Army ROTC Student Benefits
The Army maintains a senior division of the ROTC at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley: four-, three- and two-year programs are available to interested students, male and female, graduate and undergraduate. Courses are conducted in the same manner as all UTRGV courses are done concurrently with a student's normal academic studies. Instruction includes, but is not limited to, basic leadership skills, career training, orienteering, physical fitness, basic first aid, communications, and outdoor skills.
Army ROTC has two- and three-year tuition, books and fees scholarships for students with a 2.5 GPA or better who can pass fitness, medical, and background screening requirements. These scholarships are valued at about $6,000 per semester.
The four-year program ROTC consists of the Basic Course (freshman and sophomore) and the Advanced Course (junior and senior). Advanced instruction is oriented toward general military science and includes a four-week summer camp, usually at the end of the junior year or first year of graduate school.
Students who have successfully completed three years or more of Junior ROTC in high school may, at the discretion of the professor of military science (PMS), be given placement credit for two years of the Basic Course regardless of academic classification. Veterans and those currently in the US Army Reserves or US Army National Guard may also be given advanced placement for the basic course, at the discretion of the PMS.
Successful students are, upon graduation, commissioned as second lieutenants in the Active Duty Army, the U.S. Army Reserve or U.S. Army National Guard. Students may elect to serve as reserve officers on active duty for an initial commitment period of three years or they may elect to serve for as little as three months of basic officer schooling followed by an extended tour with a Reserve or National Guard Unit.
During instruction, the Army furnishes all required uniforms, supplies, and textbooks. Advanced course contracted students receive a tax-free monetary allowance of $520 per month for each month of the academic year (10 months of each year).
A special two-year program is available for full-time students who have a minimum of two years remaining on a degree plan and who have not had prior military training or ROTC. This program consists of an intensified course of instruction in military subjects that will qualify the student for the advanced course. The course of instruction is normally taken in the summer between the sophomore and junior years. Students attend a four-week Basic Camp at Fort Knox, KY, and receive transportation allowance to and from the camp, uniforms, room and board and are paid approximately $1,100 for the period. No military obligation is incurred by attendance at this camp. However, those who complete the Basic Camp may be eligible for a $5,000 Basic Camp Bonus.
Application for the two-year program must be completed during the spring semester so that attendance at Basic Camp may be arranged. To learn more, visit the Department of Military Science or call 956-665-3600/3601/3602.