Green to Gold
Green to Gold
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I am not yet graduated from High school, could I enlist in ROTC for scholarship during college, and then go straight to Green to Gold for masters degree afterwards?
If so, would there be any active service commitment?
If so, would there be any active service commitment?
College
ROTC
Green to Gold
Scholarship
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 5
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You do not enlist in ROTC and take the classes for as long as you want without any service obligation. At some point they may decided to contract you and give you a scholarship but that is based on a lot of factors. You can even apply from HS for a four year scholarship. There are a lot of ways to obtain your graduate degree while a commissioned officer on active duty and really this should be one step at a time unless what you want to do in the Army requires a masters. If the DOD pays for your education, there is a service commitment. Tell us more what you want to do, your goals, and perhaps we can help you.
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MAJ Byron Oyler
No it is absolutely not possible. Both are paths to commissioning and once you do one, you do not do the other. Green to gold is to take active duty enlisted to commissioning and ROTC of any branch takes college students to the same outcome. If you completed ROTC and chosen, you are commissioned in most circumstances as a 2LT.
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Ben Grinberg
If I complete ROTC for a 4 year degree, could I then become a reservist, instead of being on active duty?
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MAJ Byron Oyler
A lot of that depends on what the need is when you get there. The ROTC units in your area should have someone in the position of recruiter for the school, I would contact them and inquire more.
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LTC Jason Mackay
Ben Grinberg - you can do Army ROTC and have a Guaranteed Reserve Forces Agreement. You may also do the Simultaneous Membership Program SMP in the Guard or Reserve with Army ROTC. You may also compete for Active Duty service. You can't mix and match ROTC programs amongst the branches.
MAJ Byron Oyler is correct that if you choose AFROTC, you are pipelining for an Air Force Commission. Green to Gold is a vehicle for Army enlisted soldiers to earn commissions. It is possible for you to Branch transfer to another branch, it is highly unlikely. I've known two in 25 years. One was an Army Infantry Officer that hooked and jabbed to get a Navy flight billet. The other was an Army CW2 helicopter pilot that branch transfered to the USCG under a special Pilot poaching program they had. He retired not too long ago as an O5. If you are in the ARNG you may be able to transfer to the ANG, I know people who have done that. Realize that every time you do, you lose time and experience which has repercussions on promotion and advancement. You make trades and you eventually have to pick one and stick with it.
If you want an Army commission, four ways to go at it: earn an appointment to a service academy, OCS (three routes, two federal, one state), ROTC, or get a licensed professional degree and direct Commission (Licensed medical professional like a doctor or nurse, Clergy, Lawyer, Cyber expert). There are scholarship and non scholarship routes in ROTC. OCS is a degree all on your own then trying to make a run at a commission after the fact. Service academies: you can technically commission in any branch out of one of the five federal service academies, but it is unlikely. If you want Army, USMA. If you want AF, USAFA. If you want Navy or Marine Corps, USNA. If you want USCG, USCGA. Kings Point in NY is a service academy, but it's mission is to make civil mariners and they hold Reserve commissions in the Navy or all compos of the Army Commissions (Transportation Corps).
You really need to do some cursory research. Your initial post is not even close to how any of this works. As LTC Eugene Chu advises, go sit down with an ROTC program Ops or Recruiting Officer at a college/university (not the Army Recruiting Station in your town) and see what the program is, isn't, and whether you are able to do this. Good on you for trying to plan ahead, but some of your questions are cart before the horse. Try them all, world is your oyster at this point. Go find a pearl.
All programs have some service commitment (active or otherwise). They vary widely, go see the ROTC folks and find out what he lastest and greatest is. At a minimum you have to go Army Active Duty you have to go to the Basic Officer Leader Course (BOLC) for your branch. If you go Active Duty there is an Active Duty Service Obligation (ADSO). You also rack up ADSOs anytime the Army does something for you like grad school, military schools, accepting an assignment, etc. that's waaaaay down the road. First things first.
MAJ Byron Oyler is correct that if you choose AFROTC, you are pipelining for an Air Force Commission. Green to Gold is a vehicle for Army enlisted soldiers to earn commissions. It is possible for you to Branch transfer to another branch, it is highly unlikely. I've known two in 25 years. One was an Army Infantry Officer that hooked and jabbed to get a Navy flight billet. The other was an Army CW2 helicopter pilot that branch transfered to the USCG under a special Pilot poaching program they had. He retired not too long ago as an O5. If you are in the ARNG you may be able to transfer to the ANG, I know people who have done that. Realize that every time you do, you lose time and experience which has repercussions on promotion and advancement. You make trades and you eventually have to pick one and stick with it.
If you want an Army commission, four ways to go at it: earn an appointment to a service academy, OCS (three routes, two federal, one state), ROTC, or get a licensed professional degree and direct Commission (Licensed medical professional like a doctor or nurse, Clergy, Lawyer, Cyber expert). There are scholarship and non scholarship routes in ROTC. OCS is a degree all on your own then trying to make a run at a commission after the fact. Service academies: you can technically commission in any branch out of one of the five federal service academies, but it is unlikely. If you want Army, USMA. If you want AF, USAFA. If you want Navy or Marine Corps, USNA. If you want USCG, USCGA. Kings Point in NY is a service academy, but it's mission is to make civil mariners and they hold Reserve commissions in the Navy or all compos of the Army Commissions (Transportation Corps).
You really need to do some cursory research. Your initial post is not even close to how any of this works. As LTC Eugene Chu advises, go sit down with an ROTC program Ops or Recruiting Officer at a college/university (not the Army Recruiting Station in your town) and see what the program is, isn't, and whether you are able to do this. Good on you for trying to plan ahead, but some of your questions are cart before the horse. Try them all, world is your oyster at this point. Go find a pearl.
All programs have some service commitment (active or otherwise). They vary widely, go see the ROTC folks and find out what he lastest and greatest is. At a minimum you have to go Army Active Duty you have to go to the Basic Officer Leader Course (BOLC) for your branch. If you go Active Duty there is an Active Duty Service Obligation (ADSO). You also rack up ADSOs anytime the Army does something for you like grad school, military schools, accepting an assignment, etc. that's waaaaay down the road. First things first.
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You have to be Actuve Duty already to apply for a G2G scholarship-sorry!
If you go to a 4 yr university that has an ROTC program (or a University that Is a partner or affiliate of a ROTC Program) you can get a scholarship. Usually a three or two year. But you can arrive ready your freshman year, get all requirements completed and after your first semester, 4.0 gpa, maxes APFT and in a STEM (usually) degree field apply for the scholarship and I have seen some get a 3.5yr-not common but possible.
If you get a scholarship for a bachelors degree program-you would not stay after foot a master.
Options
Join the Guard or Reserve-use GI bill and state tuition to pay for college-join ROTC Junior Year and world towards Bachelors and complete masters in three years. It’s a grey area...you will get commissioned with a bachelors but can complete final masters in the summer and go to BOLC in the fall. So you’d matriculate late but I have seen it done-not EZ but doable
Or
Join Guard or Reserves, wait till last semester of bachelors, join ROTC, apply for 2 year scholarship as a Masters degree student
Or
Don’t join Guard or reserve-last semester of bachelors (spring only) join ROTC, go to basic camp over the summer, earn a 2 year scholarship, don1st year of Masters, over that summer go to advanced camp, do last year of masters, grad and commission.
Or
Get 4yr degree and scholarship and after your JR year apply for one of the Advanced Civil Schooling options (law, Med, usually certification degree) and get to go for two years of school . This is super way mucho difficult...you got to be intersectional and super in some way to even try this.
You have quite a few options but all are predicated on your ability, desire, drive and innovative and creative thinking.
Pro-tip: don’t go to a high cost, D1 or Ivy League school or a school with a high performing rotc program-they have plenty of folks that want to go there and they make mission and get less in the way of scholarships and latitude. They really don’t like nor are flexible with cadets. You need to go to a smaller school that needs and wants you, and you can help them make mission. PM me is you want some insights.
You should just do the 4 year bachelors program, then go AD and work on your masters while in BOLC through The Captains Course a few classes at a time. Army pays for it. Or you can apply for a degree producing job...it’s much easier...
Good Luck-you’ll need it!
If you go to a 4 yr university that has an ROTC program (or a University that Is a partner or affiliate of a ROTC Program) you can get a scholarship. Usually a three or two year. But you can arrive ready your freshman year, get all requirements completed and after your first semester, 4.0 gpa, maxes APFT and in a STEM (usually) degree field apply for the scholarship and I have seen some get a 3.5yr-not common but possible.
If you get a scholarship for a bachelors degree program-you would not stay after foot a master.
Options
Join the Guard or Reserve-use GI bill and state tuition to pay for college-join ROTC Junior Year and world towards Bachelors and complete masters in three years. It’s a grey area...you will get commissioned with a bachelors but can complete final masters in the summer and go to BOLC in the fall. So you’d matriculate late but I have seen it done-not EZ but doable
Or
Join Guard or Reserves, wait till last semester of bachelors, join ROTC, apply for 2 year scholarship as a Masters degree student
Or
Don’t join Guard or reserve-last semester of bachelors (spring only) join ROTC, go to basic camp over the summer, earn a 2 year scholarship, don1st year of Masters, over that summer go to advanced camp, do last year of masters, grad and commission.
Or
Get 4yr degree and scholarship and after your JR year apply for one of the Advanced Civil Schooling options (law, Med, usually certification degree) and get to go for two years of school . This is super way mucho difficult...you got to be intersectional and super in some way to even try this.
You have quite a few options but all are predicated on your ability, desire, drive and innovative and creative thinking.
Pro-tip: don’t go to a high cost, D1 or Ivy League school or a school with a high performing rotc program-they have plenty of folks that want to go there and they make mission and get less in the way of scholarships and latitude. They really don’t like nor are flexible with cadets. You need to go to a smaller school that needs and wants you, and you can help them make mission. PM me is you want some insights.
You should just do the 4 year bachelors program, then go AD and work on your masters while in BOLC through The Captains Course a few classes at a time. Army pays for it. Or you can apply for a degree producing job...it’s much easier...
Good Luck-you’ll need it!
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Green to Gold is a program for Army active duty enlisted members to do college ROTC for a commission as an officer. Successful applicants either get discharged early under an ROTC scholarship provision or transition over two years of active duty for a degree (This option has no scholarship, but keeps pay and benefits based on rank). If you are still in high school or are drilling as an enlisted reservist, this program is not applicable to you.
My recommendation is to talk to your local college ROTC recruiting officer over what you want to do.
My recommendation is to talk to your local college ROTC recruiting officer over what you want to do.
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