Air Force ROTC

What is the AFROTC?

The Air Force ROTC is a program designed to teach you the principles of leadership and mold you into an officer of the United States Air Force alongside earning a college degree over the course of four years.

As a cadet within the program, you will take two Air Force ROTC classes pers semester: Aerospace Studies and Leadership Laboratory. The Aerospace Studies class is designed to educate you on a wide range of topics that progress through your time in AFROTC. You will learn everything from the basics of being in the air force or space force to leadership, management topics, and national security issues. The Leadership laboratory is where you have the opportunity to apply that knowledge. During Lead Lab, you will be taught military drill, ceremonies, military customs, and courtesies as well as be given the opportunity to participate in leadership exercises. Lead Lab consists of a two-hour class held once per week and one-hour physical training sessions two times per week.

Within the summer between sophomore and junior year, cadets will have to earn a spot to participate in field training, a two-week encampment that includes physical conditioning, weapons, and survival training.  Field training is held at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. While at field training, you will be evaluated on your leadership potential and be provided with the opportunity to expand your skills as both a leader and team member. Unless they are given the opportunity to compete the following year, cadets that are not selected to go to field training must be removed from the AFROTC program.

The AFROTC also provides a wide variety of professional development opportunities to cadets in addition to regular coursework. These professional development trainings (PDTs) consist of specialized classes and opportunities in a variety of Air Force and Space Force fields. They are designed to educate cadets on a wide range of activities and missions that the Air Force and Space Force accomplish. Cadets must compete for slots in PDTs, and they typically occur during summer breaks when school is not in session.

The AFROTC provides a head start immediately out of college with a job as an officer in the U.S. Air Force or Space Force. Unlike most other college graduates, you will know your career path before graduation and will be assigned to a managerial position starting on day one. Regardless of whether you decide to continue in the Air Force or Space Force after your commitment is fulfilled or decide to join the private sector, you will be prepared with valuable life and leadership skills.

 

• Cadets on scholarship must maintain a 2.5 GPA, while cadets not on scholarship must maintain a 2.0 GPA
   
• All cadets must be enrolled full-time as a student at a college that offers AFROTC classes or has a crosstown agreement with one.
  • Both graduate and undergraduate coursework apply towards this requirement. 
     
• Cadets must undergo a medical examination by a military doctor or designated civilian contractor. The medical examination will be scheduled and reviewed by the Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board (DoDMERB). This process is done during the AFROTC program, not prior to joining.
  • If you have a medical question, DoDMERB is your only official source of information. You may contact them directly at 719-333-3562.
     
• Must meet AFROTC weight and fitness standards. If you exceed the fitness standards for your body mass index and are on scholarship, your scholarship offer may be withdrawn. The Air Force Fitness Scoring Sheet is publicly available and can be downloaded here.
  • If you do not meet the standards, you can still participate in AFROTC as a non-scholarship cadet, however, you will be expected to work toward meeting the standards and must do so if you want to commission into the Air Force or Space Force.

• Pass the Air Force Officer Qualification Test (AFOQT) during Sophomore year
  • The AFOQT is a standardized test that measures verbal and mathematical aptitude (similar to the SAT and ACT) as well as additional aptitudes relevant to specific career fields. The test is used to select applicants for Air Force ROTC as well as Officer Training School (OTS). It is also used to qualify for Pilot, Combat Systems Officer and Air Battle Manager training and is a component of the Pilot Candidate Selection Method (PCSM) score.
    • The AFOQT may only be taken up to three times, and you must wait 90 days between tests.
    • Superscoring will be used across all composites. For superscoring, an applicant’s best composite score on any test attempt will be used as the score of record.