How old is too old for ROTC?

2015-09-29T12:27:54-04:00

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?

Response by 1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 29 at 2015 12:31 PM

2015-09-29T12:31:30-04:00

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)

Response by SCPO David Lockwood made Sep 29 at 2015 12:31 PM

2015-09-29T12:31:40-04:00

As long as they are in school they can learn something from ROTC. My opinion.

Response by COL Jon Thompson made Sep 29 at 2015 12:34 PM

2015-09-29T12:34:17-04:00

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.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 29 at 2015 12:37 PM

2015-09-29T12:37:57-04:00

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.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 29 at 2015 12:44 PM

2015-09-29T12:44:39-04:00

You can go up to 34 max age if you can secure a Garentied Guard Reserve Contracr.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 29 at 2015 12:52 PM

2015-09-29T12:52:20-04:00

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.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Sep 29 at 2015 1:43 PM

2015-09-29T13:43:27-04:00

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.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 29 at 2015 2:18 PM

2015-09-29T14:18:40-04:00

I went through ROTC and did not commission until I was 36, so it would all depend on whether you can get a waiver.

Response by 1LT Ryan Millican made Sep 29 at 2015 5:52 PM

2015-09-29T17:52:36-04:00

If you can get it waivered, I'd say 40, without prior service, that way they can reach reach their 20 years by age 60. We are starting to see a lot of older aged college students now/for the past few years, so it wouldn't surprise me to see the max age get raised

Response by CPT Griff Tatum made Sep 29 at 2015 7:50 PM

2015-09-29T19:50:21-04:00

Im uncertain of the requirements however, we had "older" members in ROTC that were a pretty good influence on us. With prior service too. So don't let it stop you.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 29 at 2015 8:55 PM

2015-09-29T20:55:20-04:00

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!

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 30 at 2015 3:02 PM

2015-09-30T15:02:49-04:00

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!

Response by Cadet 3rd Class Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 6 at 2020 4:51 AM

2020-03-06T04:51:27-05:00

There are many blogs that most of the online active people who are love to do the discussion online forums that will make you better suggestions.you get all this information from here https://paper-writing-service.reviews/ and get your personal information.

Paper Writing Service Reviews for Students who Сares

Get all the formation you need for the top writing services available. We have plenty of original reviews to help you with your choice.