NROTC Preparatory Program (NPP)

General

The NROTC Preparatory Program (NPP) Scholarship is designed to give highly motivated and exceptional students an opportunity to gain college experience and strengthen fundamental areas of study.  Students selected for the NPP Scholarship will receive one year’s tuition paid from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and will be required to study a Tier 1 or Tier 2 major. If the student performs well during this year, they will automatically be granted the 4-Year NROTC Scholarship by the U.S. Navy.  Selected students will be required to attend New Student Indoctrination (NSI) before starting the preparatory year at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).  Please see the link to the left for more information on NSI. The NPP scholarship is only offered to prospective Navy Option MIDN.

Application

The following forms must be submitted by August 31, 2024 to be considered for the NPP Scholarship at a priority level. Earlier application submission may be subject to early interviews and potential earlier results for acceptance. Therefore, all applicants are encouraged to submit their applications early. Applications will still be accepted until the final deadline of April 15, 2025. All applications will be reviewed for eligibility by the Professor of Naval Science, and eligible applications will be forwarded to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) for final selection.

All applicants must apply to UMBC for admission before applying to the NPP program.

Please submit all completed forms by April 15, 2025 23:59:59 EST to nrotc@umbc.edu. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to  email the NPP advisor using the above email address.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for the NROTC Preparatory Program (NPP) Scholarship, an applicant must meet the following requirements:

  • Be a United States citizen or national
  • Have no moral obligations or personal convictions that will prevent bearing of arms and supporting and defending the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic or to taking an oath to perform such acts
  • Be at least 17 years of age on or before 1 September of the year of enrollment and less than 27 years of age on 31 December of the year an applicant expects to graduate, complete all NROTC training requirements, and be commissioned. Those with prior or current active duty in the Armed Forces may be granted age waivers equal to the number of months served. Those granted the maximum age waiver must not have reached their 30th birthday by 31 December of year graduation and commissioning are anticipated
  • Meet physical requirements
  • Have the intention of commissioning as an Officer in the US Navy (Marine Option MIDN are not eligible for this scholarship)
  • Possess a high school diploma or equivalent certificate
  • Be accepted for admission as a full-time student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
  • Once the preparatory year is complete, the student will automatically pick up a 4 Year NROTC Scholarship if the following conditions are met
  • Obtain medical clearance
  • Pass the Navy’s Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA)
  • Achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher
  • Agree to the terms of the scholarship contract
  • Receive the Professor of Naval Science’s recommendations
  • Receive the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s (UMBC) endorsement