1533
                                   Ser 48-09/CD3
                                   TBD Oct 10

From:   Commander, Naval Service Training Command
To:     NJROTC Area Managers
     NJROTC Units

Subj: 2009-2010 NROTC SCHOLARSHIP GUIDANCE FOR NJROTC CADETS

Encl    (1) NJROTC Cadet Nomination Form
       (2) Scholarship Timelines
       (3) SAT and ACT Testing Program information

1.  The NROTC 4-year scholarship program is designed to train qualified young men and women for service as commissioned officers in the Navy.  It can be worth up to $180,000 dollars in financial benefits at many colleges and universities.  The most accurate information is available at the NROTC web site https://www.nrotc.navy.mil/.

2.  Due to changes in the NROTC Scholarship process, NROTC will NOT conduct second looks this year.  However, cadets may include the enclosed NJROTC cadet nomination form from the SNSI with their application packages as a letter of recommendation.

3. Minimum college testing scores are SAT Critical Reading 530 Math 520; and, for the ACT English 22 and Math 21. Only tests taken from December 2007 thru December 2009 will be considered for this year's NROTC scholarship selection.  SAT/ACT Math and English/Critical Reading scores can be from two different tests; applicants can combine best Math with best English/Critical Reading scores to achieve qualifying scores.  If applicant is in the top 10% of his/her high school graduating class, the SAT/ACT test scores can be below the above stated minimum to apply.  Web sites of interest for the SAT and ACT are:

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/calenfees.html

http://www.actstudent.org/regist/currentdates.html

4.  If you are unable to acquire an NROTC scholarship bulletin right away, here are some of the requirements to be aware of when advising your cadets to apply for the program:

    a. An applicant must have graduated from high school before August 1 of the year they intend to start college.

    b. Awards are based primarily on the level of the candidate's high school class standing, overall GPA, math and science grades, military potential, extracurricular activities, leadership qualities and college entrance test scores.

    c. The scholarship pays tuition, fees, provides a stipend for textbooks ($375/semester) and a substance allowance between $250 and $400 per month for a maximum of 40 academic months.

    d. Individuals will need to have additional funding each year to meet other expenses (e.g. room & board, health care, etc.) depending on the college and the student's individual needs.  Other sources of financial assistance may be available depending on the college chosen for attendance.

    e. The latest date an applicant's electronic application can be accepted is 31 Jan 2010*. (*This date is not yet confirmed.  Verify on websites as required.)

    f. The latest date an applicant's completed application package can be accepted by the local recruiter is 15 Feb 2010* in order for it to be received at the application processing headquarters in Millington, TN (Navy Recruiting Command N3123) by the deadline.  The complete address is on the NROTC website.  (*This date is not yet confirmed.  Verify on websites as required.)

5.  Besides having the qualifying SAT/ACT scores, candidates wishing to qualify for an NROTC scholarship must pass a stringent physical examination.  The physical qualification process is independent of the scholarship qualification process and will not begin until/unless the applicant is offered an NROTC scholarship.  Applicants must receive a favorable response in the area of general physical requirements before receiving final acceptance for the NROTC Scholarship Program.  The Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board (DODMERB) schedules and reviews all physical examinations for NROTC scholarship recipients.  Some of the more frequent potentially disqualifying physical conditions include variances from Navy requirements of height, weight and visual acuity, defects in hearing, poor dental health, abnormal heartbeat, severe allergies, chronic skin conditions, asthma, and neuropsychiatric disorders.  Alcohol or drug abuse is also cause for disqualification.  NJR!
OTC cadets should remember that a favorable response in both the scholarship qualification and the physical qualification is required for the award of an NROTC scholarship.

6.  Other requirements that all applicants must meet include: (1) being a US citizen, (2) being 17 years old by September 1 of the year starting college, and less than 23 years old by 30 June 2010, (3) not reaching his/her 27th birthday by 30 June of the year of their graduation from college and commissioning, and (4) applying for and gaining admission to the NROTC college in which he/she intends to enroll.  Note that it is the applicant's responsibility to gain admission to the selected host university.  Selection as a scholarship winner does not connote automatic entry into the university.

7.  When advising students to apply for the NROTC scholarship, please keep in mind the typical "profile" for those individuals who were selected for the 4-year NROTC scholarship this past year.  Any cadet not coming close to matching this profile does not stand a good chance of being a selectee.  This profile is: (1) the average combined SAT score is 1316; (2) the average SAT math score is 667; (3) the average SAT verbal score is 648; (4) 71% have special academic recognition; (5) 12% are Eagle Scouts; (6) 81% are varsity athletes; (7) 77% are ranked in the top 10% of their graduating class; and (8) 98% are in the top 20% of their graduating class.  Profile percentages for the Nurse Corps option are slightly less than for the Unrestricted Line selectees.

8.  NURSE CORPS NROTC SCHOLARSHIPS.  The Navy also offers the Nurse Corps NROTC Scholarship Program.  Four-year NROTC scholarships are available to cadets interested in pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (BSN).  Upon graduation from the BSN program, midshipmen will be commissioned as officers in the Navy Nurse Corps.  Nurse NROTC eligibility, academic and military training requirements, and selection procedures differ slightly from the regular program.  Nurse Corps option students must meet NROTC age requirements, and their physical requirements will be consistent with restricted line accession standards.  Nurse Corps option students are excused from NROTC program requirements for calculus, calculus-based physics, American military history/national security policy, naval ship systems, and navigation courses.  Computer science will be encouraged but is not required.  Nurse Corps option students will participate in two summer cruise training evolutions.  Selectee!
s for the Nurse Corps will, in their sophomore year, acknowledge in writing that they will accept an appointment as a commissioned officer in the grade of Ensign, Nurse Corps, U.S. Naval Reserve, and incur a 4-year active duty obligation.  SNSIs may submit a cadet nomination form in this scholarship category in the same way as for the regular 4-year scholarship.

9.  Enclosures (2) and (3) provide several deadline and target dates for actions that must be taken for consideration of NROTC scholarship applications from NJROTC cadets.

10.  ALTERNATIVE NROTC PROGRAMS.   There are other alternative NROTC opportunities available to NJROTC cadets through the Navy and Marine Corps ROTC program, which do not require the aforementioned NROTC national scholarship.  If they attend a university with an NROTC unit on campus, they may apply directly to the professor of naval science to become a midshipman in the NROTC college program, provided they meet the following minimum qualifications:

    a. Be less than 27-1/2 years old on the day of commissioning, 29 years old with prior active duty service (vice 25 years old if on an NROTC scholarship).

    b. Must be a U.S. citizen.

    c. Meet all the physical requirements mentioned earlier.

11.  Once accepted as NROTC college program students, these individuals are full-fledged members of the student battalion.  They are issued uniforms, take NROTC classes and participate in drill, unit PT and the other extracurricular activities in which midshipmen are involved.  More importantly, after as little as one semester, they become ELIGIBLE TO BE NOMINATED FOR A "OD CONTROLLED" SCHOLARSHIP, provided they perform well (1) academically with an overall college GPA of 2.5 or better, (2) militarily with a good attitude and aptitude, and (3) pass the PRT.  This is a Navy sponsored program and therefore is available at all colleges with NROTC units.

12.  These "OD controlled" scholarships offer the same benefits which a 4-year national NROTC scholarship winner receives.

13.  NJROTC naval science instructors can identify those individuals who fail to win an NROTC scholarship through the regular application process discussed above, but who have the potential and desire to become a naval or Marine Corps officer, and who meet the basic qualifications.  Perhaps there are qualified NJROTC cadets who are planning to attend a junior college for a year or two because they cannot afford the tuition of a four-year college.  These individuals may be better off spending a semester or two as an NROTC college program student and try to earn a "OD controlled" scholarship.  Applications for the NROTC college program must be obtained directly from the professor of naval science at the NROTC unit at the college or university the student wishes to attend.

14.  There is an additional program that provides scholarships to students who will be attending one of the Historically Black Colleges (HBC) where there is an NROTC unit (see the NROTC website for list).   An applicant should have a minimum SAT score of 1050 (530 verbal, 520 math) or ACT score of 21 math and 22 English.  Again, scores may be mixed and matched from tests taken between December 2008 and December 2009.  An HBC scholarship also provides the same benefits as an NROTC national scholarship.  Furthermore, although the application period for this year's national NROTC scholarship has a 31 Jan 2009* deadline, the application period for the HBC scholarship remains open until the beginning of the academic year 2009.   NJROTC cadets who meet these criteria and who wish to apply for the HBC scholarship must contact the professor of naval science at the historically black college they wish to attend for additional information and are also encouraged to contact the NSTC Ca!
ndidate Guidance Office.

15. Alternative Scholarship Reservations (ASR) information will be promulgated by separate correspondence from NSTC and Area Managers.

16.  SNSIs are directed to provide information and assist interested and eligible cadets to the maximum extent possible.


                           /s/
                       J. D. SMITH
                       By direction



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