What would give me the best chance of commissioning, USAF OTS or ROTC?

The Army needs more officers than the AF unless you are a pilot. The AF needs pilots. If you go Army ROTC, you’ll need 2-years of college left and you’ll need to go to Cadet styled basic training at Ft Knox this coming summer before starting ou MS III year.

You could also enslist for Army OCS after earning your degree. So that’s a 3rd option to consider.

ROTC is by far the easiest. Not a guarantee, but easier.

In my humble opinion ROTC is easiest. With a year left you could spread courses around and get a double major, two minors certification to teach or even a Masters if you have the time and funds!

I knew a guy that did it during grad school. Of course that was Army and 1994.

I was enlisted. Got out out. Got my degree. Re enlisted. Spent two years chasing an OTS slot. But once I got it I became an officer two months later. It worked for me. The AF wants officers of all kinds. Intel Officers and RPA (drone) Pilots are the largest demand. But we need others as well.

Graduate then enlist then go to OCS or enlist do the delayed entry gin to Basic when you graduate the go to OCS

Do not go enlisted. What is your major? Could you get a second major with another year to go?

James I am jumping on late to this and I haven’t read your full response thread. If you have a 3.0 GPA and zero arrests (even the ones you may think are expunged) then you have the enlisted OCS option. The higher the GPA the better your chances. You need to score very well on your Army Physical Fitness Test and you should have some community service/ volunteer identified.Your file needs to include letters of recommendation from community and school leaders- if you know any senior military leaders in the COL or higher rank those letters would also be beneficial. The next step is doing well at the PCs board held at the battalion. It is a very competitive program as each battalion gets few OCS slots. My battalion in Baltimore had a few more slots but that was due to the “population quality” and referrals from general officers.

If all else fails you can enlist and then apply for OCS through your unit. I had a great young officer take that exact path.

Hope this helps.

What are you studying? What are you looking to do for the military? I went to Basic Officer Leader Course with plenty of Lieutenants, Captains, and even a Major (!) who came in by direct commissioning. I'm in the medical field though. The Captains and Major were primarily physicians and surgeons. The Lieutenants were mainly nurses who had already worked in their career fields for a year or so. Talk to a recruiter who specifically recruits for the officer side and they should be able to help you choose whether another year of school and ROTC is your best option.

If you can qualify to go to pilot training then either path may be easier to get into. Otherwise I recommend ROTC. If you can afford the time and cost complete your bachelors and start your masters degree.