Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps The Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps ( NROTC ) program is a college - based , commissioned officer training program of the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps . Origins . In 1926 , the U . S . Department of the Navy established the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps . Its purpose was to produce a reserve of qualified officers who would be needed for a possible rapid expansion of the military in the case of an unforeseen emergency . The original units were at the University of California , Northwestern University , University of Washington , Harvard University , Yale University , and Georgia Institute of Technology . A pilot Naval Reserve unit established in September 1924 at St . John ' s College in Annapolis , Maryland let the Navy test the concept before establishing its regular units . That pilot unit disbanded by 1929 , but the original regular units are still active in 2013 ( albeit with significant historical gaps at Harvard and Yale ) . Modern System . Under the modern U . S . Naval ROTC system , graduates become active duty officers , rather than reserve officers , and are required to serve a term of 5 years for the Navy Option and 4 years for the Marine and Nurse Options . The Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps commissions individuals into either the United States Navy as an Ensign or the United States Marine Corps as a Second Lieutenant . While attending college , these prospective officer candidates are known as Midshipmen . Whereas Naval Academy Midshipmen are on active duty , NROTC Midshipmen are in the Navy Reserve but are on active duty for periods of training during the summer . The primary difference is that NROTC Midshipmen attend an ordinary civilian college or university , whereas Naval Academy Midshipmen attend the U . S . Naval Academy in Annapolis , MD , which is a much more regimented , military environment . NROTC Midshipmen graduating and commissioning in 2012 will not be placed on IRR . Joining the Program . The majority of NROTC Midshipmen join the program immediately after completing high school . Those Midshipmen are either Scholarship or College Program Midshipmen . Scholarship Midshipmen are those who applied to the Navy for an ROTC scholarship ( during their senior year of high school , or during early college studies ) . Some NROTC students have served as enlisted men or women in the Navy or Marine Corps . The highly selective application process involves an extensive written application and an interview with a Navy representative . Applicants must also pass an entrance medical examination process . The Navy pays tuition for Scholarship Midshipmen , educational fees ( i . e . lab fees ) , as well as a stipend for books . All Midshipmen fall under one of three types : Navy Option , Navy Nurse Option , or Marine Option . The Navy does not pay for room and board ; however , some schools will offer scholarships to cover at least a portion of room and board . In addition to tuition , the Navy pays a monthly stipend during the school year . As of 2011 , the stipend was $ 250 per month for first - year Midshipmen , with a $ 50 increase each year after that ( i . e . $ 300 / month for sophomores , and so on ) . College Program Midshipmen are those who join Naval ROTC without a scholarship . They complete all activities and requirements of scholarship midshipmen and if they continue in the program for four years will also be commissioned as Ensigns or Second Lieutenants . They will often be offered a scholarship by the Navy if they perform well academically and within the ROTC program . Because of the technical nature of the Navy , students entering college without a 4 - year scholarship who are planning to major in a technical field , such as engineering , science , or math , are more competitive for the scholarships . Those enlisted in the Navy who are pursuing a commission through the Seaman to Admiral 21 ( STA - 21 ) participate in the ROTC program and are referred to as " Officer Candidates . " They retain their enlisted pay . Enlisted Marines participate in ROTC through the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program ( MECEP ) and are referred to by their rank or by the name of the program , " MECEP . " ( pronounced mee - sep ) MECEP Marines do not have their school paid for by the Marine Corps and generally use the Montgomery GI Bill or the Post - 9 / 11 GI Bill to pay for school . They continue to receive pay in accordance with their rank , however any promotions while they are attending school are considered non - competitive and will be revoked if they fail out of the commissioning program . The Program . During the school year . Most college NROTC units are only a part - time commitment during a student ' s course of study at a university or college . There are three basic parts to a student ' s ROTC commitment in a typical week : One or in some cases two days a week are set aside as uniform days , where the midshipmen spend several hours attending military training such as inspections , close - order drill practices , and training lectures ( either by officers attached to the NROTC unit or guest lecturers ) . The training is usually in the late afternoon after most classes have ended for the day , or in early mornings before classes . It is common for Marine Option midshipmen and MECEPs to have an additional training period for Marine - specific training . Usually one to three physical training sessions are required in a week ( depending on the specific NROTC unit ) , generally early in the morning . It is common for Marine Option midshipmen and MECEPs to have additional physical training days . In addition to those activities , there are regularly scheduled classes in Naval Science that must be taken on top of the usual college load . The classes are in Naval history , Naval engineering and weapons , leadership and ethics , and other areas . Besides Naval Science classes , the Navy requires its Midshipmen to complete 2 semesters of calculus , 2 semesters of calculus - based physics , one semester diverse cultures , one year of English grammar and composition , and either National Security Policy or American Military Affairs . The Marine Corps only requires National Security Policy / American Military Affairs classes for its midshipmen . There are other miscellaneous activities scheduled occasionally ; some are voluntary and some are mandatory . Military Colleges . There are a few ROTC programs that do not follow this model , and instead require a full - time commitment from midshipmen during the school year . At a Senior Military College , the midshipmen are normally housed together with other ROTC cadets in barracks - like dormitories , a uniform is worn at least 5 days a week , and regular morning and evening formations are mandatory . Such full - time programs provide a more regimented existence that more closely simulates enlisted military life ; they tend to be more demanding than normal college ROTC programs , in that they require extra commitments of time , physical and mental energy , etc . above and beyond most normal ROTC programs . Some midshipmen are drawn to these programs , which have a rich historical tradition behind them . Other students prefer standard NROTC programs , which allow them to focus more of their energy on academics rather than being limited by a regimented military life . Some notable full - time programs include the Corps of Cadets at The Citadel , Virginia Military Institute , Virginia Tech , Massachusetts Maritime Academy , Texas A & M University , Texas Maritime Academy , SUNY Maritime College , Maine Maritime Academy , California Maritime Academy and Norwich University . During the Summer . NROTC students who are on scholarship participate in a " summer cruise " in the fleet , to get hands - on training with real Navy personnel and equipment . After their freshman year , Midshipmen ( both Navy and Marine ) either travel to San Diego or Norfolk for CORTRAMID ( Career Orientation and Training of Midshipmen ) . The Midshipmen spend a week in each of the three primary Unrestricted Line communities ( Surface , Submarine , and Aviation ) as well as a week with the Marine Corps to help them decide which community to join when commissioned . In the next two summers , Navy Option scholarship midshipmen spend time with either a surface ship , submarine , or aviation squadron . Aviation cruises are only available to Midshipmen for their First Class Cruise . For each summer cruise , they select which warfare community they would prefer to train with and are given the opportunity to train around the world . The summer cruise in between the sophomore and junior years is referred to as the second - class cruise . They are assigned an enlisted running mate , from whom they acquire a sense of the enlisted experience . The summer cruise in between the junior and senior years of college ( known as the First Class Cruise ) is required for commissioning , and it focuses on integrating the midshipman into the officer community . Specialty cruises include EOD cruises , SEAL cruises , FOREX cruises ( midshipmen are attached to a foreign country ' s ship ) , and Navy Nurse Cruises . Marine Option Midshipmen attend the Marine Corps ' Mountain Warfare Training Center for the second summer . In recent years they have been attached to Marine units undergoing the summer training package . They learn high altitude survival techniques and undergo high altitude conditioning . It is often jokingly called " OCS prep . " Between the junior and senior years , Marine Option midshipmen attend " Bulldog , " Marine Officer Candidate School for six weeks . College Program midshipmen must either obtain the scholarship before their junior year or receive " advanced standing " . In either case the midshipmen will only attend the first class summer cruise or OCS for Marine Options Uniforms of Midshipmen . NROTC students are generally issued several types of uniforms , all for them to keep . The standard issue uniform is the poly / wool khaki , while Summer White and Service Dress Blue ( commonly known as SDBs ) are often seen on college campuses . Midshipman wear a garrison cover with a fouled anchor for the Khakis , and a combination cover with a fouled anchor and a gold strap with the Whites and SDBs . Also newly issued to Midshipmen are the Navy ' s new Navy Working Uniform . Finally , Midshipmen are issued coveralls for preparation for their cruise , as well as an " N " ballcap and steel toed boots . Commitment . The normal , " baseline " service commitment for Scholarship NROTC graduates is eight years , with no less than five served on active duty . The exact commitment will depend on which " community " of the Navy a Midshipman chooses to enter . For example , Navy and Marine pilots are generally committed to eight years after their date of winging . Because the training for a Naval Aviator is extensive , this can lead to a commitment of up to 10 years . Naval Flight Officer s usually serve a six year commitment and Submarine Officer s usually serve a five year commitment . Commitment is also based on whether a midshipman is enrolled in the scholarship or college program . Those midshipmen who are in the college program typically only owe three years of active duty service . Once a Naval Officer completes their active duty commitment , they must serve the rest of their eight years in some portion of the Naval Reserve . OCS . NROTC is one of the four main ways to become a U . S . Naval Officer . The other ways include the Naval Academy , Merchant Marine Academy , and Navy Officer Candidate School ( OCS ) . OCS admits candidates who already have a college degree , and is similar to a recruit training for officers . ROTC and Academy graduates are generally required to become Unrestricted Line Officer s , while Navy OCS graduates can choose to become Restricted , Unrestricted Line or Staff Officers . Unrestricted Line Officers are Surface , Submarine , Aviation , Special Operations , or Special Warfare ( SEAL ) Officers . The restricted line includes other officers , such as Naval Intelligence and Information Warfare officers ; Staff officers serve supporting roles such as JAG officers , Navy Nurse Corps officers and medical officers . Restricted Line officers are not trained to have command of a ship at sea ; they can only command a shore installation . An alternative for people seeking Marine Corps commissions is appointment to the United States Naval Academy as with those seeking naval commissions . Other alternatives are the Officer Candidates Course and the Platoon Leaders Class , the most common routes to becoming Marine officers . These options allow Candidates to select ground , aviation , or law assignments . All USMC officers are trained in basic infantry tactics at The Basic School after commissioning .