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Living in a society where college students are older now than before, I'm curious as to how old one can be and participate in ROTC while in college. Granted, some people would not benefit from it if they are too old, but How Old is Too Old?
ROTC
Age
Regulation
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 13
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For an ROTC scholarship, you cannot turn 31 by the end of the year in which you graduate/commission. This is Federal law and non-waiverable. For non-scholarship cadets, you must under age 39 on the day you commission. Cadets graduating between 35 and 39 years will require a waiver from the ROTC brigade commander.
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SSgt Steven Day
Question on that, Col Thompson: I'm 37 with a Masters degree and 9 years of honorable Air Force AD time. Can I return to collage taking two ROTC classes at a time and no other classes, then get commissioned next year?
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SGT (Join to see)
So is that less than 39, or through the age of 39 and less than 40? What if you turn 39 and then graduate 2 months later when you are still 39?
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What you start running into into is that when commissioned you must be able to complete 20 years of active federal commissioned service to be eligible. The mandatory retirement age is 55 unless you have a waiver from the SECDEF. Chaplains,62. There are periodic policy changes where they tighten or loosen the max age for commissioning depending on accession needs.
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I think it comes down to whether or not you would still meet the age maximums for being an officer in whatever service and career field you are looking to join. Other than that I say go for it! Just like once commissioned, the old and young can learn from each other and the diversity of experience makes the unit stronger.
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I had a cadet that was 36 and already served 14 years AD time when he entered ROTC. One of the best cadets I've ever seen go through the program!
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Age can be waive red up to 39, if I remember correctly. That said, all waivers are getting harder due to the drawdown and the fact that ROTC has been over producing in recent years. Before I left teaching ROTC, we actually had a class of 20 commission, with only 1 assessing active duty. Otherwise, if you meet the age requirements, or get a waiver, I say go for it!
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I went through ROTC and did not commission until I was 36, so it would all depend on whether you can get a waiver.
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You can go up to 34 max age if you can secure a Garentied Guard Reserve Contracr.
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When I went, the max age was 27, waiverable to 31 with 4 years of prior service for scholarship. I think you could be older if you weren't on scholarship.
The rules change over time though, so the best bet is to call an ROTC recruiter at your nearest college.
The rules change over time though, so the best bet is to call an ROTC recruiter at your nearest college.
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SPC (Join to see)
Yes, I did see from one of the comments, the age is higher if not on scholarship. I get asked frequently but just haven't actually ever slowed down enough to get an answer. Thank you!
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COL Jean (John) F. B.
MAJ (Join to see) - The policies have changed. When I was assigned as an ROTC Instructor, a person had to be able to be commissioned before his/her 27th birthday, however, prior service personnel could received a waiver of one year for each year of active duty, up to a maximum of four years (age 31)... Which is what you said.
Policies on who can approve age waivers have also changed. It used to be that all waivers (including age) had to be approved at ROTC HQ (now Cadet Command). That was later changed to allow Region/Brigade Commanders to approve waivers up to age 31 and the CG, Cadet Command was approval authority for waivers from 32 and above. Now, it appears that Brigade Commanders are the approval authority for age waivers of any type.
Policies on who can approve age waivers have also changed. It used to be that all waivers (including age) had to be approved at ROTC HQ (now Cadet Command). That was later changed to allow Region/Brigade Commanders to approve waivers up to age 31 and the CG, Cadet Command was approval authority for waivers from 32 and above. Now, it appears that Brigade Commanders are the approval authority for age waivers of any type.
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As long as they are in school they can learn something from ROTC. My opinion.
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LTC (Join to see)
At most universities, ROTC courses are open to any student. You do not have to even be a cadet.
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COL Jon Thompson
For the first two years of the program, that is correct. Normally cadets going into the 3rd year have to be contracted or working towards contract. That could vary by school as well.
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LCDR (Join to see)
No sir, what he means is that the military science and leadership courses offered by ROTC programs are actual catalog courses which meet most universities' requirements for elective courses, as a result, anyone can sign up for those courses as long as they meet the prerequisites.
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For the UW-Madison:
Who can join?
Must be a US Citizen
Be between ages 17 and 27
Have a High School or College GPA of 2.5
Must be accepted into UW-Madison, UW-Whitewater, Edgewood or Maranatha Baptist University.
Have a high school diploma or equivalent
Meet physical fitness standards
Agree to accept a commission and serve in the Army on Active Duty or in a Reserve Component (U.S. Army Reserve or Army National Guard)
Who can join?
Must be a US Citizen
Be between ages 17 and 27
Have a High School or College GPA of 2.5
Must be accepted into UW-Madison, UW-Whitewater, Edgewood or Maranatha Baptist University.
Have a high school diploma or equivalent
Meet physical fitness standards
Agree to accept a commission and serve in the Army on Active Duty or in a Reserve Component (U.S. Army Reserve or Army National Guard)
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SPC (Join to see)
Just curious, are these also the age limits for becoming an officer? Or are the ROTC limits lower than the commissioning limits on age? Is the age for becoming an officer still limited to 32 years old or is that only in Aviation?
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COL Jon Thompson
SPC (Join to see) - The reason UW-Madison lists 27 as the upper end of the age range is because that is when you would have to start ROTC on a scholarship and complete it before turning 31. Again, you can join ROTC as long as you graduate and commission before turning 39. So of course, that depends on how much college you have. For a person with no college, you would pretty much have to start college by age 35. I am an ROTC Recruiting Operations Officer so if you have other questions, feel free to message me.
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