ROTC Scholarships

Army ROTC provides several scholarships each year to motivated students willing to serve their country as an Army officer.

The scholarships are granted on a competitive basis. Army ROTC scholarships are entirely merit based. Scholarships may be available in two-, three-, and four-year packages. All scholarships used at Indiana University of Pennsylvania or its partner schools pay 100 percent tuition and fees, a book allowance ($1,200 per year), and a tax-free monthly stipend ($300 for freshmen, $350 for sophomores, $450 for juniors, and $500 for seniors for ten months per year). Two- and three-year, on-campus scholarships may be available. Any college freshman or sophomore may apply for one of these on-campus scholarships. Please contact the Enrollment and Scholarship Officer for availability and eligibility at army-rotc@iup.edu. Cadets eligible for post-9/11 GI Bill benefits may use those benefits in conjunction with any of the following scholarships. High school students can find out more information about National Scholarships.

Scholarship Eligibility

Students must meet the general criteria listed below to be eligible for an Army ROTC two-, three-, or four-year merit scholarship at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Detailed criteria are prescribed in a number of Army publications.

Students may be offered scholarships conditionally while awaiting final determination of eligibility. (The most common reason for such conditional offers is the scheduling of medical examinations and the resolution of potential medical disqualifiers.)

Scholarship applications are also available on request. Four-year national scholarships can be filed on line.

Eligibility Requirements

1. Be a citizen of the United States.
2. Be at least seventeen years of age by October 1 of the year of enrollment as a scholarship cadet.
3. Be under 27 years of age on June 30 of the calendar year in which eligible for appointment as a second lieutenant.
4. Satisfactorily explain any record of arrest and/or civil conviction (no felony convictions).
5. Pass a medical exam reviewed by the DoD Medical Examination and Review Board.
6. Pass an Army Physical Fitness Test
7. Be a high school graduate or possess an equivalent certificate.
8. Be accepted for enrollment by the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Admissions Office.
9. Have at least two academic years remaining at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. (These may include graduate study.)
10. Two-year and three-year scholarship applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or greater.
11. Agree to accept a commission as an officer in the Regular Army, Army National Guard, or Army Reserve.
12. Pursue a Department of the Army-approved academic discipline.
13. Have no moral obligations or personal conviction that will prevent you from:
    1. Supporting and defending the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
    2. Conscientiously bearing arms.

The Four-Year Scholarship Application Process

Students have two opportunities to be considered for four-year scholarships. They may apply as high school seniors, submitting their applications to the national headquarters. Or, they may apply after arrival on campus.

The High School Senior Four-Year Scholarship Application Process

High school students submit scholarship applications to the Army ROTC National Headquarters. These are screened for basic eligibility requirements and then forwarded electronically to the student's preferred schools as indicated on the application.

Students who indicate Indiana University of Pennsylvania as one of their top choices will be considered by a board convened by our professor of Military Science. The processes of this board will include file reviews and phone or in-person interviews when possible. The results of the board, including the names of those selected for scholarships and an order of merit listing of alternates, will be forwarded to Army ROTC National Headquarters. Scholarships will then be offered based on the board results and within assigned allocations. Should any scholarship selectee decline the offer or be disqualified from eligibility prior to the beginning of the school year, the highest ranking alternate will be offered the scholarship.

Note: The scholarship application requires applicants to complete an online survey and face-to-face interview with an ROTC officer or noncommissioned officer on any campus. Applicants should contact the most convenient ROTC unit to coordinate this interview. Applicants should plan roughly two hours on-site to complete this requirement.

The On-Campus Scholarship Application Process

Students who were not awarded four-year scholarships or did not apply for a scholarship while in high school may apply for three-year and two-year on-campus scholarships. Students must submit these applications directly to their enrollment and scholarship officer, rather than to the Army ROTC National Headquarters. On-campus applicants are screened locally by our enrollment and scholarship officer and then scheduled for DoD physicals. If we have remaining allocations, scholarship offers are made immediately. If not, we submit the applicant's file to our regional headquarters with a request for additional funding.

Special United States Army Reserve and Army National Guard Scholarships

Contact our enrollment and scholarship officer for information regarding special United States Army Reserve and Army National Guard scholarships. These scholarship programs include Guaranteed Reserve Forces Duty-USAR; Guaranteed Reserve Forces Duty-ARNG; Dedicated ARNG (three-year); and Dedicated ARNG (two-year). Cadets that receive a Dedicated or GRFD scholarship are obligated to serve in the National Guard or the United States Army Reserves upon graduation.

Cadets awarded a Dedicated or GRFD scholarship receive all of the following benefits:

• 100 percent tuition: All tuition is paid for at IUP as well as at our partner schools.
• Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA): $4,500 annually
• State Education Assistance Program: $5,554 annually (National Guard Scholarship only; must complete basic training)
• Book stipend: $1,200 annually
• Drill pay as an E-5: approximately $5,000 annually
• Cadet stipend: Sophomore, $3,500; Junior, $4,500; Senior, $5,000 annually

Additionally, cadets awarded a GRFD scholarship and who have completed basic training and AIT are eligible for the following:

• Montgomery GI Bill: $3,335 annually
• Montgomery GI Bill Kicker: $3,335 annually

*The Montgomery GI Bill benefits are not available for Dedicated Scholarship winners.

Non-Scholarship Contracted Cadet Pay and Subsidies

Students may participate in Army ROTC without a scholarship. These students, upon contracting at the beginning of the junior year, will incur a three-year Active Duty Service Obligation, in lieu of the four-year obligation assumed by scholarship recipients. Non-scholarship contracted cadets receive the same monthly tax-free stipend. Cadets also receive pay, room and board, and reimbursement for travel expenses when participating in Advanced Camp and other summer leadership development programs.

Partnership Schools

• Saint Francis University