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Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC)

The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) is a group of college and university-based officer training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. In exchange for a paid college education and a guaranteed post-college career, cadets commit to serve in the Military after graduation.



Note: High school students interested in ROTC are encouraged to apply early for an ROTC scholarship either during the summer before or the fall of their senior year of high school.


Belmont University students may serve in ROTC through partner universities while attending classes on the campus of Belmont as a traditional student. Service branches are detailed below. 




Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Officer Education Program


Belmont students may take and receive credit for Army ROTC through Vanderbilt University. In addition, Belmont students can elect to minor in military science through the Army ROTC programs at Vanderbilt University. Students may receive the minor after earning 18 credit hours. Belmont students may elect to use the ROTC hours as elective credits rather than a minor.

The Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) provides pre-commission training for college-educated men and women who desire to serve as commissioned officers in the active Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard. As the Army’s largest commissioning source, it fulfills a vital role in providing mature young men and women for leadership and management positions in an increasingly technological Army. Admission is open to both men and women who meet mental, moral, and physical qualifications.

Training goes beyond the typical college classroom and is designed to build individual confidence and self-discipline, instill values and ethics, develop leadership skills, and increase physical endurance. The course load consists of one course per semester. Graduates are commissioned as Second Lieutenants and will enter active duty within sixty days. Educational delays may be granted for graduates who desire to pursue advanced degrees prior to entry on active duty. All University students in the Nashville area may participate in the Army ROTC Program at Vanderbilt University. While Vanderbilt serves as the host University, students at partnership schools are not charged additional tuition to take Army ROTC. Grades are transferred back to Belmont University and added to the students’ transcripts.

  • Scholarship
  • Additional Information
  • How to Apply
Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC)


The Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) unit at Vanderbilt University conducts the Naval Officer Education program which includes a cross-town agreement with the Belmont University School of Nursing. Only students who are pursuing a degree in Nursing at Belmont are eligible for an NROTC scholarship.

Challenging academic courses and experience-building events prepare a select group of highly accomplished students for the opportunity to serve their country as Navy Nurses and receive an education. The primary focus of the NROTC Nurse program is to develop the best leaders possible by building upon the academic strength of Belmont and providing essential military and leadership education.

  • Scholarship
  • How to Apply
Air Force Reserve Officer Training (AFROTC)


Belmont University students may participate in the Air Force ROTC program in cooperation with Tennessee State University (TSU). The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) provides pre-commission training for college men and women who desire to serve as commissioned officers in the United States Air Force. When combined with the academic disciplines offered at the college level, the program provides the student a broad-based knowledge of management, leadership, and technical skills required for a commission and subsequent active-duty service in the Air Force. Graduates are commissioned as Second Lieutenants and will enter active duty.



The main objectives of producing officers through the AFROTC program are (1) to procure officers with a broad educational base; (2) to provide a basic military education for college students; (3) to teach fundamentals and techniques of leadership, management, and decision making; and (4) to develop, in conjunction with other academic disciplines, individual character and attributes required of a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force.

Currently there is no charge for tuition to take Air Force ROTC. The grade and credit can transfer back for graduation.

  • Additional Information
  • Scholarship
  • How to Apply