Army Green To Gold Program
Green to Gold Program Options
For those joined the Army as enlisted soldiers, there is an option to go to college and become officers through the ROTC and the Army’s Green to Gold Program. There are multiple options under Army Green to Gold, they include:
- Green to Gold Scholarship Option – Applicants leave active duty status to attend college for up to three years. The Army pays “full tuition and fees or room and board (capped at a rate set annually), plus a stipend per semester for books, and a monthly stipend,” according to the official site.
- Green to Gold Non-Scholarship Option – Qualified applicants are approved to leave active duty status to attend college. The soldier must complete their degree requirements in two years. The Army provides a monthly stipend with all other expenses left to the soldier.
- Green to Gold Division Commander’s Hip Pocket Scholarship Program — Qualifying soldiers can finish a baccalaureate degree and earn a commission through the Army ROTC Scholarship program.
- Green to Gold Active Duty Option – These students remain on Active Duty, must be able to complete their degree requirements in two years, and keep pay and allowances while completing school. The Soldier pays for the cost of attendance.
For all Army Green to Gold options, an 8 year service commitment is required upon completion of the program and commissioning. Army.mil notes this requirement can be fulfilled “in either an Active Duty or Reserve/National Guard status.” For all Green to Gold program options and application information, please see the official site.
Green to Gold Program Basic Requirements
To be eligible, you must meet requirements which include but are not limited to:
- Be a U.S. citizen
- Be under 30 on the date of the projected graduation and commission. Waivers can be requested for this requirement.
- Have a minimum of 2 years of Active Duty at the time of application and 3 months of Active Duty for every one month of specialized training.
- GT Score of 110 or higher
- Past the APFT within the last six months with a score of 180 or higher, at least 60 points in each event
- College GPA of 2.5
- Letter of Acceptance to School of Choice offering Army ROTC
- Letter of Acceptance from the Professor of Military Science (PMS) of that Army ROTC Battalion
- Favorable National Agency Check
- DoD Medical Evaluation Board medical qualification
- Be eligible to reenlist
RELATED: Army Education Programs
Two Application Phases for Army Green to Gold
The Green to Gold Program consists of two phases:
Phase One is called the Selection Phase. During this portion of the process you:
- Create an online application
- Submit documents required by the Board
- Schedule medical examination
- Verify board eligibility
- The completed packet appears before the selection board
Phase Two is called the Qualification Phase. Soldiers must be administratively and medically qualified before they are awarded an offer letter.
- Ensure all required documents and waivers are uploaded into the application portal.
- To become medically qualified, applicants must be cleared by the DoD Medical Evaluations Review Board (MERB) to ensure they can be placed on assignment.
- During the board process, eight Professors of Military Science and two Senior Enlisted Advisors review all completed applications. Their selections are based on the Scholar, Athlete, Leader (SAL) concept.
Once the selection process is completed, the Human Resources Command will publish a MILPER message listing those Soldiers selected to advance to Phase Two.
What Is the Army Green to Gold Commander’s Hip Pocket Scholarships Program?
The Army describes the Green To Gold Hip Pocket ROTC program is “separate from our standard education benefits.” If you enlisted as an Army recruit with a high school diploma, “you’ll need a four-year bachelor’s degree to make the switch to Officership” according to the Army, and that’s where Army ROTC scholarship programs like Hip Pocket come in.
The Army ROTC Green to Gold Division Commander’s Hip Pocket Scholarship was created to help soldiers finish a bachelor’s degree and earn a commission as an Army officer via the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps program also known as ROTC.
Division commanders nominate deserving soldiers on an annual basis. These soldiers compete for two, three, and four-year Green to Gold scholarships and the benefits they offer, which include:
- Tuition or room and board.
- Money for textbooks, supplies, and equipment.
- A monthly stipend paid up to 10 months in each school year.
- Some schools may offer incentives to scholarship winners.
Because the chain of command initiates Hip Pocket awards, it’s wise to ask your command support staff how to be considered for a Hip Pocket scholarship. You will be required to apply formally, but the command’s choices for the award may depend on local criteria you should know before applying.
What Is the Army’s Green to Gold Active-Duty Option Program?
The Green to Gold Active Duty Option (ADO) is a two-year program for eligible active duty enlisted soldiers who can earn a baccalaureate or a two-year graduate degree and then earn an Army officer commission.
What are the benefits of the Green to Gold Active-Duty Option (ADO) program?
There are benefits of the Army’s Green to Gold ADO program. You will:
- Continue to receive your current pay and allowances while you are in the program.
- Use the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Army College Fund for educational expenses.
- Receive normal PCS entitlements.
- Receive leadership training.
What are the Green to Gold ADO requirements?
To be in the Army’s Green to Gold Active Duty program, you will need to be identified by your chain of command. Other requirements include but may not be limited to the following:
- Be a US Citizen
- Be under 30 as of the date of your projected graduation and commission. You can receive a waiver for this.
- Have a minimum of 2 years of active duty at the time of the application. You also need to have at least 3 months of active duty for every one month of specialized training. You can receive a waiver for this.
- Receive a GI score of 110 or more.
- Pass the APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test) within the last 6 months with a score of at least 180, with a minimum of 60 points in each event.
- Maintain a GPA of 2.5 or higher.
- Have a favorable national agency check or have initiated it.
- Have a Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board medical qualification.
- Be eligible to reenlist in the military.
What would make me ineligible for the Green to Gold program?
A few things would make you ineligible for the Army’s Green to Gold Active Duty Option program. You may be ineligible if you:
- You need more than four semesters or six quarters as a full-time student to earn your degree.
- Have an unfavorable recommendation from your chain of command.
- Are under suspension of favorable personnel action (FLAGS) IAW AR 600-8-2.
- Have ten years or more of active federal service when commissioning. You can receive a waiver for this.
- Have you ever had any adverse juvenile adjudication, been arrested, indicted, or convicted by a civil court or military law for something other than minor traffic violations, or had imposed other adverse disposition, unless you receive a waiver? If you did receive a waiver for enlisting in the Army, you would need to get another one to become an officer.
How do I start the program?
Start the application process online on the Army’s Green to Gold program webpage. The items needed include, but are not limited to:
- CC Form 174-R Green to Gold program application.
- A favorable recommendation from your commander and field grade commander commenting on your officer-like qualifications.
- An updated copy of the ERB showing your citizenship.
- Medical examination DD forms 2351 and 2492.
- All of your official transcripts.
- Letter of acceptance from the Professor of Military Science, your acceptance into the ROTC program, and your academic status.
- CC Form 104-R Planned Academic Program Worksheet. This is completed by the university’s department head, verified and signed by both you and the school’s registrar’s office.
- Evaluation of Transfer of Credit if attending a different college or university.
- All waivers and/or waiver requests.
The official site has more detailed information and updated information about Army Green to Gold programs.
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About the author
Joe Wallace is a 13-year veteran of the United States Air Force and a former reporter/editor for Air Force Television News and the Pentagon Channel. His freelance work includes contract work for Motorola, VALoans.com, and Credit Karma. He is co-founder of Dim Art House in Springfield, Illinois, and spends his non-writing time as an abstract painter, independent publisher, and occasional filmmaker.