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Gator Battalion · Gator
Army ROTC at University of Florida commissions officers alongside Santa Fe College cross-town students.
About this program
Gator Battalion is University of Florida's officer-accessions program for the U.S. Army.
Gator Battalion runs as a consortium for cadets from Santa Fe College and Saint Leo University as well as University of Florida. 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. University of Florida 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 Gator Battalion by commuting to University of Florida.
Cross-enroll students take Military Science courses at University of Florida.
Cross-enroll students take Military Science courses at University of Florida.
Contact & location
Phone: 352-392-3261
Site: https://armyrotc.ufl.edu
Located at: University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32440
Army ROTC FAQ
Where is Gator Battalion located?
Gator Battalion is hosted at University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. The battalion's training events, classes, and PT all run on the University of Florida campus.
Which colleges and universities can attend Gator Battalion?
In addition to University of Florida, students enrolled at Santa Fe College and Saint Leo University can contract through Gator 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 Gator 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 Gator 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 Gator 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.
What's the commissioning path through Gator Battalion?
Cadets who complete the four-year Army ROTC curriculum and meet medical, fitness, and academic standards commission as officers in the U.S. Army. The battalion reports through U.S. Army Cadet Command.
Can students at other schools join Gator Battalion?
Yes — Gator Battalion accepts cross-town and partner students from 2 other institutions, including Santa Fe College, Saint Leo University. See the cross-town options for distance and enrollment paths.
Can I commission through Gator Battalion as any major?
Army programs accept students from most academic majors at University of Florida. Some scholarships and commissioning options (e.g., nursing, engineering, foreign-language) carry major requirements — confirm with the unit before declaring.
Interested in Gator Battalion?
Send your details and the cadre can reach out about visits, scholarships, and next steps.
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