Joining the military is a great way to serve your country, give back to our citizens, and see the world. The military has several pathways to join: enlistment, reserves, or Reserve Officer Training Corps.

Conversely, students entering through ROTC programs will can scholarships from all three branches of the military and will be enrolled in college concurrently. Upon graduation from college, scholars can enter officer training. Scholars in the ROTC (Army) will receive monthly $300 - $500 stipends while in college and will be expected to serve 8 years in the military. Requirements and awards will vary by the branch of the military but Army ROTC is most common. Officers in the Army and armed services can make between $80,000 to $150,000 per year. Enlisting in the reserves guarantees you the GI Bill, which allows for free public education for college.

OFFICER TRACK VS ENLISTED TRACK

BRANCHES OF THE MILITARY

• AIR FORCE

  • Enlisted Process, Requirements

  • Officer Process, Requirements

• ARMY

  • Process and requirements

• MARINES

  • Process to join

• NAVY

  • Sailor, Requirements

• NATIONAL GUARD

  • Basic Training

RESERVES

Joining the Reserve Component of the military is a great way to serve your country. You will also earn valuable benefits without giving up your civilian employment or schooling.

Requirements:

• Be a U.S. citizen or resident alien.

• Be between the ages of 17 and 42

• Pass an armed forces physical exam

• Pass the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test.

• Meet the minimum ASVAB eligibility standard.

How do I join the National Guard or military reserves?

The first step is to contact a recruiter. Your recruiter will explain the process and available opportunities. Speaking with recruiters from different branches can help you get an idea of which branch you would like to join.

FAQs

• United States Military Enlistment Standards

• Joining the Military: Know What You Are Committing To

• Your Questions About Joining The Marine Corps Answered

The ASVAB

Before you join the National Guard, you’ll need to take a standardized test called the ASVAB—Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery.

Every applicant has to take the ASVAB, so don't let it intimidate you (it’s not supposed to). It’s designed to help us determine your strengths, to find out where you’ll fit best and be most likely to succeed.

The test measures your knowledge in eight areas:

• General Science - Life, earth, space, and physical sciences

• Arithmetic Reasoning - Ability to solve basic math and word problems

• Word Knowledge - Ability to grasp the meaning of words through synonyms

• Paragraph Comprehension - Ability to understand written material

• Mathematics - Math concepts and applications

• Electronics - Electrical current, circuits, devices, and electronic systems

• Auto and Shop - Car maintenance and repair, and wood and metal shop

• Mechanical - Principles of mechanical devices, structural support, properties of materials

The ASVAB is timed and takes about 3½ hours to complete. It’s a good idea to practice in advance, to get familiar with the process, and to find any areas you might need to improve before you take the real exam.

Most likely, you’ll take the exam at your school, at one of over 14,000 Military Entrance Testing Stations (METS), or at a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) in your area. Check with your local recruiter to find METS and MEPS locations near you.

National Guard ASVAB practice test

Your ASVAB scores determine what jobs you will qualify for in the military.

• Air Force Jobs: Minimum ASVAB Scores

• Army Jobs: Minimum ASVAB Scores

• Marine Corps Jobs: Minimum ASVAB Scores

• Navy: Minimum ASVAB Scores

Is it harder for someone to get into the military than it is for someone to get into college?

The answer depends on multiple factors:

1. The ASVAB is easier to get a “passing” score on than a test like the ACTs or the SATs if you’re talking about using an ACT or SAT score to get into an academically competitive college (although the higher your score, the more options you’ll have in terms of choosing the specialization you prefer; a low passing score pretty much guarantees that the recruit will be slotted into a specialization that probably won’t offer many transferable job skills once they’ve completed their term of service). On the other hand, there are plenty of colleges—including almost all community colleges—that have no admission requirements other than a high school diploma or G.E.D. Therefore, if you do well at the community college level, you can use your community college credits to transfer to a four-year school for a bachelor’s degree.

2. Colleges don’t have minimum fitness levels in their admission requirements. The U.S. armed forces have to turn away many potential recruits because they can’t pass the physical fitness test. Recruits could be geniuses with perfect A+ high school transcripts and the highest scores ever recorded on the ASVAB, but unless they can also pass the fitness test, they won’t be accepted. Even the military academies include a Candidate Fitness Assessment in their admission requirements, while colleges are required by federal law to make accommodations for all sorts of physical, psychological/psychiatric, and learning disabilities.

There are legal restrictions around citizenship, age, and having a prior criminal record that definitely apply to joining the military and probably don’t apply to going to college (although there are some cases in which it might—especially when it comes to citizenship, cost of attendance, and eligibility for financial aid of various kinds).