Pre-Med Option

NROTC Navy Pre-Med Program Option

The Medical Corps (MC) Naval Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (NROTC) Navy-Pre-medical option scholarship program is available to students interested in pursuing a bachelor’s degree to prepare for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and admission to medical school via a Navy student pipeline via Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) or Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program (AFHPSP). 

Requirements

Navy Pre-Med Option scholarship program applicants must meet all NROTC scholarship application eligibility standards. Additionally, Navy Pre-Med Option applicants must have achieved a minimum high school GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, or a minimum SAT score of 1300, or composite ACT score of 28.

Full-time college students at NROTC-affiliated educational institutions not already on an NROTC scholarship may apply through their educational institution’s NROTC unit for a Navy Pre-Med Option scholarship if, at the conclusion of their first (2 semesters/3 quarters) or second (4 semesters/6 quarters) academic year they are maintaining a college GPA of 3.5 or higher (on a 4.0 scale).

Once selected and accessed into the NROTC program, Midshipmen participating in the program must satisfy all NROTC commissioning requirements for regular Navy-Option Midshipmen.
 

Application Note

• Navy Pre-Med Option Applicants apply as Navy Option Midshipmen and Opt-In to the Navy Pre-Med Option during the application process.  Navy Pre-Med Option Midshipmen who do not gain acceptance to an appropriately accredited medical school will be commissioned into a designator in which the selectee can best serve the Navy. Interested Applicants should read Program Authorization 113A in full. 
• The Pre-Med OPT IN selection will not be visible if you do not meet the minimum requirements for GPA or SAT/ACT score.
• If you are interested in the Pre-Med OPT IN and qualify, all materials for complete application submission must be in for board consideration no later than 31 December.
• For Pre-Med consideration this includes your online application and all other required documentation through your recruiter/coordinator.
• If the NROTC selection board does not receive your complete package by 31 December, you will not be considered for Pre-Med.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: Who is the Navy Pre-Med Scholarship for?
  A: The NROTC Pre-med Option is designed for students aspiring to pursue a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.), which are the only degrees qualifying for a commission in the Medical Corps. Other doctorate-level healthcare professionals, excluding dentists and nurses, typically commission into the Medical Service Corps. This corps encompasses a range of allied healthcare professionals, including Doctors of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.), Doctors of Optometry (O.D.), Clinical Psychologists (Psy.D.), Doctors of Physical Therapy (DPT), and others.
  
  For more information on opportunities for allied healthcare professionals, such as through the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP), please contact a Medical Department recruiter.
• Q: Are Pre-med applicants considered for the Navy 4-year Scholarship?
  A: Yes. Pre-med applicants are considered for both the Navy 4-year Scholarship and the Navy Pre-med Option. If not selected for Pre-med or the Navy 4-year Scholarship in January, they will still be considered for the 4-year Scholarship until the board cycle ends.
• Q: Can applicants choose any medical school?
  A: Yes! Midshipmen may apply to the Uniformed Services University (USU) or any accredited medical school in the U.S. or Puerto Rico through the Armed Forces Health Profession Scholarship Program (HPSP). More info on HPSP is available at MyNavyHR under "Program Authorizations" (PA-130).
• Q: Do applicants need a traditional Pre-med major?
  A: No. Midshipmen can work with their NROTC unit to develop a degree plan that includes all required Pre-med courses. While many schools have dedicated Pre-med programs, majoring in humanities is possible with extra effort to meet prerequisites.
• Q: Can the Pre-med Option be used for dental school?
  A: No, but HPSP is available for dental school. A limited number of Navy 4-year students are allowed to attend dental school via HPSP each year.
• Q: What’s the career path for Midshipmen who attend USU?
  A: NROTC Pre-med students have a 5-year commitment, and attending USU adds 7 more years, for a total of 12. While at USU, they serve as Active Duty Ensigns and are promoted to Lieutenant upon graduation. They receive full pay and benefits during medical school. However, time at USU doesn’t count toward the 20-year service needed for retirement. USU-trained physicians who serve 20 years afterward will retire with 24 years of credit.
• Q: What’s the career path for Midshipmen attending civilian medical school with HPSP?
  A: NROTC Pre-med students have a 5-year commitment, and HPSP adds 4 more years, for a total of 9. While in civilian medical school using HPSP, they are Ensigns in the IRR. Upon completing medical school, they are commissioned as Lieutenants. HPSP includes full tuition, a $20,000 accession bonus, and a $2,870 monthly stipend (as of September 12, 2024).
• Q: Does this program cover both the bachelor’s degree and medical school?
  A: Yes. NROTC covers the bachelor’s degree, while USU or HPSP pays for medical school with benefits including a stipend, bonus, and tuition.
• Q: What happens if a Midshipman isn’t accepted into medical school?
  A: They will commission as a URL officer but can reapply to USU or HPSP after fulfilling their initial service obligation. Many Navy physicians have prior service, bringing valuable experience to Navy Medicine.

• Question: Are candidates notified if they are not selected for the Pre-Med NROTC scholarship? If so, has that notification been sent? If not, when will these notifications occur? Given college commitment deadlines, timely notification is important for candidates' decisions.
• Answer: Candidates not selected for the Pre-Med scholarship will not receive a specific letter. However, all applicants not selected for the general NROTC scholarship receive a non-select letter throughout the application cycle. All candidates will know their application status following the last NROTC scholarship board of the year (typically end of April).
  • If a candidate was not selected for the Pre-Med scholarship but was selected for the regular Navy Option scholarship, they will receive notification of their selection for the regular Navy Option scholarship.
  • If you do not get notified of selection for the Pre-Med scholarship, that means you have not been selected. There is one Pre-Med selection board, and it occurs toward the end of January.  All Pre-Med selections are made at that time. 

• Question: If selected candidates decline the Pre-Med NROTC scholarship, are those positions offered to alternate candidates? If so, what is the process?
• Answer: No, declined Pre-Med scholarship positions are not offered to alternate candidates in the current application year.  A specific number of Pre-Med applicants are selected based on historical acceptance rates. This approach accounts for anticipated declines and medical disqualifications to ensure the correct number of freshmen begin their freshmen year at NROTC units. If attrition occurs within these groups in later years, 3-year and 2-year scholarships may be offered to fill those gaps.

• Question: If candidates were not selected on the FY25 Board for example, are they eligible to apply for the FY26 Board? Do they compete directly with high school students, or is it a different application pathway?
• Answer: Possibly. Eligibility for the 4-year national NROTC scholarship (which includes Pre-Med) for the FY26 Board depends on your enrollment status. If you are attending a university affiliated with an NROTC program, you are not eligible to apply for the 4-year national scholarship. To be eligible, you must be a high school student or attending a university without an NROTC affiliation. This policy changed a few years ago. Students at NROTC-affiliated universities should affiliate directly with the program on campus. There is a possibility of Pre-Med 3-year or 2-year scholarships becoming available in the future due to attrition, but this would not be determined until after the freshman class has enrolled.

• Question: Is there a plan to release key metrics for successful applicants (GPA, SAT/ACT scores, extracurriculars, etc.)?
• Answer: While specific extracurricular activities vary greatly among successful candidates and won't be provided, successful Pre-Med applicants generally demonstrate a strong record of extracurricular involvement, work experience, and volunteerism. All selected Pre-Med applicants were within the top 10% of all NROTC scholarship applicants. On average, successful Pre-Med candidates had an SAT score above 1400 and a GPA above 3.9.

• Question: If a candidate accepts a non-medical NROTC scholarship, are they eligible to apply for a Pre-Med position in subsequent years?
• Answer: Possibly, candidates with a non-medical (Navy Option/URL) NROTC scholarship may be eligible to apply for a Pre-Med position in later years, but this is contingent on available slots due to attrition within the Pre-Med program. Nursing Option scholarship recipients are not eligible for this pathway.

• Question: Is the status of the DoDMERB Physical Exam a consideration for the board (for those with pending waivers or who had not completed the process)?
• Answer: No, the NROTC selection boards do not consider medical factors, including DoDMERB status, during the selection process. DoDMERB qualification occurs after scholarship selection.