Army ROTC Nursing Program

Do you dream of a career in nursing? Do you believe you have a calling to care for others and make a difference? The Army ROTC Nursing Program complements your educational experience, lends invaluable leadership training, and takes your hands-on experience to the next level. Plus, you’ll have an opportunity to earn scholarships or stipends to cover educational costs in exchange for military service after graduation.

Dive into the ultimate hands-on leadership experience. You’ll hone career-defining management, communication, and decision-making skills. Take part in physical training and confidence-building activities that’ll challenge you physically and mentally. And when you’re done, you’ll be commissioned as second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.

All scholarships provide:

• Coverage of full tuition and fees
• $1,200 per year for books
• Additional reimbursement for required nursing uniforms, equipment, and testing fees
• $420 monthly tax-free stipend during the school year

Criteria for scholarships:

To be eligible for an Army ROTC two-, three-, or four-year merit scholarship at Penn College, you must meet the criteria below.

• Be a citizen of the United States.
• Be at least seventeen years of age by October 1 of the year of enrollment as a scholarship cadet.
• Be under twenty-seven years of age on June 30 of the calendar year in which eligible for appointment as a second lieutenant.
• Satisfactorily explain any record of arrest and/or civil conviction (no felony convictions).
• Pass a medical exam reviewed by the DoD Medical Examination and Review Board.
• Pass an Army Physical Fitness Test.
• Must have taken SAT/ACT.
• Be a high school graduate or possess an equivalent certificate.
• Be accepted for enrollment by Pennsylvania College of Technology. Have at least two academic years remaining at host or satellite school. (These may include graduate study.)
• Two-year and three-year scholarship applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or greater.
• Agree to accept a commission as an officer in the Army, Army National Guard, or Army Reserve.
• Have no moral obligations or personal conviction that will prevent you from:
  • Supporting and defending the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
  • Conscientiously bearing arms.

Students may be offered scholarships conditionally while awaiting final determination of eligibility. The most common reason for conditional offers is the scheduling of medical examinations and the resolution of potential medical disqualifiers. Scholarship applications are available on request. Four-year national scholarships can be filed online.

No scholarship? No worries. You can still participate as a contracted cadet and receive the monthly stipend during your junior and senior years. Your service obligation post-graduation differs as well. More on that below.

NSTP is a clinical elective conducted after your ROTC advanced course, typically between your third and fourth year. You’ll be introduced to the roles, responsibilities, and expectations of a new officer in the Army Nurse Corps while gaining progressive experience and leadership opportunities in a clinical setting. During NSTP, you’ll be under the direct supervision of a preceptor, an Army Nurse Corps officer who works with you one-on-one. Several Army hospitals in the continental United States, Hawaii, and Germany are NSTP sites.

Here’s what you can expect post-graduation:

1. You will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
2. After you pass the NCLEX, you will attend the Basic Officer Leadership Course (BOLC) at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas prior to reporting to your first assignment. The Army pays for your first attempt at the NCLEX exam.
3. At BOLC (12 weeks), you will study basic army knowledge and the functioning of an Army unit. The first assignment, which is determined by evaluating college performance, ROTC standing, and personal preferences, can be done at more than 25 hospitals in the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Germany, or Korea.
4. Once you have been working as an Army Nurse (on active duty) for one year, you are eligible to attend a clinical specialty course of your choice.

Currently, the course choices are: Perioperative Nursing, Critical Care Nursing, Obstetrical and Gynecological Nursing, and Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing, Emergency Nursing, and Public Health Nursing. You also have the opportunity, as a member of the Army Nurse Corps, to apply for fully funded master’s degree programs such as the Penn College Nursing Education program or Family Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Midwife, Anesthesia Nursing, MSN/Clinical Nurse Specialist, and the Baylor Health Care Administration programs.

Scholarship Recipients:

Your total service obligation is eight years. Your first four are active duty. Your remaining four years may be completed on active duty or in the Army Reserves.

Non-scholarship Recipients:

Your total service obligation is eight years. Your first three are active duty. Your remaining five years may be completed on active duty or in the Army Reserves.

Four-Year Scholarship Applications: 

Applications are available online or via calling 800.USA.ROTC.

Two- and Three-Year Scholarship Applications:

These are normally completed by college freshmen and sophomores. Contact or visit the Army ROTC office for an application.