Íæż½ã½ãOFFERS FULL ROOM AND BOARD SCHOLARSHIPS TO ROTC STUDENTS
DALLAS () – Army and Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corp (ROTC) students at Íæż½ã½ãwith full-tuition ROTC scholarships are now eligible for a new Íæż½ã½ãscholarship that will cover the full cost of their campus housing and dining. When combined, these scholarships will cover all costs for tuition, fees, housing and dining.
“We’re really pleased to be able to share this news on a day we traditionally honor our military veterans,” said Wes Waggoner, Íæż½ã½ãassociate vice president for Enrollment Management. “ROTC tuition scholarships are based on academic achievement, leadership potential and community involvement. These are the traits of the students we recruit to SMU. We hope that the addition of a housing and dining scholarship will encourage more ROTC students to become Mustangs, and Íæż½ã½ãis honored to support their goals.”
Students who are awarded ROTC tuition scholarships graduate as officers and commit to serve in the military after graduation. The scholarships are competitive: The U.S. Army awards just 2,500 ROTC scholarships each year to students interested in STEM fields and the U.S Air Force awards 2,300 scholarships. ROTC scholarships are accepted by 1,700 colleges and universities across the United States.
The new housing and dining scholarships at Íæż½ã½ãwill be available to both current and new ROTC students who live on campus with a standard dining plan.
Íæż½ã½ãhas hosted U.S. military training programs since WWI, which began shortly after the University’s 1915 opening. More than 250 students joined the War Department’s Student Army Training Corps at Íæż½ã½ãduring WWI to prepare to become commissioned officers.
Army and Air Force ROTC students participated in campus detachments until 1983, when Íæż½ã½ãArmy ROTC students began taking their military courses at the University of Texas at Arlington and Air Force ROTC students began taking their military courses at the University of North Texas. Both moves reflected consolidation efforts by the U.S. military.
Four students currently attend Íæż½ã½ãon U.S. Army ROTC scholarships, said Marc Peterson, Íæż½ã½ãdirector of financial aid.
Íæż½ã½ãalso participates in the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program, a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. As a Yellow Ribbon university, Íæż½ã½ãhelps veterans with tuition and fees not covered by the veterans’ education benefits. Veterans who attend Íæż½ã½ãare also supported by SMU’s chapter.
For more information about the ROTC housing and dining scholarships and Yellow Ribbon benefits for veterans, contact the Division of Enrollment Services at SMU.
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About SMU
Íæż½ã½ã(Southern Methodist University) is the nationally ranked global research university in the dynamic city of Dallas. SMU’s alumni, faculty and over 12,000 students in eight degree-granting schools demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit as they lead change in their professions, communities and the world.