Originally mandatory for all male undergraduates under the land-grant charter, the program became entirely voluntary in 1964. The Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps is an elective program that provides career opportunities, leadership experience, adventure training, and financial support to participating students. The program is a consecutive series of elective courses and other training, including leadership laboratories and field trips designed to prepare young men and women for leadership positions as officers in the U.S. Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard. The leadership principles and management techniques presented, however, are equally applicable to success in any field. The LDP evaluates students' leadership potential in a variety of leadership roles and provides immediate feedback to students.
Emphasis is on hands-on leadership experience.
Cadets plan, organize, and evaluate much of the laboratory and field training. Some students are selected to attend the Army airborne school, helicopter operations school, and leadership training with active and reserve units. Financial Assistance Scholarships Enrollment in Army ROTC can provide significant financial support to interested students, regardless of family financial need. The federal scholarships are competitive scholarships available for college-bound high school juniors and seniors, and college freshmen and sophomores. Illinois State ROTC Scholarships are competitive scholarships that provide full tuition waivers for ROTC students who are residents of the state.