Thank you for your interest in joining the World's Greatest NROTC Battalion! This page will contain all of the information you need to start your journey to becoming a Naval or Marine Corps Officer. 

SCHOLARSHIP   OVERVIEW

At any Navy ROTC unit, midshipmen are classified by their academic year and scholarship standing. Students may join the unit any time before their junior year (with exceptions), but all students must be selected for the national scholarship in order to commission. Most students apply for scholarship in the fall of their senior year in high school with applications typically due by the end of January. Those who did not apply or did not receive the scholarship can still join the unit, receive training, and apply multiple times until the start of their junior year. The national scholarship does not retroactively pay tuition, so a student who is accepted their sophomore year in college may only have 2-3 years covered*.

*Note: The UIUC tuition waiver is an Illinois-special program that waives in-state student's tuition while they are applying for the national scholarship.

For the most current information on National Scholarships, visit Naval Education and Training Command.

steps   to   joining   the   unit

For  the  high  school  student

  1. Apply for a four-year national scholarship before February of your graduating year online.
    1. Submit your application.
    2. Pass a Navy Physical Readiness Test (PRT) or Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test (PFT).
    3. Complete the officer interview.
    4. Receive notification of acceptance to UIUC/Parkland.
    5. Receive notification of acceptance for the national scholarship.
    6. ​​Contact your designated unit for further instruction.
  2. If you did not apply for the national scholarship or missed the deadline:
    1. Talk with our Midshipman Recruiting Officer.
    2. ​Register to attend New Student Orientation (NSO).

For  the  college  student

  1. Talk with our Midshipman Recruiting Officer.
  2. ​Register to attend New Student Orientation (NSO).
If you are currently a college student at the University of Illinois, you can join the NROTC as a college programmer without the national scholarship. College program midshipmen are treated the same as scholarship midshipmen, except they do not receive the same full financial aid, attend summer training, or incur any service commitment. All midshipmen take the same required NROTC classes, drill periods, and compete on the same teams. The aim of the college program is to allow students to see if the battalion is right for them.

College program midshipmen will apply for 3 or 2-year national scholarships during their freshman and sophomore years. While they are applying, they will automatically be covered by our tuition waiver so long as they have in-state residency and remain in good standing. 

Midshipmen who do not pick up a scholarship may be awarded advanced standing in place of a scholarship. Those who fail to pick up advanced standing or a national scholarship by the start of their junior year will be dropped from the program and incur no service obligation.
Many units, including the University of Illinois, offer a New Student Orientation Program of some kind, designed to give you the tools you need to succeed in this program. All incoming students for the fall semester should register to attend.