The ROTC program at Freed-Hardeman University is a detachment of the Skyhawk Battalion based at the University of Tennessee, Martin. The majority of the Basic Course requirements will be met on FHU’s campus, with minimal need to travel to UT Martin to fulfill course requirements. This need increases during the Advanced Course of the program as a cadet is further molded into the future military leader the Army seeks. This process culminates with a cadet receiving direct instruction from the Skyhawk Battalion Commander while attending 400-level classes.
FHU’s ROTC program is generously supported by the Bill and Irene Morgan ROTC Scholarship Fund, which greatly contributes to making ROTC a reality for many future cadets.
Army ROTC is a program offered at hundreds of colleges and universities nationwide training college students to be officers in the active Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard. It is a four-year program divided into two parts: the Basic Course and the Advanced Course. The Basic Course is normally taken during the freshman and sophomore years. The Advanced Course is usually taken during the final two years of college and includes a four-week assessment course that is normally attended in the summer, between the junior and senior years. The mission of Army ROTC is to commission the future officer leadership of the U.S. Army.
FHU’s ROTC program is generously supported by the Bill and Irene Morgan ROTC Scholarship Fund, which greatly contributes to making ROTC a reality for many future cadets. Students who meet the following criteria may be considered for the Bill and Irene Morgan Annually Designated ROTC Scholarship:
The Army ROTC high school scholarship program is designed for students graduating high school. Students are awarded Army ROTC scholarships through a highly competitive, national-selection process. The selection is based on academics but also incorporates and considers athletic participation and leadership positions held.
The ROTC scholarship benefit package provides current tuition and fees or a flat rate of $10,000 for room and board per academic year. In addition to tuition and mandatory fees, a book allowance of $1,200 per year is provided.
The application window for the High School Scholarship Program opens in June immediately following a student’s junior year in high school and closes the first week of January of the following year. Packets must be complete to be considered for a scholarship. Scholarships are awarded three times:October, January, and March.
Scholarship criteria for selection:
As a scholarship recipient, you must contract with the ROTC program. As part of that contract, you agree to take an ROTC class each semester, maintain your height and weight within Army standards, meet minimum physical fitness standards, pass an Army physical fitness test each semester, maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA, attend Advanced Camp in the summer between the junior and senior year, and accept a commission upon graduation into the Active Army, Army National Guard, or the U.S. Army Reserve.
Your must sign a contract with the Secretary of the Army. If you are 17 years old when you enroll, your parents or guardian must also sign this contract. If you are 18 or older, only your signature is required. This contract contains a requirement to repay the United States government for all financial aid received if, after you begin your sophomore year, you fail to comply with the terms of the contract. This repayment may be monetary or in the form of enlisted service. The choice rests with the Army and not the scholarship cadet.
You must enlist in the Army Reserve for a period of eight years. You must be 17 years old by the time of enrollment in order to sign an enlistment contract.
You must enroll in the college or university listed and pursue the academic discipline identified in your selection letter.
You must attend the ROTC Advanced Camp, normally between your junior and senior years of college.
You must accept a commission as either an active Army, Army Reserve, or Army National Guard officer upon completion of the required degree and ROTC courses.
You must serve in the military for a combined period of eight years. This may be fulfilled by:
Apply online for the Army ROTC High School Scholarship.
Students may take advantage of a program that allows participation in ROTC and simultaneous enlistment in the Army National Guard or Army Reserve, provided a vacancy exists in either a Guard or Reserve Unit. This is referred to as the Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP), and it provides the student an opportunity to gain valuable experience and generate income while still enrolled in college. Students participate in training with their USAR or ARNG unit one weekend per month, while earning their commission through ROTC. Upon college graduation, students will be commissioned as an officer in the Army and have the option of either serving full-time on Active Duty or part-time in the Army Reserves or Army National Guard.
Already Serving in the United States Army Reserve or Army National Guard
If you are already serving or enlisted in the United States Army Reserve or Army National Guard, enrolling in an ROTC program increases your benefits (see below). If you are (or will be) a freshman and are currently enlisted, you are eligible for SMP at the beginning of your sophomore year. During your first year, you can still enroll in ROTC classes, and drill with your unit, but you are not formally in the SMP. If you are a sophomore or higher and currently enlisted, you must enroll in the SMP to enroll in ROTC.
Not Enlisted with the United States Army Reserve or Army National Guard
In order to enter a SMP, students with no prior military service must attend Basic Combat Training (BCT) and Advanced Individual Training (AIT) during the summer and will be assigned to a local National Guard or Reserve Unit upon completion of training.
Students involved in a SMP agreement can take advantage of the following benefits:
Students already enlisted in the Army Reserves or Army National Guard who join an ROTC program will also be granted non-deployable status, ensuring that their college education will not be interrupted, and will receive officer training within their unit.
When you enlist in the USAR or ARNG, you may choose an enlistment period of up to six years. However, as soon as you graduate from college and are commissioned through ROTC (usually on the same day as graduation), your enlistment contract is terminated—no matter how much time is left on your enlistment.
Upon commissioning, you start a brand new career as an Army officer. This means that even though you were enlisted in the USAR or ARNG while going to school, you have the option of serving as an officer either full-time on Active Duty or staying part-time as an officer in the USAR or ARNG.
Also, the job specialty (MOS) you had while enlisted has no bearing on your career options as an officer. If you like the field you were in as an enlisted soldier, you can choose that field as an officer. If not, you can pick any of the other 16 basic branches.
SMP does not lock you into or out of any commissioning options. You can still go on Active Duty, or switch from having been enlisted in the USAR to an officer in the ARNG (or vice versa). You can stay in your enlisted career field or switch to something totally different.
More information on the SMP scholarships can be found online.
Scholarships are awarded for two, three, or four years. Soldiers with two years of college remaining to complete their degree are considered for two-year scholarships. Soldiers with three-years of college remaining to complete their degree are considered for three-year scholarships. Soldiers without college credit who require four years to complete their degree are considered for four-year scholarships.
The following are the scholarship requirements:
Green-to-Gold Scholarship Recipients receive:
More information about the scholarship and the application can be found online.
We’re excited to invite you into the Freed-Hardeman community. What’s next? Once you have been admitted and made the decision to attend Freed-Hardeman University, it is time to reserve your place in our incoming class by paying your Enrollment Pledge.
