If financial hardship is blocking your path to college, the Reserve Officer Training Corps may be your entryway to a continued education.

The ROTC is an officer-commissioning program designed as a college elective. Simply put, the ROTC will pay your tuition in exchange for your services upon graduation. The Air Force ROTC provides three- and four-year scholarships:

• Type 1: Four-year scholarship pays full tuition, most fees and $900 per year for books
• Type 2: Three-year scholarship pays tuition and most fees up to $15,000; also pays $900 per year for books
• Type 3: Pays full tuition and fees for a student attending a university costing less than $9,000 a year; also pays $900 per year for books

The Army ROTC awards a four-year scholarship based on a student’s merit and performance in the classroom. To qualify, you must graduate from high school with a minimum 2.5 core GPA and score at least a 920 on the SAT.

ROTC scholarships are available through all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces except the Coast Guard.