Commander: S, CAPT, USN
1114 19th Ave South, Suite 200, Nashville, TN 37209
(615) 322-2671
The Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) unit at Vanderbilt serves students from Vanderbilt, Tennessee State, and Belmont Universities. The NROTC program provides challenging academic and leadership courses, experience-building events, and summer training to prepare a select group of highly accomplished students for the opportunity to serve their country as a Navy or Marine Corps officer while receiving an education.
The primary focus of the NROTC program is to develop the most capable leaders possible by building upon a core of academic strength while providing essential military and leadership education. Students may participate in the NROTC unit through the scholarship program, the college program, or the naval science program. Scholarship students take the prescribed naval science course each semester, participate weekly in mandatory physical training and a two-hour naval science leadership lab, and engage in a four-week summer training program after each academic year. The college program is identical to the scholarship program except for the tuition financial benefit, and students only participate in summer training upon completion of their junior academic year. Any student may take any of the naval science courses without participating in the naval science lab or summer training. All naval science classes and leadership labs are held on the Vanderbilt University campus.
Scholarship students receive full tuition, select fees, uniforms, $375 per semester for textbooks, and a monthly stipend beginning at $250 for freshmen and increasing to $400 for seniors. College program students are provided with uniforms, textbooks for naval science courses, and, upon commencement of their junior year, a monthly stipend of $350.
Scholarships
Students can earn scholarships in several ways. Four-year scholarships are determined by national competition among high school seniors and graduates. The application process opens in the spring semester of the student’s junior year of high school, and applications must be completed no later than early January of the year before admission. (College students who have completed less than 30 semester hours or less than 45 quarter hours of college credit may also apply for the national four-year program.)
College program students can be nominated for three and two-year scholarships by the NROTC unit. These nominations are based on the students’ academic and military performance at the college level. Sophomores not enrolled in the college program are eligible to apply for the two-year NROTC scholarship program. This is a national competition, and the application is made through the NROTC unit.
Service obligation
At the beginning of their sophomore year, should they choose to continue with the NROTC program, Navy scholarship students incur a minimum service obligation of five years of active duty. Marine Corps and Navy Nurse scholarship students incur a minimum service obligation of four years of active duty. College program students incur a three-year active-duty commitment.
Summer training
Summer training of about four weeks is conducted aboard naval vessels and naval shore stations after each of the first three academic years. Scholarship students are normally required to participate each year. All scholarship and college program midshipmen are required to participate in summer training before their final academic year.
Naval Science classes
During the four-year program, Navy students are required to complete eight courses (24 hours), Marine Corps students are required to complete six courses (18 hours), and Navy Nurse students are required to complete four courses (12 hours) of naval science classes.
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