Navy ROTC Scholarship & Colleges

Navy ROTC: Forged by the Sea of Leadership
The Reserve Officer Training Program (ROTC) for the Navy is unique, in that its graduates are those who lead and serve as commissioned officers in three crucial components within the United States Navy: the Marine Corps, the Navy Nurse Corp, and the Navy’s unrestricted line.
Furthermore, only the best applicants are selected for the Navy ROTC Scholarship Program through a highly competitive national selection process.
Awardees receive full tuition, book stipends, educational fees and many other financial benefits while attending our country’s leading universities.
The Navy ROTC Program was established to develop midshipmen mentally, morally, and physically to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, and loyalty, and with the core values of honor, courage and commitment…
Navy ROTC Information
Navy ROTC is a multi-year program that runs alongside a student’s normal college or university program. Navy ROTC students attend classes in Naval Science, participate in the Navy ROTC unit for drill, physical training, and learn the principles and ideals of a military officer.
During summer breaks, Navy ROTC students participate in a variety of training activities. These range from a 6-week Marine Corps course, assignments to nuclear vessels, and assignments to aviation units.
These summer courses give students a glimpse of the career opportunities available once they commission. Additionally, summer training familiarizes Cadets with the military lifestyle.
All Navy ROTC students must select one of these three options:
- Navy Option – leads to post-graduation commissioning as a US Navy ensign in any of the various Naval warfare communities.
- Marine Corps Option – leads to post-graduation commissioning as a second lieutenant in the US Marine Corps.
- Nurse Option – leads to post-graduation commissioning in the US Navy as an ensign in the Navy Nursing Corps, a part of the Department of the Navy Bureau of Medicine.
RELATED: Military Friendly Colleges
Scholarship Information
There are many benefits offered by the National Scholarship. Check out the National Scholarship Benefits page for more the full list. It also addresses what is NOT covered by the scholarship.
Ensure that you carefully review the Program Requirements, as some of them can be tricky and time-consuming to complete.
Then, familiarize yourself with the Scholarship Application Process. The online application is extensive and can take several hours to complete.
The Navy ROTC website has offered an Application Information Checklist (PDF) to assist with the process of gathering information and ensuring that your application is complete.
If you have questions about filling out the application, or need assistance with doing so, there are coordinators available, which can be found using this resource: Locate a Coordinator.
The 2022 scholarship application will be open from 1 April 2021 to 31 January 2022. Now is the time to prepare for your future.
Other Scholarship Opportunities
While the National Scholarship is highly competitive, there are other scholarship opportunities available to achieve your dream of becoming a commissioned officer.
For the Navy only option, there is the Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) Scholarship Program.
For the Marine Corps only option, there are two:
There are also opportunities available with the NROTC Preparatory Scholarship Reservations (NPSR) Program.
Navy ROTC College List, by state
The following list contains the current military friendly colleges and schools that participate in Navy ROTC. Unique to the Navy is the Nurse Corps. The schools that offer Nursing programs are marked with (RN), while the schools that offer only the Nurse program are marked with (RN only).
The schools marked with (RN), or ones that are without marking, are those that can commission into the regular Navy and Marine Corps as well. However, there is one school that only commissions into the Navy.
RELATED: Nursing Careers in the Military
Alabama
Arizona
- Pima Community College
California
UCLA (RN)
- California State University Maritime Academy
- Stanford University
- University of California at Davis
- California State University – San Marcos
- University of California at San Diego
- Point Loma Nazarene University
University of Southern California
Colorado
- University of Colorado at Denver
Connecticut
District of Columbia
- Catholic University of America (RN)
- Georgetown University (RN)
- Howard University (RN)
Florida
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
- Florida State University (RN)
- Tallahassee Community College
- Florida State College at Jacksonville
- University of North Florida
- University of Tampa
Georgia
Georgia Institute of Technology
- Georgia State University
- Kennesaw State University
- Clark Atlanta University
- Spelman College
- Armstrong Atlantic State University
Hawaii
University of Hawaii (RN)
Idaho
- Washington State University
Illinois
Illinois Institute of Technology
- Kennedy King College
- University of Illinois at Chicago
- Loyola University (RN)
- Parkland College
Indiana
Purdue University (RN)
- Holy Cross College
- St. Mary’s College
Iowa
Kansas
Louisiana
Southern University and A&M College (RN)
- Baton Rouge Community College
- Louisiana State University
- Southeastern Louisiana University
- Dillard University (RN)
- Loyola University
- University of New Orleans
- Xavier University
Maine
- Husson University (RN only)
- University of Maine at Orono (RN)
Maryland
University of Maryland – College Park
University of Maryland – Baltimore County
Massachusetts
- Boston College (RN)
- Northeastern University (RN only)
- Brown University
- Worcester Polytechnic Institute
- Worcester State University (RN)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Harvard University
- Tufts University
Michigan
- Eastern Michigan University
Minnesota
- Macalester College
- University of Saint Thomas
Mississippi
Missouri
- Columbia College
Nebraska
New Jersey
Rutgers University – New Brunswick (RN)
- Princeton
New Mexico
- Central New Mexico Community College
New York
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Russell Sage College (RN only)
- Union College
State University of New York Maritime College
- Columbia University
- Fordham University
- Molloy College (RN only)
- Rochester Institute of Technology
- St. John Fisher College
- State University of New York at Brockport
North Carolina
North Carolina State University
Ohio
Miami University (RN)
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
- Duquesne University (RN)
- University of Pittsburgh (RN)
Pennsylvania State University (RN)
University of Pennsylvania (RN)
- Drexel University (RN)
- Temple University (RN)
Villanova University (RN)
South Carolina
- Allen University
- Midlands Technical College
Tennessee
- Christian Brothers University
- Rhodes College
- Belmont University (RN only)
- Tennessee State University
Texas
- Texas Southern University
- University of Houston – University Park
- Texas A&M at Galveston (Navy option only)
University of Texas (RN)
- Huston-Tillotson University
Utah
- Weber State University
- Westminster College
Vermont
Norwich University (RN)
Virginia
- Tidewater Community College
- Regent University
- Mary Baldwin University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Washington
- Seattle University (RN only)
Wisconsin
Marquette University (RN)
- Milwaukee School of Engineering (RN)
- University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
Forge Your Future
Time is running out to drop your application for the 2022 cycle.
If your dream is to commission into the Navy or Marine Corps, do not let education stand in the way.
Jump on that application. It’s full speed ahead!
(Image courtesy of Seaman Drace Wilson, published by the US Navy)
RELATED:
- Navy Tuition Assistance: What You Need to Know
- Navy Education Programs for College
- Navy Scholarships for Military Members and Their Families
- Scholarships for Veterans
About the author
Robert Haynes is a retired Army infantryman who has a squad of kids and is married to an active duty Soldier. He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, who spent his last few years in the Army as a Drill Sergeant. He is now a full-time dad, freelance writer, and out-of-work comedian.