The UMBC NROTC Program was established to educate and train qualified young men and women for service as commissioned officers in the United States Navy and Marine Corps. The NROTC Scholarship Program plays an important role in preparing mature young men and women for leadership and management positions in an increasingly technical military environment. NROTC midshipmen are required to complete the naval science courses and attend weekly professional seminars. During the summer, NROTC midshipmen participate in active duty at sea or shore-based training cruises for approximately four weeks. Upon receiving their Baccalaureate Degree and completing the NROTC program, qualified midshipmen are commissioned as ensigns in the U.S. Navy or second lieutenants in the Marine Corps. Commissioned naval officers go on to training in various warfare specialties and serve as surface or submarine officers, naval aviators, explosive ordinance disposal officers or SEALs. Marine Corps officers attend “The Basic School” in Quantico, Virginia, and serve in fields such as infantry, artillery, combat engineers, and aviation. Staff positions (intelligence, law, medicine) are not normally offered through NROTC.
The NROTC Program was established to develop midshipmen mentally, morally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, and loyalty, and with the core values of honor, courage and commitment in order to commission college graduates as naval officers who possess a basic professional background, are motivated toward careers in the naval service, and have a potential for future development in mind and character so as to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.
There are a variety of ways to achieve your goal of becoming a Navy or Marine Corps Officer through the NROTC program.
Four-Year Scholarship Program
Students enter the NROTC Four-Year Scholarship Program through national competition and are appointed midshipmen in the Naval Reserve. While enrolled, a four-year- scholarship student receives government-provided tuition, fees, $350 per semester for books, uniforms, and an allowance of up to $400 per month. Upon graduation, students are commissioned with a minimum five-year active duty service obligation. Scholarship Program students must include in their degree program courses in English, calculus, cultural awareness, physics, national security policy, and naval science and participate in three summer training periods of approximately four weeks each. If you are a Junior or Senior in High School, please visit the Navy NROTC scholarship application website.
Not on Scholarship?
For students not possessing a 4-year NROTC scholarship there are two NROTC courses of action available:
- Re-apply for the National NROTC scholarship (http://www.nrotc.navy.mil/index.html) during the late summer or fall of your Freshman year. Caveats to this option include that you must have less than 30 college credits and you must be enrolled or attempting to gain admission at UMBC. The length of scholarship benefits is predicated upon the student’s degree plan. Students will receive scholarship benefits only for the time required to receive their Baccalaureate Degree or 4 years, whichever comes first. If additional benefits are necessary, students may request and, in some cases, be granted fifth-year benefits. We encourage you to register for NAVY 100 (Introduction to Naval Science). By enrolling in this class you will receive the majority of the same training that a NROTC Midshipmen would receive.
- Join the UMBC NROTC program without a scholarship as a “College Program” option. With this path you will be competing for a “Sideload Scholarship” (i.e. a 2 or 3 year NROTC scholarship) which could be awarded either at the end of either your Freshman or Sophomore year. Please be aware that the number of scholarships is limited. As a result of the limited numbers of Sideload scholarships available, we recommend to remain competitive for Sideload Scholarships that students maintain their GPA above 3.7, score “outstanding” on Navy or Marine Corps physical fitness assessments, and exhibit exemplary military aptitude.
As the NROTC program is designed as a 4 year training continuum, we cannot accept students who are classified as Juniors or Seniors in college. However there are other non-NROTC options such as Officer Candidate School (OCS) and the Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate Program (NUPOC) that may be viable routes to obtain a commission as an officer in the United States Navy. For more information on this please contact your local Navy or Marine Corps Officer recruiter.
Requirements for All Candidates
Qualifications for acceptable candidates for the Scholarship Program or the College Program include U.S. citizenship, fulfillment of medical and physical requirements, and willingness to participate in required summer training periods and to accept a commission in the U.S. Navy or Marine Corps when offered. Please visit the NROTC scholarship webpage for more details. Enrollment in NROTC is not a requirement for taking naval science courses. Any student enrolled at UMBC may take naval science courses with the approval of the Professor of Naval Science.
What do I need to know right now?
1. You must be admitted to the university AND to the NROTC program by either the scholarship process or the college program application. ACCEPTANCE BY ONE DOES NOT GUARANTEE ACCEPTANCE BY THE OTHER! You must apply to both, separately.
2. There are minimum standards to apply for the scholarship and the college program. Consult www.nrotc.navy.mil for the most current scholarship requirements for submission.
For more information on NROTC, visit the following website