How the Navy ROTC (NROTC) scholarship board decides

The NROTC application asks for much more than grades and scores. The Navy's instructions list these parts: [N2]

• Class rank and class size, transcripts, and the courses you take in your senior year.
• SAT, ACT or AFQT scores.
• Athletics (including how well and how often you swim), clubs, school offices, publications, music, JROTC, Civil Air Patrol or Sea Cadets, and awards.
• Volunteer hours and work history. The Navy says it is "particularly interested" in work that shows leadership or management skills.
• Short essays of 250 to 500 words that you must write yourself.
• 3 references: a counselor or administrator, a Math teacher (Navy option) or Science teacher (Nurse option), and one more teacher, counselor, coach or employer.
• An officer interview and a fitness assessment.

The Navy says weight is given to your references' comments, so choose them carefully. [N2] Race and ethnicity data are used only for statistics and are not considered in selection. [N2]

Your major matters for the Navy option. The Navy's manual directs the board to give at least 85% of Navy-option scholarship offers for incoming freshmen to Tier 1 or Tier 2 majors. [N1] If you get an offer, you must enroll in the tier and major on your application. [N2]

For the Navy and Nurse options, you need one of these: [N2, N3]

• SAT: 540 Math and 550 Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, and 1100 combined.
• ACT: 21 Math and 22 English, and 44 combined.
• CLT: 20 Math and 47 Verbal, and 72 combined. [N3]
• AFQT (from the ASVAB): 81, if SAT or ACT testing is not available to you. [N3]

You can superscore within one test type: combine your best Math and English scores from more than one sitting of the same test, but not across different tests. [N3] Scores are valid for 4 years before the application deadline. [N3]

Marine option: SAT 1000 combined, ACT 22 composite or AFQT 74. The Marine option uses a single set of test scores. [N2]

The Navy's manual says the officer interview is one of the biggest factors in the award of a national scholarship. Board members rely on it to show what the candidate is really like. [N1] The manual tells interviewers that the interview should: [N1]

• Help the board clarify any discrepancies or questions in the application.
• Assess whether you have the traits the Navy wants in its officers, and briefly say why or why not.
• Not try to guess whether the rest of your record will win a scholarship.

All Navy and Nurse applicants must be interviewed by an officer at an NROTC unit or by the commanding or executive officer of a Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG). [N1] The interviewer scores you on the Officer Interview Form, NSTC 1533/157. [N1]

• You do not have to list the unit's school as one of your 5 choices, and it does not have to be the closest unit. [N1]
• Video or phone interviews are allowed when distance or schedules make an in-person interview a burden. You are not helped or hurt by the format. [N1]
• You can schedule your own interview with the nearest NTAG or an NROTC unit, for example during a college visit. [N1, N2]
• Give the interviewer a copy of your application. [N2]

Marine option applicants also work through a Marine Corps recruiter, and their completed applications go to the Marine Recruiting District. [N1, N2]

Navy and Nurse applicants must complete the NROTC Applicant Fitness Assessment (AFA). A certified person, for example a PE teacher or coach, gives the test and provides the scores. A recruiter cannot give it. Your application is not valid without a completed AFA score sheet. [N3]

Marine option applicants take a physical fitness test with their recruiter. [N2]

The Navy board is continuous. The instructions say the earlier you apply, the earlier you may be selected. If you are not selected at an early board, your application may be considered again at each later board until a decision is made. [N2]

Marine Corps Recruiting Command holds the Marine option board twice a year: an early board in November and a principal board in February. [N1]

Next cutoff: Final application cutoff, January 31, 2027. Final cutoff: Complete application by midnight, Jan 31, 2027.

The Navy does not publish board weeks. The weeks here come from ROTC Consulting. After January 31 you cannot apply, but boards continue to April to review the files already in. Results come about 2 weeks after each board. Marine Option applicants also need a Marine Corps recruiter interview. * Board weeks marked with an asterisk are unofficial.

Navy ROTC deadline countdown and reminders

• Get your officer interview done. The Navy calls it one of the biggest factors. [N1] You can set it up yourself with an NROTC unit or NTAG. [N2]
• Send new test scores. If you retake the SAT or ACT after you apply, give a copy of the scores to your recruiter or email them to the NROTC applications office. Updates must arrive before January 31. [N2]
• Choose references who know you well. The Navy gives weight to their comments. [N2]
• Think about your major. The board is directed to give at least 85% of Navy-option offers for incoming freshmen to Tier 1 or Tier 2 majors. [N1]
• Finish early. The earlier you apply, the earlier you may be selected, and a file that is not selected at an early board may be considered again at later boards. [N2]

See all Navy ROTC scholarships.