NROTC Eligibility

These eligibility requirements apply to all NROTC tracks, and are in addition to specific program requirements. 

 

To gain acceptance into the NROTC Program, students must meet the following criteria:

  • Be a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident.
  • Be no less than 17 years old by September 1 of the year starting college and no more than 23 on December 31 of that year.
  • Have not reached their 27th birthday by December 31 of the year in which graduation and commissioning are anticipated, except as described below.
  • Applicants with prior military service may be eligible for age waivers.
  • Must have graduated from high school or earned an equivalency certificate by August 1 of the year they start college.
  • Received qualifying scores on the SAT, ACT or Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT)
  • Have no moral obligations or personal convictions that prevent them from bearing arms, supporting and defending the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, and taking an oath to do so.
  • Meet Navy or Marine Corps physical / medical qualification standards.
  • Have no body piercings or tattoos that violate Navy or Marine Corps policy.

Students interested in becoming officers in the Marine Corps must meet additional requirements:

They must achieve one of the following minimum scores on a standardized college admissions exam:

  • SAT: a combined score of 1,000 in Math and Critical Reading;
  • ACT: combine score of 22 in Math and English; or
  • Armed Forces Qualification Text (AFQT): 74
  • The SAT math and critical reading scores must be from the same and most recent test.  Applicants cannot combine their best math and critical reading scores from separate SAT exams to achieve the qualifying score for application. 

Additional Eligibility Requirements

NROTC tracks have additional requirements, depending on the program. These are described on the program page.