Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) offers three- and four-year programs leading to a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force. The AFROTC program is open to almost all students pursuing baccalaureate degrees. Classes consist of one hour of academics and two hours of leadership laboratory per week for first-year students and sophomores, and three hours of academics and two hours of leadership laboratory per week for juniors and seniors. AFROTC offers a variety of scholarships valued at up to 100 percent of annual tuition, along with a nontaxable monthly stipend. By agreement through the Air Force, Caltech students enroll in Air Force ROTC classes at the University of Southern California, California State University San Bernardino, Loyola Marymount University, or the University of California, Los Angeles. You do not need to be a student at any of these colleges to attend AFROTC on their campuses. For more information, contact the Department of Aerospace Studies at afrotcdet060@rotc.usc.edu or call (213) 740-2670 or visit usc.edu/afrotc. No military commitment is incurred until entering the junior year of the program or receipt of a scholarship after the first-year student’s first year.
The Army ROTC program at USC offers four-, three-, and two-year full-tuition scholarships up to $43,000 a year. In addition, the program pays all contracted cadets a stipend of $3,500 to $5,000 a year and an annual book allowance of another $1,200. High-school students need to apply for the four-year scholarship during the fall of their senior year, and no later than November 15. All Caltech students interested in an Army ROTC three- or two-year on-campus scholarship need to apply early in their spring semester, and no later than March 15, for the next academic year. Completion of the program leads to a commission as a Second Lieutenant in one of 14 occupational branches in the Regular Army, Army Reserve, or the National Guard. These scholarship provisions are subject to change, and interested students are encouraged to contact the Department of Military Science at the University of Southern California for further information: PED 110, Los Angeles, CA 90089, (213) 740-1850.