years of active enlisted service or reimbursement of all tuition dollars paid may be required for students who disenroll or are disqualified for academic or personal reasons after the first day of their sophomore year
  4. If disenrolled, personnel on active duty who were released early to accept NROTC Scholarships must complete their original enlisted contracts