Traditionally, more than 80 percent of juniors and seniors are on scholarship. In addition to University Park campus, Army ROTC freshman and sophomore instruction is currently available at Penn State Abington, Penn State Altoona, Penn State Hazleton, and Penn State Berks. In addition to University Park campus, Army ROTC is offered to juniors and seniors at Penn State Harrisburg through the Dickinson College, and at many other campuses through other nearby universities. Penn State is considered a major source of technically trained officers, with a significant proportion of graduates entering technical fields such as aviation, nuclear propulsion, or surface warfare. Hands-on training with aviation units, submarine and surface ships, and marine units is available.
Opportunities exist for foreign exchange cruises with other navies.
Penn State has the largest Air Force ROTC program in the Big Ten Conference and is rated in the top one percent of Air Force ROTC detachments in the nation. Approximately 170 students participate in Air Force ROTC, with approximately 70 percent on various types of scholarships in all majors. Other summer programs include Army assault training, Air Force Academy basic freefall parachute training and soaring, survival training, and a Pentagon internship. The ROTC program helps candidates develop self-confidence, discipline, poise, and leadership abilities. They achieve this through classroom instruction in communicative skills, management techniques, and leadership concepts, as well as practical application of this knowledge in leadership laboratory, where students practice and demonstrate what they've learned.