For rising high school seniors and current college students, there are two ways to join the unit. One is through receipt of the National Scholarship that is placed at a school in our consortium. The second way is through the College Program. The College Program allows you to participate in the unit to compete for a scholarship and commission. To apply for the College Program, you must submit an application after April 1st. First round applications are due May 1st. Second round applications are due June 1st.
Midshipman candidates have an opportunity to join the Naval Preparatory Program (NPP): a five year program which begins their senior year of high school and prepares the student to receive the four year national NROTC scholarship. The NPP is designed for those who are interested in STEM majors but may have been disadvantaged from achieving high standardized achievement test scores, or exposure to extracurricular activities, due to socioeconomic status. Please see the Preparatory Program Scholarship tab for more information.The location of the USD and SDSU campuses makes it an extremely popular consortium for good reason! San Diego is home to multiple Naval and Marine Corps bases giving our students more opportunities for events and tours with operational units.
The San Diego NROTC is a consortium where students can attend schools other than USD and SDSU and still participate in the program. The schools in our consortium include the University of San Diego, San Diego State University, Point Loma Nazarene University, University of California San Diego, and California State San Marcos University.
The program is designed to be a four year professional development program. Students can join their second year of college, but the required classes are not waived.
The scholarship pays for either tuition and fees or for room and board up to a specific amount. The standard scholarship covers tuition and fees unless the Midshipman elects for it to instead be applied toward room and board. Some Universities may offer financial aid for room and board, but that is University specific. University of San Diego supports the Fellows Program which aids in alleviating extra room and board or tuition costs for active duty or military affiliated individuals.
Scholarship activation occurs after arrival if the candidate is physically (must pass the physical fitness test) and medically qualified (must have ‘Qualified’ DODMERB letter). Incoming scholarship students will need to complete their medical process after receipt of the scholarship. Provided they are found ‘Qualified’ they will meet the medical requirement. To meet the physical qualification, Navy students must pass the PRT at NSO with a score of ‘Good Low’ for their age group. Marine Option students must meet the standards for a ‘Second Class’ PFT by their first year and ‘First Class’ standards by their second year.
The unit is not involved with the medical process, please contact your DODMERB technician for questions on your qualified status.
Navy Option Course requirements
Marine Option Course Requirements
Students who have taken calculus or calculus-based physics for college credit prior to entering the NROTC Program, which their college has validated, must complete one additional three semester-hour (or equivalent) college course in each of those areas to satisfy this requirement, unless these courses were taken at an NROTC affiliated school. This course shall be the second (or higher) in the sequence. Courses covered by this exception may include courses taken at other universities while in high school, AP examination credit, or university placement credit.
Freshman students have additional time commitments in the program.
- Freshman Drill: Once per week
- Physical Training: Two to three times per week
- Battalion Drill: One Saturday per month
Various other events occur throughout the year as well.
First Year students should plan to attend New Student Orientation (NSO) prior to the start of school (typically held in late August) and scholarship students will need to attend New Student Indoctrination (NSI) for three weeks before school starts. For more information on NSI please contact NSTC. There are also additional requirements for Drill and PT for first year students. Freshman also have to complete additional weekly drill and PT sessions.
Marine Option Students are required to join the Semper Fi Club at the unit and will occasionally break off from the Battalion to do different workouts at Physical Training. Marine Option Midshipmen are not required to take the same classes as the Navy Option Midshipmen and there is no ‘Tier’ major requirement.
The commitment after commissioning is different depending your service assignment. For Marines, the commitment is 4 years. The commitment for the Navy ranges from 5-8 years depending on the community you are selected for.
The Advanced Standing commitment is no different than the scholarship commitment.
NROTC San Diego Consortium does not offer any nursing programs. For a list of schools with a Nursing program, please visit the following website:
https://www.netc.navy.mil/Commands/Naval-Service-Training-Command/NROTC/Nurse/
All Marines will attend TBS (The Basic School) after commissioning to compete for an MOS.
Navy and Marine Scholarship students will attend summer training during their summers while in the program.
No. The program is for undergraduate students only.
Students who attend UCSD will take all their classes on the quarter system with the exception of Naval Science (NAVS) courses. Their NAVS courses will be in accordance with the host university's academic system, which is semester.
Reservists must be released from their present enlistment contract and enlist under the provisions of the NROTC Program to facilitate Scholarship or College Program Advanced Standing enrollment. They may be enrolled as Naval Science students pending release from their reserve obligation, provided they are fully qualified and have been accepted to the institution they are authorized to attend. The NROTC unit shall obtain a Request for Conditional Release DD Form 368 prior to allowing the student to sign an Enlistment/Reenlistment Agreement DD Form 4/1.
(Navy Students Only) Examples of Tier 1, 2, and 3 majors are listed on the website below. If you are assigned a specific Tier for your scholarship you will need to start the program in a major that aligns with your specific Tier.
https://www.netc.navy.mil/Commands/Naval-Service-Training-Command/NROTC/Program-Info/
Balancing a sports team and NROTC is possible but takes quite a bit of time management. First year students have additional NROTC requirements, but make sure to talk to your coach and Officer Advisor to develop a plan for how you will participate in both.
You will need to pay the registration fee (which will be reimbursed after arrival if physically and medically qualified) but you will not need to pay tuition. The scholarship recipient names will be send to your school’s financial aid if the student is medically and physically qualified.
Scholarship selection and placement is conducted by NSTC, not the unit. Our recommendation is to apply to all 5 schools that you designate on your application (as is indicated on the application). If you do not get accepted to the school in our consortium that you got received your scholarship for please contact us and we can discuss the situation. If you would like to request that your scholarship be transferred to another university where you have gained acceptance, contact the Placement Officer on your acceptance letter or email pnsc_nrotc.placement@navy.mil.
If students do not earn a scholarship by the end of their sophomore year, they are reviewed for Advanced Standing. If granted, Advanced Standing allows the Midshipman the opportunity to continue on towards commission, as well as a monthly stipend. Upon graduation, the Advanced Standing Midshipmen receive the same commission as the Scholarship Midshipmen.
We conduct interviews via the local recruiting station. Applicants must be assigned to the San Diego recruiting station for the staff to conduct the interview. Interviews are not scheduled through the unit.
Both National scholarship students and College Program students are held to the same academic standards. Overall NROTC students should not get below a D in any courses and never fall below a 2.5 GPA.
Physical fitness standards can be found on the Navy website. Students must meet at least a ‘Good Low’ standard to participate in the program.
Yes, Sailors and Marines must know how to swim. The unit will conduct a swim qualification during the year, so you should arrive knowing how to swim. You must be able to pass the 3rd class swim qualification prior to completion of freshman year. Failure to meet this qualification will result in your removal from the program. Midshipmen with a 3rd class swim qualification must repeat the test each year. If the Midshipman passes the 2nd class swim qualification, they no longer need to be tested for the duration of their time at NROTC.
You will not receive an NROTC scholarship unless you are found physically qualified for the NROTC program. It is imperative that you become physically qualified before commencement of classes. If you are attempting to gain a waiver for some disqualifying physical condition and you start classes at the university, you will be responsible for payment of tuition, fees and books for that semester. If you are later found physically qualified for a NROTC scholarship during that same semester (i.e. your waiver is granted), your tuition, fees and book expenses can be reimbursed. If you are found not physically qualified for the NROTC program, tuition, fees and book expenses will not be reimbursed. If you are not sure if you are physically qualified or if you need information on how to get a waiver, please contact your DODMERB technician or the recruiter who helped process your application.
No. You must be a student at USD, UCSD, SDSU, CSUSM, or PLNU to be part of the NROTC San Diego program. If you are in this situation, another avenue for selection as an officer is to attend Officer Candidate School following completion of a B.A. or B.S. degree from a 4 year university.
The latest you can join NROTC San Diego is at the beginning of your sophomore year. You cannot join as a junior or senior. This is due to the large number of requirements needed to complete the program.