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Pride of the South Battalion · Cardinal
Army ROTC at Lamar University commissions officers alongside Lamar Institute of Technology cross-town students.
About this program
Pride of the South Battalion is Lamar University's officer-accessions program for the U.S. Army.
Pride of the South Battalion runs as a consortium for cadets from Lamar Institute of Technology, Lamar State College Port Arthur, McNeese State University, and Lamar State College Orange as well as Lamar University. Cross-town students typically retain their primary residency and academics at the home campus and route only military-side coursework through the host.
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. Lamar University cadets pursue degrees across a wide spectrum, with biology and pre-health programs and computer science and cybersecurity drawing strong cohorts.
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 Pride of the South Battalion by commuting to Lamar University.
Cross-enroll students take Military Science courses at Lamar University.
Cross-enroll students take Military Science courses at Lamar University.
Cross-enroll students take Military Science courses at Lamar University.
Cross-enroll students take Military Science courses at Lamar University.
Contact & location
Located at: Lamar University, Beaumont, TX 77705
Army ROTC FAQ
Where is Pride of the South Battalion located?
Pride of the South Battalion is hosted at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. The battalion's training events, classes, and PT all run on the Lamar University campus.
Which colleges and universities can attend Pride of the South Battalion?
In addition to Lamar University, students enrolled at Lamar Institute of Technology, Lamar State College Port Arthur, McNeese State University, and Lamar State College Orange can contract through Pride of the South 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 Pride of the South 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 Pride of the South 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 Pride of the South 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 Pride of the South Battalion?
Yes — Pride of the South Battalion accepts cross-town and partner students from 4 other institutions, including Lamar Institute of Technology, Lamar State College Port Arthur, Lamar State College Orange, McNeese State University. See the cross-town options for distance and enrollment paths.
Can I commission through Pride of the South Battalion as any major?
Army programs accept students from most academic majors at Lamar 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 Pride of the South Battalion?
See the contact section for current cadre information.
Interested in Pride of the South Battalion?
Send your details and the cadre can reach out about visits, scholarships, and next steps.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Defense or any branch of the U.S. military.