The Eastern Washington University (EWU) Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) commissions Army officers not only onto Active Duty, but into the Army Reserves and the National Guard. This video shows the various training events conducted in ROTC and is narrated by 2018 EWU Army ROTC graduate First Lieutenant (1LT) Rebecca Troutt who is an officer in the Washington Army National Guard.
The National Guard provides a great opportunity for EWU students to serve their state and local communities while still pursuing a civilian career. The coronavirus pandemic and the wildfires in the Pacific Northwest has demonstrated what an important role the National Guard has in supporting communities in the region.
For students considering National Guard service as an officer, contact us at rotc@ewu.edu or 509-359-6110 to learn more about EWU Army ROTC. We offer scholarship designed exclusively for students pursuing National Guard service. Scholarships are available! Contact us to learn more!
The 2021 Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) National Scholarship season began on June 12, 2020. Army ROTC National Scholarships are for qualified high school seniors planning to attend a four-year university and are interested in training to become a future officer in the U.S. Army. If you have already graduated high school please contact the Eastern Washington University (EWU) ROTC office because we have other scholarship options available.
Agree to accept a commission and serve in the Army on Active Duty or in a Reserve Component (Army Reserve or Army National Guard)
If you meet the basic requirements, below are the instructions on how to apply for a ROTC National Scholarship. You can get about 75% of the application completed in under an hour.
ROTC National Scholarship Process:
Step #1: You need to complete an on-line application that you can access through this link. Applicants must initiate the on-line application by 4 February 2020. Remember your login and password for your cadet portal. Your login is the email you use to establish your account.
Step #2: Submit high school transcripts (at least through junior year) and SAT or ACT scores. You can upload PDFs through your account in the Cadet portal.
Step #3: Take the ROTC Basic Fitness Test. A coach or PE teacher can administer this for you.
Step #4: Conduct an interview at one of the university ROTC programs (ideally where your first choice of college is). We can do this any time here at Eastern after you start the on-line application. We are more than willing to conduct a Skype interview if you live several hours away. Please reach us through our Contact page or call 509-359-6110 to setup an interview.
Make sure to read the below articles to help you with the ROTC scholarship process:
The Army understands high school students could still be in the process of taking SATs and ACTs during their senior year. Because of this the Army has three different boards that meet throughout the year to select ROTC scholarship winners. Below is the board timeline.
1st Board
09 October 2020: All four steps listed above must be completed on the GoArmy site before this date to be considered by the first board. The application will not be considered if any of the steps are not completed. A benefit of completing the ROTC packet in time for the first board is that even if your packet is not selected it will be looked at again by the second and third boards thus increasing your chances of receiving a scholarship.
19 October 2020: This is the date that the first board convenes and reviews every packet that was submitted by the 09 October 2020 deadline.
2nd Board
15 January 2021: All four steps listed above must be completed on the GoArmy site before this date to be considered by the second board. The application will not be considered if any of the steps are not completed. A benefit of completing the ROTC packet in time for the second board is that even if your packet is not selected it will be looked at again by the third board thus increasing your chances of receiving a scholarship.
25 January 2021: This is the date that the second board convenes and reviews every packet that was submitted by the 15 January 2021 deadline.
4 February 2021: This is the deadline to initiate new 2019-2020 ROTC scholarship applications. If an application is not initiated by1159pm EST it will not be considered by the final board. Those who already have an application open can continue to modify it passed this deadline.
3rd Board
05 March 2021: All four steps listed above must be completed on the GoArmy site before this date to be considered by the third board. The application will not be considered if any of the steps are not completed.
15 March 2021: Board convenes and runs until every packet that was board ready by the start of the board, has been reviewed.
Please view the below video for more information about submitting an ROTC scholarship application.
ROTC Scholarship Selection
Selection for ROTC scholarships are highly competitive and at EWU ROTC we recommend getting your application complete and seen in time for the second board. The majority of scholarships are issued from the second and third boards and getting the application complete by the second board will increase your chances of receiving a scholarship. Decisions on the scholarships awarded are usually released two to four weeks after each board. Periodically check the Selection Status tab on your GoArmy application to see if you were selected.
An ROTC National Scholarship recipient to Eastern Washington University received scholarship benefits worth $77,000.
If you were not selected after the third board do not give up hope of receiving a scholarship. There is a secondary process for applicants to earn a scholarship. Any ROTC program can make an alternate offer to applicants that were not offered a national award. We get most of our new, incoming freshman on scholarships using this alternate process. Applying for the national scholarship is simply the first step. It is very simple and easy for us to make an alternate offer, but you first have to put together the ROTC application.
Please contact the EWU ROTC office for any additional details about how the scholarship selection process works.
Follow EWU ROTC
Keep up-to-date on all the latest news and notes from the EWU ROTC program and Cadet Command in general by subscribing to our website using the sign up widget in the right sidebar. You can also follow EWU ROTC at the below social media channels:
Remember if you have any questions about the ROTC National Scholarship process, please leave a comment, contact our office, or reach out to us through our social media sites. We are here to help and want you to be as successful as possible to receive an Army ROTC scholarship.
EWU Army ROTC class of 2016 graduate, Miranda Munsell was commissioned as a Field Artillery officer into the Washington Army National Guard. Since graduating from Eastern, she has been promoted to the rank of 1st Lieutenant in the 2-146th Field Artillery Battalion.
1LT Miranda Munsell
1LT Munsell’s National Guard unit was recently activated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. EWU’s school newspaper, The Easterner has published an article highlighting her service. Here is a quote from 1LT Munsell in the article:
“It’s so important to me that we can be there when our communities need us. Seeing the impact we have had and being able to be there to assist the people who need it in this time of crisis is extremely rewarding,” said 1LT Munsell. [The Easterner]
I highly recommend everyone reading the whole article at the link. You can also view a video featuring 1LT Munsellat this link. Great job by 1LT Munsell for being such a great leader and all the other National Guard personnel helping others across the state during this pandemic.
For anyone interested in becoming a National Guard officer and serving their fellow citizens in a time of crisis, the EWU Army ROTC program is a path to doing this. Incoming and current EWU students can sign up for a Military Science course to explore their options in the Army with no obligation to join. If National Guard service is something you are interested in pursuing we can help you with finding a unit and accessing scholarship benefits.
Cadets on a Minuteman Scholarship or a Guaranteed Reserve Forces Duty (GRFD) Scholarship are guaranteed National Guard service, awarded full tuition or $10k towards room and board a year to EWU, receive $1,200 annually for books, and a $420 a month stipend plus other benefits. Anyone interested in learning more about their National Guard options can reach us through our Contact page or by emailing us at rotc@ewu.edu.
Something that many people do not realize is that joining ROTC does not mean that you are locked into Active Duty after graduating from college. In fact Cadets can take a scholarship that locks them into the Army Reserves or National Guard after graduation. The scholarship is called a Minuteman Scholarship. Anyone qualified to receive an ROTC scholarship can apply for a Minuteman Scholarship. 2, 3, and 4 year Minuteman Scholarships are available to qualified Cadets.
Requirements for a Minuteman Scholarship
Be a U.S. citizen
Between ages of 17-30*
Valid Chapter 2 MEPS physical
Currently in the Army Reserve or eligible for enlistment
Ability to pass Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT)
Meet Army Physical standards (AR600-9)
Receive Mission Subordinate Command (MSC) Commander, Army Reserve Ambassador (ARA),or Civilian Aides to the Secretary of the Army (CASA) nomination
Acceptance letter to a college or university with a ROTC program
Professor of Military Science (PMS) interview
Proof of academic major
1000 SAT or 19 ACT scores, 2.5 GPA
Participate in Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP) in which they participate in an Army Reserve unit's monthly and annual drills
Once commissioned... 8-year service obligation
Must not have turned age 31 by Dec. 31st of commissioning year
That may seem like a lot, but we will help you through the entire process! Recipients of a Minuteman Scholarship have the option of using the scholarship to pay for tuition or receive $10,000 annually for room and board expenses. At Eastern Washington University the majority of our Cadets take the $10,000 room and board option since tuition each year is roughly $8,200. Cadets that choose the Minuteman Scholarship and join the Washington Army National Guard receive access to additional grants and federal tuition assistance up to $4,600, allowing them to pay for tuition and use the full $10,000 and other SMP benefits listed above. With tuition paid for through grants and tuition assistance, here's an example chart of Minuteman Scholarship benefits:
After graduation from Eastern Cadets will commission into the officer rank of Second Lieutenant in the Washington Army National Guard or U.S. Army Reserves. Call 509-359-6110 our Enrollment Officer for more information.
Cadet Patrick Coleman (far left in uniform) is contracted into ROTC as a Minuteman Scholarship recipient by the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army, Brigadier General (Retired) Neal Sealock at halftime of a Nov. 3, 2019 EWU football game. Patrick Coleman successfully graduated from EWU in 2022 and is serving part-time as an officer in the Adjutant General Corps.
The Eastern Washington University (EWU) Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Jump Start 2018 was a great training event for all the first year Cadets that participated. A major highlight of Jump Start was the participation of a UH-72A Lakota helicopter during the field portion of the training. A short video featuring the Lakota helicopter and its crew can be viewed below:
The EWU ROTC program gives a big thank you to the National Guardsman who are part of Charlie Company, 1-112th Aviation Security and Support based out of Fairchild AFB, WA for supporting Jump Start 2018.
Today I had the honor of attending the Washington State Veterans Cemetery Forgotten Heroes Interment just outside of Medical Lake. The ceremony is used to provide proper burial for abandoned or unclaimed remains of veterans in the Spokane region.
Washington State Veterans Cemetery at Medical Lake.
At today’s ceremony 55 remains were interned at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery. EWU ROTC Cadet Tyler Roylance participated in the ceremony as part of the Washington State Honor Guard.
Washington State Honor Guard ready to conduct the Forgotten Heroes Ceremony (Picture courtesy of Ms. Katie Brown).
Cadet Roylance of Post Falls, Idaho is one of the Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP) Cadets enrolled in the EWU ROTC program while also serving in the Washington State National Guard. While conducting monthly guard drill duty an SMP Cadet is paired with and mentored by a National Guard officer. The program also allows Cadets to participate in highly selective National Guard activities such as the Washington State Honor Guard.
Cadet Tyler Roylance (2nd from left) conducts Honor Guard duties at the Forgotten Heroes Ceremony.
After conducting Honor Guard duties Cadet Roylance also participated in helping to intern one of the remains at the cemetery:
Cadet Tyler Roylance interns remains during the Forgotten Heroes Ceremony.
More pictures from the Forgotten Heroes Ceremony can be viewed on the EWU ROTC Flickr page. It was a fantastic job by the Washington State Veterans Cemetery, the National Guard, and the local veteran community for putting together such a memorable event to honor these forgotten heroes.
