Frequently Asked Questions

No. You must be a student at BU, BC or a nursing major at NEU to be part of the NROTC program. The MIT NROTC Unit has agreements with Harvard and Tufts. If you are at a community college, you can apply for the 2 Year NROTC Scholarship by February 15 of your sophomore year. You must also apply and get accepted to one of the above mentioned universities. But before you are enrolled in one of those five universities, you cannot participate in the NROTC program.

You will not receive a NROTC scholarship unless you are found physically qualified for the NROTC program. It is imperative that you become physically qualified before commencement of classes. If you are attempting to gain a waiver for some disqualifying physical condition and you start classes at the university, you will be responsible for payment of tuition, fees and books for that semester. If you are later found physically qualified for a NROTC scholarship during that same semester (i.e. your waiver is granted), your tuition, fees and book expenses can be reimbursed (case by case basis). If you are found not physically qualified for the NROTC program, tuition, fees and book expenses will not be reimbursed. If you are not sure if you are physically qualified or if you need information on how to get a waiver, please contact NSTC or the recruiter who helped process your application.

If you don’t earn a scholarship by the end of your sophomore year, you automatically apply for Advance Standing. Advance Standing; if granted will provide the Midshipman with a stipend every month during the school year for the remaining two years. Upon graduation the Advanced Standing Midshipman receives the same commission as the Scholarship Midshipman. If the Midshipman has not been granted Advance Standing by the beginning of the junior year, he or she will be disenrolled from the NROTC program.

Navy Option scholarship students who commission as Surface Warfare Officers, Submarine Officers, Special Warfare Officers, Explosive Ordinance Disposal Officers, and Nurse Corps Officers are obligated to serve 5 years of active duty service along with 3 years of inactive reserve service. Navy Option scholarship students serving as Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers are obligated to 8 and 6 years respectively of active duty service after receiving their wings of gold. Marine Option Scholarship students are obligated to 4 years of active duty service.

Boston NROTC Parent Handbook

College Program midshipmen are obligated to serve a minimum of 8 years commissioned service, 3 of these years must be active duty. The length of active duty is extended to 6 years for Naval Flight Officers and 8 years for Pilots upon receiving wings.

The scholarship covers full tuition at one of our universities for two or four years depending on when the student applies for a scholarship. In addition each scholarship student receives: educational fees; uniforms; a book allowance; and a monthly subsistence allowance. The NROTC pays for scholarship students’ initial transportation from home to school and from school to summer cruise training.

No, the NROTC Scholarship does not pay for room and board. However, Boston University does offer a grant to qualified students that covers the full cost of room and board, if the student is attending BU on a NROTC scholarship. Boston College and Northeastern University do not offer room and board grants to NROTC scholarship students. All housing arrangements are made through the university, not through the NROTC unit. Please submit any requested deposits to ensure that a room is reserved for you.

A: Midshipmen are required to take one Naval Science class each semester for four years. These classes provide instruction on the history of the Navy to shipboard operations and engineering. Students are also required to attend Lab in uniform on Wednesdays mornings, as well as participate in physical training (PT) 1-3 times a week. If students are on scholarship they are required to attend 1 month of summer training for three consecutive summers.

The initial training is prior to freshman year, orientation. This training provides the basics to get the freshmen ready to join the Battalion. The first fleet summer training scholarship students attend is called Cortramid. Scholarship students attend Cortramid over the summer between their Freshmen and Sophomore years of college. Cortramid’s goal is to orient Midshipmen with the Navy. One week is devoted to exposure to the surface Navy, another to aviation, another to submarines, and the last spent with the Marine Corps. Midshipmen have the choice of attending Cortramid on either the west coast in San Diego, California or in the east at Norfolk, Virginia. The Midshipman’s second class cruise (summer training) is between their sophomore and junior years. The second class cruise is designed to give the midshipman exposure to the enlisted community. The Midshipmen will be assigned a highly motivated career Petty Officer running mate that will work with the midshipman on board ship performing enlisted duties. The Midshipman’s first class cruise is between their junior and senior year of college. The first class cruise is designed to provide the Midshipman with a realistic exposure to what it is like to be an officer. The Midshipman is assigned a LT or LTJG running mate. The Midshipman will shadow the officer and assist the officer on performing shipboard duties while in port and underway. It should be noted that Advance Standing Midshipmen are required to attend this first class cruise.

Scholarship and College Program Midshipman must maintain a 2.5 Grade Point Average on a 4.0 scale, have no failing grades in any subject required for their major or commissioning, progress on a prescribed timeline for graduation, and have a full academic load every semester (15-18 units).

Yes and no. Marine Option Midshipmen are required to take six Naval Science classes. Two of these Naval Science classes are separate from the Navy Option Midshipmen. The Marine Option classes focus on the history of warfare and amphibious operations. Marine Option Midshipmen are not required to take all of the classes that Navy Options Midshipmen are required to take. Only one semester of Military History or National Security Policy is required. Marine Option Midshipmen attend all Battalion drills and functions. Roughly 1/6 of the NROTC Program is Marine Options. Marine Option Midshipmen compete and are ranked against their fellow Marine Option Midshipmen. There is a Marine Officer Instructor and an Assistant Marine Officer Instructor at the NROTC Unit that oversee all the Marine Options. Marine Option Midshipmen that are on scholarship are required to attend summer training College Programmers do not. The first Marine summer training is identical to Navy Option Midshipmen; they are required to attend Cortramid. Between the Marine Options’ junior and senior year, he or she is required to attend Officer Candidate School. After commissioning, all Marines must attend The Basic School (TBS) regardless of their Military Occupational Specialty (MOS).

Yes, the Marine and Navy Scholarship process is different. However, some Midshipmen are allowed to transfer between Navy and Marine options if they so desire while they are in NROTC. College Program Midshipmen are also allowed to be Marine Options and work for a Marine Scholarship. College Program Marine Option Midshipmen must achieve Advance Standing by the end of their sophomore years in order not to be disenrolled. If the Marine Option Midshipman gains Advance Standing then he or she is required to serve 3 years of active duty.

Freshmen should register for “Introduction to Naval Science,” Naval Science 103. For students at BC or NEU, registration will be handled by our office after you report to the unit.

Absolutely. If a student hasn’t been granted a scholarship, he or she can join the NROTC college program, and will be required to do everything a scholarship student does. College program students (students that don’t have scholarships) do not go on summer training. College Program students have improved chances of picking up a scholarship since they demonstrated their motivation and desire by joining the NROTC program without any guaranties. The College Program students are reviewed for scholarship selection twice a year. The granting of a scholarship is based upon the student’s grades and military aptitude in NROTC.

Yes. You can join NROTC with any undergraduate major at Northeastern University!