If you want to join the U.S. Marine Corps, the Marine Option programs run by the Navy ROTC are available in schools across the nation.
Midshipmen who choose the Marine Option receive training that includes coursework, leadership labs, and physical fitness instruction to help them manage pressure and lead under duress.
This article provides a well-researched list of the top best colleges with marine NROTC.
About Marine NROTC
The Marine Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) Corps Option is a scholarship program offered at over 150 colleges and universities in the United States.
The Marine NROTC Program educates and trains qualified young men and women for service as commissioned officers in the Navy’s unrestricted line, the Navy Nurse Corps and the Marine Corps.
Each Marine Corps Recruiting District screens and selects applicants for the Marine NROTC four-year Scholarship Program.
Selected applicants are awarded the scholarships that pay for the participant’s uniform, tuition, books, and miscellaneous fees associated with being a full-time undergraduate student.
In exchange for the significant financial assistance, students enrolled in the Marine NROTC Corps Option must complete courses about the history of warfare and naval science, ethics, and management.
During the first two years in the program, the student is required to participate in a summer cruise that teaches the various aspects of the Navy and Marine Corps life and training.
Upon graduation from the university and completion of the Marine NROTC Corps Option and the OTC, a participant earns his commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps.
Active duty marines who are chosen to receive marine NROTC scholarship are discharged to the Individual Ready Reserve and do not receive pay or benefits while enrolled as scholarship students.
Eligibility To Apply To Colleges With Marine NROTC
To qualify for the program, applicants must fulfill the following requirements:
- You must be a US citizen.
- Age
You must be younger than 23 on June 30 of the year you start college and older than 17 on September 1 of the same year.
Applicants must not have turned 27 by June 30 of the year in which college graduation and commissioning are anticipated.
If applicants do not reach the age of 30 by June 30 of the expected graduation and commissioning year, they may be qualified for age adjustments for up to 36 months, on a monthly basis, for a period equal to their active-duty military service.
- By August 1 of the year before the student is anticipated to begin the four-year NROTC Scholarship Program, possess a high school diploma or an equivalent document.
- You must meet the Marine Corps’ physical standards.
- You must have no personal or moral obligations that would prevent you from supporting and defending the US Constitution from all adversaries, both domestic and foreign.
- You must not have a criminal history in the military nor the civilian world.
- Test score
To qualify, you must have an ACT composite score of at least 18 or qualifying SAT composite score of at least 1000.
The math and English SAT and ACT scores must be from the same test. Applicants can’t complete the application requirements by combining their highest math and English scores.
List Of Colleges With Marine NROTC
1. University of Lincoln – Nebraska
The Marine Option Platoon at the University of Lincoln-Nebraska trains midshipmen for four years to become leaders and company-grade officers in the U.S. Marine Corps.
It incorporates in-class instruction, field training, and physical training.
As part of their leadership development, senior students create and oversee many workouts each week as part of the physical preparation.
In the classroom, students learn the fundamentals of tactical instruction and land navigation as well as how to prepare for life as a military officer.
Each semester, field training exercises use the adjacent Nebraska Army National Guard Meade Training Area as the climax of physical and academic preparation.
Multiple exercises, such as fire team tactics conditioning hikes, combat lifesaving, and emergency action drills, are practiced by students and graded.
2. Yale University
Yale University is one of the top colleges with marine NROTC options where marine midshipmen learn alongside the navy option midshipmen.
The program includes both academic instruction with at least one Naval Science class every semester and physical fitness.
Organizational Leadership, Amphibious Warfare, Naval Weapons Systems, Leadership and Ethics, and other courses are frequently taken by Marine NROTC students.
Midshipmen are encouraged to participate in other university-wide activities, although the institution expects them to dedicate 10 to 12 hours per week to ROTC activities.
This might apply to student organizations of all kinds, athletics, or community events.
3. Morehouse College
Morehouse College is one of the top colleges with marine NROTC where most of its students are still African Americans, and all of them are male.
The NROTC Atlanta Marine Platoon is made up of midshipmen from Morehouse College’s Marine Option program and those from Georgia Tech.
Students from other surrounding schools are also there, and they all participate in regular training sessions together.
Physical fitness testing is a part of training, as is being tested on the fundamentals of water survival.
To support the growth of good leaders, students are also required to participate in drills twice weekly and are given specific jobs each semester.
4. Harvard University
Harvard University is one of the top colleges with marine NROTC where your military service is viewed as a type of public duty and ROTC is an officially sanctioned student program.
The University was one of the six founding partner institutions of Naval ROTC in 1926.
Army ROTC was established on campus in 1916 and since then, they have given the military some of its most highly educated officers.
5. Cornell University
Future navy commanders can receive their education at Cornell University, which offers a gorgeous campus and a conducive learning atmosphere.
In the center of the Cornell campus, in Barton Hall, is where the Naval ROTC (NROTC) program is housed.
Officers are commissioned by Cornell University’s Naval ROTC unit into the US Navy and Marine Corps.
NROTC exposes students to demanding leadership, physical training, and practical fleet experiences for four years.
Each summer, the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare School and Officer Candidate School sends students on tours with active-duty Navy forces on ships, planes, and submarines.
6. Columbia University
Columbia University is one of the top best colleges with marine NROTC.
For duty as commissioned officers in the Navy and Marine Corps, suitable young men and women are trained through the Naval ROTC program.
Students from Fordham University, SUNY Maritime College, Molloy College, Columbia University, and Barnard College are enrolled in the New York City Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) program.
The program’s objective is to prepare midshipmen for commissioning as officers in the Navy and Marine Corps when they complete their undergraduate degrees.
7. Vanderbilt University
Oliver C. Carmichael, the university president, applied for admission to the program on March 17, 1945, which led to the establishment of the NROTC Unit at Vanderbilt University.
The NROTC program’s goal is to develop and train midshipmen to prepare them for careers as officers in the Navy and Marine Corps.
They emphasized academics, leadership, physical fitness, and community involvement to give kids the abilities they need to govern this wonderful nation.
With strong acceptance rates for the career choices of graduating MIDN, the NROTC Unit at Vanderbilt University has established itself as one of the top colleges with marine NROTC.
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8. Northwestern University
Undergraduates from Loyola University Chicago and Northwestern University make up the Northwestern University NROTC Unit.
Students from both institutions attend Naval Science seminars, leadership labs, and physical training at the unit, which is situated on the campus of Northwestern University.
Senior enlisted troops and officers who are currently serving in the Navy and Marine Corps make up Northwestern University NROTC’s staff.
Senior enlisted individuals use their enormous expertise and knowledge to aid your development as an officer, while officers serve as professors of Naval Science courses and class advisors.
The United States Navy or Marine Corps staff members are dedicated to providing you with individualized assistance as you work toward achieving both your academic and military goals.
9. University of Virginia-Main Campus
The University of Virginia’s President, Dr. John Lloyd Newcom, requested that a new Naval ROTC unit be established on the campus in 1940.
The University of Virginia Naval ROTC program’s goal is to educate midshipmen on a cerebral, moral, and physical level while also instilling in them the highest standards of devotion and duty as well as the fundamental virtues of honor, bravery, and commitment.
10. Georgetown University
The Georgetown University Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) is one of the top colleges with marine NROTC that provides an amazing experience and enhances the standard undergraduate curriculum with military training, opportunities, and information.
Midshipmen and previously enlisted Sailors and Marines from GW, Catholic University, Georgetown University, and Howard University are a part of the program.
The Georgetown University NROTC unit is made up of committed, well-rounded, and motivated midshipmen, Sailors, and Marines and are regarded as one of the best ROTC groups in the nation.
11. University of California-Berkeley
One of the six ground-breaking NROTC units established across the nation is the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps unit at the University of California, Berkeley.
Midshipmen from Berkeley and its crosstown affiliates, Stanford University, California Maritime Academy, and the University of California at Davis, make up the unit’s current crew.
They normally do not accept non-scholarship students who are not incoming freshmen because their curriculum is intended to last four years.
You must enroll at one of their four connected colleges or be accepted there.
12. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of the top best colleges with marine NROTC.
You will have experiences as a part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Naval ROTC program that some other college students may only imagine.
Although the primary goals of NROTC are your training and education, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, not the Naval Academy, is where you will spend the next four years of your life.
13. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
On the campus of the university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) of the University of Michigan is housed in the Chemistry Building.
The battalion trains students from Eastern Michigan University and the University of Michigan to serve as officers in the US Navy and US Marine Corps.
Only students at Eastern Michigan University and the University of Michigan are eligible to join the University of Michigan NROTC.
The NROTC program offers scholarship recipients a full tuition scholarship as well as a $375 book stipend at the start of each semester.
Scholarship recipients get a monthly stipend to aid with living costs. Freshmen are awarded $250, sophomores $300, juniors $350, and seniors $400 per year.
14. Maine Maritime Academy
Along with their chosen degree, students can join the Marine Option NROTC and be eligible for full or partial scholarships in exchange for a graduation commission.
To pursue a career as a Strategic Sealift Officer, midshipmen can also apply to the school’s unique Strategic Sealift Officer Program.
The Marine NROTC required coursework for midshipmen includes Naval Sciences classes, the Evolution of Warfare, Naval Orientation, and other courses.
15. North Carolina State University
One of the top colleges with marine NROTC programs, North Carolina State University is a part of a Naval ROTC with other nearby universities.
The Mariner Skills Simulator is one of NC State NROTC’s special features. With the help of this immersive technology, the Navy can instruct students in a cutting-edge virtual setting so they may experience operating Navy ships firsthand.
This better prepares midshipmen for life at sea as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps and a commission upon graduation.
16. University of San Diego
The University of San Diego is one of the top colleges with marine NROTC that joins with other San Diego universities.
The University of San Diego also holds monthly drill sessions, so students can use the Navy and Marine Corps facilities.
Midshipmen are required to take part in all training exercises, give back to the community, and join one or more NROTC-affiliated groups.
The aviation club, the Semper Fi honor society, and the submarine club are a few examples.
FAQ
What college has the best NROTC program?
The nation’s top Navy ROTC program is at the University of South Carolina.
Is Marine and Navy ROTC the same?
The Navy’s military studies and leadership labs, as well as the requirements of the midshipmen’s chosen degree program, must be completed by midshipmen who wish to pursue and receive an NROTC scholarship. There is no separate Marine ROTC program for the Marines.
What is the largest NROTC unit?
With more than 170 Sailors, Marines, and midshipmen, the Hampton Roads Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps is one of the biggest ROTC Units in the country.
What happens if my school doesn’t have Navy ROTC?
If you choose not to enroll in an NROTC college or university, you can still join the Navy by completing Officer Candidate School and getting in touch with a local Naval Officer Recruiter through the website navy.com/officer (OCS).
What GPA do you need for NROTC?
By the conclusion of the first academic year (end of the Spring term) in the program college, a cumulative GPA of 2.5 (on a scale of 4.0). The program college requires a GPA of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) or higher for each succeeding term.
How many marine option NROTC scholarships are awarded?
Over 5,000 students compete each year for the roughly 1,200 Navy ROTC scholarships. For the 400 Marine Corps Option ROTC scholarships, about 2,200 students apply.
Is ROTC worth it in college?
The fact that you will receive intensive training that will enable you to serve at an officer level after graduation is one of the most important benefits of joining ROTC. This indicates that you will have a significant advantage in your military career.
What happens if you quit NROTC?
After the start of your sophomore year, if you decide to drop out of college, you will be required to pay back the money you spent on tuition or serve in the military as an enlistee until you graduate, whichever comes first.
How long do you have to be in NROTC?
After graduating and receiving a commission, this person must perform at least three years of active duty (Advanced Standing required).
Do NROTC students go boot camp?
Not officers, but enlisted personnel, go through boot camp. Prior to their freshman year, all NROTC midshipmen (Navy and Marine Option) must complete a three-week New Student Indoctrination (NSI) program at Naval Station Great Lakes.
Conclusion
Marine NROTC option scholarship program application forms are available online for you to fill out if you’re interested in joining the marine corps.
Once submitted, the application will be forwarded to a local recruiter for processing and you’ll receive a call within two weeks to set up an appointment to gather any additional information required for the completion of your package.
Although enrollment into colleges with marine NROTC is not required during the selection process, the scholarship won’t be activated until enrollment notification is activated.
