FAQ

The scholarship covers full tuition or room & board and mandatory school fees. In addition each scholarship student receives: all educational fees paid for; uniforms; $375 towards books each semester ($750 per academic year); and a subsistence allowance of $250/month for Freshmen, $300/month for Sophomores, $350/month for Juniors, and $400/month for Seniors. The NROTC pays for scholarship students' initial transportation from home to school and to/from summer cruise training.

The standard service obligation upon commissioning in both the Navy and Marine Corps is 5 years. However, for Naval Aviation, the obligation ranges from 8-10 years.

Most of our students, male and female, will graduate as Unrestricted Line Officers. That means that they will be expected to go on to further training in surface warfare, aviation, submarines, or nuclear powered surface ships. Those who choose (and are accepted for) the Marine Corps can go into aviation or a variety of ground officer assignments.

Most likely, but not always. At the beginning of students' senior year, they state their duty preferences. These preferences are then receieved by NSTC, who do their best to align the students' preferences with the needs to the Navy. There are some prerequisites, such as being physically qualified for aviation, and having adequate Calculus and Physics grades and a good GPA for nuclear powered ships and submarines. Historically, the most selective naval communities are SEAL and EOD, taking only 5-15 people per year.

Yes and no. When filling out your scholarship application you should have indicated that you would like to pursue your degree within a certain Tier. You are eligible to pursue any available majors that falls within that tier. For those who are not on scholarship, you can pursue a degree in anything that OU has to offer. However we do encourage our students to pursue some form of technical major, but that is not a requirement. Keep in mind that selection boards will favor technical majors when awarding scholarships. Those who major in non-technical subjects will have to take a few technical courses, namely calculus and physics, to prepare them for the technological environment that they will encounter in their military service. These technical courses, even for non-tech majors, will usually count toward degree requirements because all majors require some math and science course work.

NROTC students take, on average, two Naval Science courses per academic school year, one each in the Fall and Spring semesters. All Navy/Marine option scholarship students must take one course in American Military History/National Security Policy and one course of Non-Western Culture. All Navy option students are required to take two courses in English Composition. Additionally, scholarship students (not including Marine option students) must take two semesters of engineering-based calculus and two semesters of calculus-based physics.

The NROTC Unit provides professional tutoring in calculus and physics for students enrolled in those courses. Additionally, we require all incoming freshman and anyone struggling to participate in weekly study hours. Each Midshipman is assigned to a class advisor. The class advisor is an active duty Lieutenant (Navy) or Captain (USMC) who also provides advice about school and NROTC while keeping the big picture in mind. The advisor will make sure each Midshipman is tracking along in their major and NROTC requirements. In addition, University College has a very robust (and free) tutoring program available through the University College Action Center.

Marine Option students are not required to take calculus and physics courses and participate in a multiude of Field Excercises (FEX). Marine Option students take different Naval Science courses in their junior and senior years, and in the summer after their junior year they take part in the Officer Candidate School (OCS) training program at Quantico, Virginia. Our Marine Officer Instructor guides them in their development, and upon graduation they are commissioned as Second Lieutenants in the U.S. Marine Corps.

There are three different cruises. The first summer cruise, after the freshman year, gives all scholarship students the chance to learn about the four basic "unrestricted line" specialties in a training evolution called Career Orientation and Training for Midshipmen (CORTRAMID). The students spend one week at each of four locations to receive indoctrination in aviation, submarine, surface ships, and Marine Corps amphibious operations.

The second summer cruise for Navy Option Midshipmen, known as Second Class Cruise, can vary vastily in training opportunities. Studnets have the option of being assigned to a ship or submarine with an enlisted running mate and even participating in Yard Patrol Craft training at the US Naval Academy. The Marine Option Midshipmen will conduct Marine Corps specific training or an amphibious cruise.

The final summer cruise after the junior year provides Navy-Option Midshipmen junior officer training aboard ships, submarines or with an aircraft squadron. This is referred to as First Class Cruise. Marine-Option Students will attend US Marine Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Marine Corps Base at Quantico, Virginia for the Marine Corps students. 

The summer cruises are part of our curriculum and are a required part of the program. However, we will allow you to state your preference for when you would like to take the cruise. The cruises are only two to six weeks long (with the majority being four), so you should still be able to work for part of the summer. Also, the Midshipmen are paid about $550 per month during the duration of the cruise. We have historically been able to find shorter cruises to accommodate students and their summer plans. The summers after a student’s sophomore and junior years are the most flexible.

Our students travel all over the world on cruises. The Navy pays for travel expenses from school or your home to the cruise site and your return to home each summer. Our juniors have many options available to them. They can request Aircraft Carrier or Patrol Squadron cruises and special training with Navy Seals. They may also request a foreign exchange cruise for their final summer. Each year, several of our students take summer cruises aboard ships of a foreign Navy. In the past few summers, students had the opportunity to visit Norfolk, VA, Mayport, FL, Pensacola, FL, King’s Bay, GA, San Diego, CA, Everett, WA, Pearl Harbor, HI, Yokosuka, Japan, Guam, Saipan, Singapore, and Panama.

Yes. NROTC and Naval Academy graduates have identical opportunities to go into the communities of their choice. When it comes time to state duty preferences and to be selected for duty assignments, students with higher academic and aptitude rankings, regardless of where they go to school, will be most likely to receive their first choice of assignments.

No. NROTC Midshipmen will normally wear uniforms twice per week, typically on Tuesdays and Thursdays, alternating uniforms with unit polos during the week or as instructed. Specific guidance is given out for occasions that require uniform wear outside of the typical Tuesday and Thursday schedule.

No. Each student makes his or her own arrangements with the university for housing. Students may live in university dormitories, or in fraternities or sororities, at their option. Some upperclassmen choose to live in, and share the expenses of, nearby off-campus apartments.

Yes, you can. Non-affiliated students may apply for a Non-affiliated Sideload Scholarship. These scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis. Applicants must have been 30 and 120 college credits, possess at least a 2.5 GPA, and be able to score at least a Good-Low on the Navy PRT.

The scholarship selection process is completely independent of the medical examination. Scholarship selection is based on academic performance, extracurricular activities, and demonstrated leadership potential. You can be selected as a scholarship nominee even before you take the medical exam; but, of course, it cannot be awarded to you until you have passed the medical exam. The importance of completing and passing the medical exam cannot be over-emphasized. It is up to you to do all you can to complete the medical exam in a timely fashion. If follow-on exams or inputs from your local doctor are required, then you must ensure you meet these requirements.

That depends on the nature of the problem. Some problems, such as minor eye corrections, can be waived. Some problems, such as having had certain childhood diseases, or a family history of diabetes, can cloud your medical record to the point that additional medical evidence may be required to substantiate your qualification. Unless you are told that your condition is absolutely disqualifying, you should do all that you can to obtain medical certification. Letters from family doctors or your local specialists can help to show that your condition should not be disqualifying. When in doubt, ask for a medical waiver. These issues should be addressed with DoDMERB and the NSTC medical board. DO NOT send medical documentation to the local unit.

Marine Option students are required to pass a physical fitness exam to be eligible for scholarship selection. Navy Option students are required to take a modified physical fitness exam as a prerequisite to selection. Once in the NROTC program, all Midshipmen are required to pass a semiannual physical fitness assessment, which, for Navy option students, consists of pushups, sit-ups, and a 1.5 mile run. All Midshipmen are encouraged to seek excellence in their physical fitness, and to do more than the minimums in their fitness tests. Marine Option students take a more difficult test that consists of pull-ups, sit-ups, and a 3 mile run.

Maybe, but not through the process described above. Students can become eligible for the award of a scholarship by joining their NROTC Unit in the College Program (non-scholarship) status. After one academic term, the student may be recommended for scholarship status to the Chief of Naval Education and Training, who is empowered to award scholarships to promising College Program students. In general, if you can earn better than a 3.0 GPA in your first academic term, achieve a "B" or better in Calculus, and demonstrate a high aptitude for Naval Service, you will have a good chance for a NROTC scholarship. The availability of these “side-load” scholarships is also dependent on the officer production needs of the Navy, Marine Corps, and NROTC budget.

Typically, at least ten hours a week. Your Naval Science courses meet three hours per week. In addition, there are two two-hour leadership lab sessions each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Battalion conducts unit level physical fitness training on Tuesday and Thursday mornings every week for one-hour. There are a number of NROTC extra curricular activities available to you if you are interested in them. We sponsor formal and informal dinners, parties, picnics, and other get-togethers. Additionally, OU NROTC Battalion members help usher at home football games. While this is a requirement for all students, we have some flexibility to choose which students have to attend and those who do not.

NROTC Midshipmen who are on scholarship or in the College Program as Advanced Standing (Junior and above) are given the same status as "inactive reservists". You will get a "reserve" military ID card, but you will be a civilian during all but the summer training cruise periods of your curriculum. The summer training is performed in an active duty "reserve" status.

The NROTC Unit will pay your tuition and fees directly to the university on a semesterly basis. For room & board, the up to $11,500 will be given via direct deposit to your bank account for the entire academic year. Incoming freshman are required to pay a deposit before school starts. You must pay this deposit. Since the Navy will pay the tuition bill, your initial deposit can be applied to your housing bill. The Navy will provide a basic book stipend of $375, independent of the amount you actually spend on books.

No. The scholarship selection process is TOTALLY INDEPENDENT of the OU admission process. You must seek admission to OU. Remember that the NROTC scholarship cannot be awarded to you until you have been accepted for admission at an NROTC host school. If you receive a scholarship but are not admitted to OU, contact the NROTC unit for assistance.

No. The same personal characteristics and academic credentials are considered in scholarship selection and in The University of Oklahoma admission process. Selection for a scholarship is a good indication that you may be selected for admission; but it is neither guaranteed nor implied. The NROTC scholarship committee might place more emphasis on leadership potential as evidenced in extra curricular athletics or school government activities. The university might place more emphasis on academic achievement.

You should wait until after you are notified of selection as a scholarship nominee, and then write to the Naval Education and Training Command (Code N1/081), Naval Air Station, Pensacola, FL 32508 advising them of your new first-choice school. The instructions for this will be included in your scholarship award letter.

The naval science curriculum at each school is identical. Any differences among NROTC Units are due to the customs and traditions of the Units, the personalities of the Unit Staffs, and even the Midshipmen in those Units, and their facilities. The exceptions to this are military schools (e.g. SUNY Maritime, Maine Maritime, Texas Maritime, The Citadel, VMI, etc.) and schools with a “corps of cadets” (e.g. Texas A&M and Virginia Tech). Our advice would be to choose your university on the basis of its overall reputation in the major of your choice. Look at the reputation of the graduates of the school. You should narrow your choices down to a few, and then visit those campuses (and their NROTC Units) to help you make the final decision.

The NROTC staff is composed of active duty Navy and Marine Corps officers and enlisted personnel. The Naval Science courses are taught by the active duty staff. The officers will double as your NROTC class advisors, providing guidance and assistance, as necessary, in your academic and military pursuits.

There are several reasons and circumstances for leaving the NROTC program. There is no obligation at all if you drop before the sophomore year begins. If, after the start of the sophomore year, you decide to quit, you will either have to pay back tuition expended, or go on active military service in enlisted status immediately if you drop out of college. If a medical problem develops that would preclude you from commissioning, then the obligation would most likely be erased. If you drop from the program because of your own misconduct or inaptitude, you could be required to reimburse the Navy for your tuition and book expenditures at the discretion of the Secretary of the Navy.

Yes, you can request to change from one option to the other, but it is not automatic nor is it guranteed. You must request the change, and both Navy and Marine Corps officials must approve it. Even though it may be a difficult decision right out of high school, students are encouraged to do their research and decide on the option they feel best suits their personal interests and professional goals up front.

Yes. Prospective Midshipmen (Scholarship or College Program), are required to attend New Student Indoctrination (NSI) at Naval Station Great Lakes during the summer before their arrival. NSI is a two-week evolution and passing it is required for scholarship activation. Additionally, Prospective Midshipmen are required to attend OU NROTC's New Student Orientation (NSO) the week prior to school starting. NSO takes place on the OU-Norman campus.

No. Both evolutions are run by upper-class midshipmen and supervised by the active duty staff. These events stress the need for discipline and teamwork, and some people have to adjust their attitude a bit. Both are certainly less stressful compared to a real bootcamp, the thirteen weeks of officer candidate school, or to what the service academy freshmen go through for their entire first year. With that said, these events are not easy. They are physically and mentally demanding. After the initial trauma of the discovery of discipline, most students find orientation to be very rewarding. It is also an excellent opportunity to get to know your freshmen classmates before school starts.

An NROTC Midshipman is a civilian, pursuing his or her own academic degree in a normal university environment, in the same manner as a non-Midshipman would. The only difference is that a Midshipman takes a series of Naval Science courses, wears a uniform to class at least twice a week, and is held to high physical standards. Midshipmen are free to join enjoy all aspects of campus life. Our offices and classrooms are just like all other offices and classrooms on campus. You will blend in with and participate in the campus activities of your choice. When you graduate, you will serve with pride as a Navy or Marine Corps officer.

Yes, Marine Option students are required to pass and maintain the Marine Physical Fitness Test (PFT) with a score of 235 or higher as a freshman.  Navy Option students are required to pass and maintain the Navy Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA) with a minimum of “good-low” in all areas.  Click on the following links to view these standards:

Navy Physical Fitness Standards

Marine Corps Physical Fitness Standards

Arriving outside of these standards (either in weight or fitness) could jeopardize your participation in our program.