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Ball State Cardinal Battalion · Cardinal
Army ROTC in Muncie, IN runs out of Ball State University as the Ball State Cardinal Battalion.
About this program
Ball State Cardinal Battalion sits inside Ball State University as the campus's Army ROTC battalion. The mission is straightforward — produce U.S. Army officers — and the cadre run a four-year curriculum to do exactly that.
Anderson University, Taylor University, Ivy Tech Community College, and Indiana Wesleyan University are the cross-town partner schools feeding Ball State Cardinal Battalion. All ROTC-side curriculum runs at the host; partner-school students typically attend twice a week and full PT three to five mornings.
Cadets compete for the AROTC 4-Year National Scholarship as high-school seniors and the 3-Year Advanced board on contract. Minuteman seats route Reserve and National Guard contracts, and Green-to-Gold opens the door for prior-enlisted soldiers transitioning to officer. On the academic side, Ball State University draws cadets into history and the humanities as well as mathematics and applied analytics, and the cadre work directly with academic advising on time-conflict resolution between ROTC and major requirements.
Scholarships available here
Scholarship route obligating service in the Army Reserve or National Guard rather than active duty.
Service obligation: 8 years
Active-duty enlisted soldiers transition to officer via ROTC with several scholarship options (2-year, 3-year, 4-year).
Service obligation: 8 years
On-campus scholarship awarded to enrolled cadets at the start of their MS-II year.
Service obligation: 6 years
Covers full tuition and fees OR room and board (your choice), plus a $420/month stipend (10 months/yr) and $1,200/yr book allowance. Merit-based board score with PT assessment and SAT/ACT. Application opened June 14, 2026; final deadline to start an application is March 4, 2027. Three selection boards (Oct, Jan, Mar). 8-year total service obligation; you can exit after freshman year with no obligation.
Service obligation: 8 years
Cross-town & partner schools served
Students at these schools can commission through Ball State Cardinal Battalion by commuting to Ball State University.
Cross-enroll students take Military Science courses at Ball State University.
Cross-enroll students take Military Science courses at Ball State University.
Cross-enroll students take Military Science courses at Ball State University.
Cross-enroll students take Military Science courses at Ball State University.
Cross-enroll students take Military Science courses at Ball State University.
Contact & location
Located at: Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306
Army ROTC FAQ
Where is Ball State Cardinal Battalion located?
Ball State Cardinal Battalion is hosted at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. The battalion's training events, classes, and PT all run on the Ball State University campus.
Which colleges and universities can attend Ball State Cardinal Battalion?
In addition to Ball State University, students enrolled at Anderson University, Taylor University, Ivy Tech Community College, Indiana Wesleyan University, and Earlham College can contract through Ball State Cardinal Battalion via cross-town agreements. Cross-town cadets keep their primary academics at the partner school and travel to the host for ROTC-side coursework.
What scholarships are available through Ball State Cardinal Battalion?
Army ROTC cadets at this battalion compete for AROTC 4-Year National, AROTC 3-Year Advanced, Minuteman (Reserve/Guard), Green-to-Gold (prior-enlisted). National awards apply out of high school; on-campus side-loads kick in once a cadet is enrolled and contracted.
What's the Army ROTC summer training for cadets at Ball State Cardinal Battalion?
After the MS-III year, cadets ship to Cadet Summer Training (Advanced Camp) at Fort Knox for the 31-day capstone evaluation that drives branching and order-of-merit standing.
How big is the corps at Ball State Cardinal Battalion?
Public corps-size figures aren't always published year-to-year; Army ROTC battalions in this size class generally carry between several dozen and a few hundred contracted cadets depending on host enrollment.
Can students at other schools join Ball State Cardinal Battalion?
Yes — Ball State Cardinal Battalion accepts cross-town and partner students from 5 other institutions, including Taylor University, Indiana Wesleyan University, Earlham College, Ivy Tech Community College. See the cross-town options for distance and enrollment paths.
Can I commission through Ball State Cardinal Battalion as any major?
Army programs accept students from most academic majors at Ball State University. Some scholarships and commissioning options (e.g., nursing, engineering, foreign-language) carry major requirements — confirm with the unit before declaring.
How do I contact Ball State Cardinal Battalion?
See the contact section for current cadre information.
Interested in Ball State Cardinal Battalion?
Send your details and the cadre can reach out about visits, scholarships, and next steps.
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