Financial Incentives

Scholarships are awarded to graduating High School Seniors prior to starting college, but we recommend interested students begin the process in June following their Junior year of High School

As a High School student, you may apply for a scholarship if you meet the following criteria:

• Are between the second semester of your junior year and the second semester of your senior year
• Are a US citizen
• Are at least 17 years of age within the first semester of the year you enter college
• Will be 31 years of age by December 31st of the year in which you will graduate from college and receive your commission.

What can I do to be competitive for a National Scholarship?

You will be evaluated on a “Scholar, Athlete, Leader” model for the scholarship. Demonstrating your performance in the Scholar, Athlete, and Leader domains indicates your potential to the scholarship board. Here is how each domain broken down, and what you can do to be competitive:  

• Scholar
  • Includes academics: GPA, course load, SAT/ACT scores
  • Have a competitive GPA
  • Challenge yourself by taking honors/AP/IB classes
  • Score well on the SAT or ACT. *Although some colleges do not require standardized tests, you will need it for the ROTC scholarship*
• Athlete
  • Includes sports and physical fitness
  • Participate in sports (can be community organizations, clubs, or school-sponsored)
  • Score well on your scholarship fitness assessment (1 minute of push ups, 1 minute of sit ups, 1 mile run) 
• Leader
  • Includes your involvement in a variety of activities, positions of responsibility, and leadership roles
  • Participate in extracurricular activities (can be community organizations, clubs, school sponsored, part-time or full-time jobs)
  • Hold leadership positions in your activities and/or your job

How do I apply?

• Create an account on My GoArmy
• After creating an account, login to the Scholarship Application
• Contact our Recruiting Operations Officer, Mr. Travis Wright, at 413-242-8072, or traviswright@umass.edu

Important Dates for the National Scholarship Board

There are three rounds in which applications are evaluated each year: early October, early January, and early March. To be most competitive, complete your application before the October board!

Scholarships are available to students who are currently enrolled in UMASS or one of our associated colleges (see the home page for available schools). The award can pay full-tuition or room and board, and the length of scholarship can vary depending on the situation (2-3.5 years).

Once you decide that you'd like to join ROTC and compete for a scholarship, we highly recommend joining our program as soon as possible, be very engaged with the program and activities, and ensure our cadre are aware of your desire to compete for a scholarship. Cadets will be evaluated against each other to determine an order of merit list which will be used to provide our top, non-scholarship cadets with a scholarship when money is available. 

Reach out as soon as possible to our Recruiting Operations Officer, Mr. Travis Wright, at 413-242-8072, or traviswright@umass.edu, to get more information.

Students who are interested in obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) are highly encouraged to enroll in ROTC. Students may enroll as a freshman, sophomore or as late as an entering college junior. Upon completion of our program, Nursing students are commissioned as officers in the United States Army. 

An Army Nurse is a Baccalaureate-prepared Registered Nurse who is an Army Officer. During their first assignment, they will work as a Clinical Staff Nurse in an Army Medical Treatment Facility (MTF).

To become an Army Nurse, you must:

• Attend a four-year, Baccalaureate degree Nursing Program accredited by the National League of Nursing (NLN) or Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
• Enroll in Army ROTC along with the Nursing Curriculum
• Successfully complete all courses to earn a degree and a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps
• Take and pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX)
• Make the most of your profession and career!

Clinical Staff Nurses plan, direct and provide nursing care. Clinical Staff Nurses work 80 hours per pay period (7-3, 3-11, 11-7, 12 hour 7-7 shifts). These nurses supervise and evaluate military and civilian personnel, provide patient and continuing staff education and provide Nursing care in a variety of settings, including:

• Medical-Surgical
• Maternal Child Health
• Psychiatric Mental Health
• Outpatient Clinics
• Operating Room
• Emergency Department
• Preventative Medicine
• Specialty Clinics
• Pediatrics
• Critical Care

The Generic Course Selection Program offers junior officers — including all who enter Army nursing through ROTC, the opportunity to receive specialized training in several fields. This training is available within the first 3-4 years of Active Duty service.

The courses available for attendance through the Generic Course Selection program are:

• Obstetrical/Gynecological Nursing: Prepares nurses to care for patients in all aspects of the childbearing spectrum — pregnancy counseling, pregnancy, labor and delivery, and postpartum care. This course lasts 16 weeks and is offered in Hawaii.
• Critical Care Nursing: Trains nurses in anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, physics, CPR, inhalation therapy, diagnostics, psychological and sociological problems, and ethical and legal considerations in the care of critically ill patients. This 16-week course can be taken in Washington, D.C., Tacoma, WA or San Antonio, TX.
• Perioperative Nursing: Prepares nurses for all phases of operating room nursing, including advanced skills related to specialty areas in surgery and the principles and techniques of supervising and managing an operating room. This course is 16 weeks and can be taken in Washington, D.C., Tacoma, WA or San Antonio, TX.
• Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing: Prepares nurses to provide specialized care to emotionally distressed individuals both as inpatients and outpatients, and to provide consultation within the general hospital community. This course is 16 weeks long and is offered in Washington, D.C.

Other Specialty Courses available, but not through the Generic Course Selection Program, are:

• Emergency Nursing: Prepares nurses to function in any clinical setting that meets the environmental nursing standard for emergency nursing. The focus is on the fundamentals of emergency nursing such as respiratory and cardiac disease, hematology/oncology, trauma management, hepatic disorders, and infectious diseases. This 16-week course is offered in San Antonio, TX.
• Preventative Medicine: Provides nurses with skills and knowledge to function in preventative medicine specialty area at an entry level. Course content includes the following: community health practices, communicable and infectious diseases, operational preventative medicine, epidemiology, statistics, medical entomology, industrial hygiene, health physics, sanitary engineering, and environmental science. A three day field training exercise occurs at the end of the course. This is a 9-week course offered in San Antonio, TX.

The second major educational opportunity is Long Term Health Education and Training (LTHET). This program allows Captains (year 3) and above an opportunity to obtain their Master’s degree in a multitude of specialty areas and locations. Officers apply for and are accepted to attend graduate programs following both clinical and administrative avenues. As full-time students working towards their Master’s degree through LTHET, officers remain on Active Duty with full pay and benefits.

Nurses may pursue degrees in the following disciplines:

• Nurse Anesthesia
• Nurse Midwifery
• Health Care Administration
• Family Nurse Practitioner
• Master of Science in Nursing, in a number of approved areas, including:
  • Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist
  • Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist
  • Nursing Informatics
  • Nursing Education

Reach out to our Recruiting Operations Officer, Mr. Travis Wright, at 413-242-8072, or traviswright@umass.edu, to get more information.

Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP)

Students who contract as a Simultaneous Membership Program Cadet simultaneously enroll in ROTC and belong to an Army Reserve or National Guard unit. A student can become an SMP Cadet in their sophomore year and become non-deployable while in college. SMP Cadets, scholarship and non-scholarship, receive:

• Experience working with an officer during drill, learning the job of an officer.
• Drill pay as a Sergeant (E-5)
• ROTC stipend of $420 per month while in school

Other benefits that SMP students may qualify for:

• Federal Tuition Assistance: $250 per credit (for 12 – 18 credits; up to $4500 per year)
• Reserve GI Bill: $288/mo (must have completed Basic and AIT)
• Reserve GI Bill Kicker: $350/mo (must receive Reserve GI Bill benefits and be in a select specialty or unit)
• Educational Assistance Program: $4,097.00 per semester (PA Army National Guard only 2019-2020)

Non-scholarship SMP Cadets can apply for an active-duty, Army National Guard, or Army Reserve commission. Some benefits may be recouped if the Cadet chooses and is selected to serve on active duty upon commissioning.

Guaranteed Reserve Forces Duty (GRFD) Scholarship

The GRFD scholarship is mainly for students entering their junior year of college. GRFD scholarships are available for up to two years and allow simultaneous use with the Chapter 1606/MGIB-SR or Chapter 1607/REAP GI Bills.

GRFD recipients (dedicated or not) can choose either full tuition and fees or room and board (flat rate of $10,000 per year) and receive $1,200 for books. They are given an ROTC allowance for 10 months of the year at $420 per month. As a member of the Guard, they will also receive drill pay.

If eligible for Chapter 1606 Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB), the student may qualify for an additional $350 per month MGIB SMP kicker.

Dedicated Army National Guard (DEDNG) Scholarship

The DEDNG scholarship is available for up to four years but does not allow simultaneous use with the Chapter 1606/MGIB-SR or Chapter 1607/REAP GI Bills. Recipients receive full tuition or full room and board (flat rate of $10,000 per year), plus up to $1,200 for books, and are paid a monthly stipend of $420 for 10 months each year. In addition to a monthly allowance, they can also receive the drill pay of a sergeant, approximately $319 per month, when they participate in the SMP.

Minuteman (MM) Scholarship

Minuteman Scholarships can be either two-year GRFD scholarships or DEDNG-GRFD scholarships that cover up to four years. They guarantee that Cadets who commission as Army officers will serve in the Guard. A Minuteman Scholarship requires a nomination letter as part of the scholarship packet and offers either full tuition and mandatory fees or a room and board flat rate of $10,000 per year, covering up to four years (or eight semesters) of benefits. Minuteman Scholarship recipients also receive a $1,200 annual book allowance and a monthly stipend of $420 for 10 months of the academic year. Minuteman Scholarship Cadets must participate in the SMP while attending college, so they will also receive pay for attending a drill one weekend per month and a two-week annual training in a local Guard unit. In return for these scholarship benefits, a Minuteman Cadet will serve as a Commissioned Officer in the Guard in a drilling status for eight years after graduation.

Minuteman Scholarship Cadets can be nominated from any State Adjutant General (TAG) or any Civilian Aid to the Secretary of the Army (CASA) in lengths of two years, up to four years, for a scholarship. These scholarships are limited each year, and applications require a nomination memo with a handwritten signature from the nomination source. 

Green to Gold Requirements

• Be a U.S. Citizen
• Earn an ASVAB GT score of 110 or greater
• Serve a minimum of two years active duty, as well as three months of active duty for every one month of specialized training
• Pass the ACFT within the last six months
• Have a cumulative High School or College GPA of 2.5.
• Obtain a letter of acceptance to a school of choice offering Army ROTC
• Obtain a letter of acceptance from that school’s Army ROTC Battalion

Four G2G options:

1. Green to Gold Scholarship

This option is for you if you want to leave active duty to go to college. You’ll receive full tuition or room and board, flat-rate book payment, and a monthly stipend. This scholarship is awarded for two to four years, depending on how many years of college you’ve already completed. You can use it toward your first bachelor’s degree or first graduate degree.

2. Green to Gold Active-Duty Option

If you want to stay on active duty and attend college for your first bachelor’s or graduate degree, this option is for you. You’ll use a combination of the G.I. Bill and other Army education benefits to help pay for school.

3. Green to Gold Non-Scholarship

This option is for you if you want to leave active duty to go to college. You’ll receive a monthly stipend while you’re in school and commission as an Army Officer when you earn your degree. You can work with your local leadership to see if this option is available to you.

4. ARMY ROTC Green to Gold Division Commander's Hip Pocket Scholarship

This is a selective program to complete your bachelor’s degree and earn a commission as an Army Officer through the ROTC Scholarship program. Your chain of command can recommend you if you have a record of outstanding service and exhibit potential for the program.

Contact our Recruiting Operations Officer, Mr. Travis Wright, at 413-242-8072, or traviswright@umass.edu, to get more information.