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 · What is Air Force ROTC?
 · How large is the AFROTC presence at Penn State?
 · How do I enroll in AFROTC at Penn State?
 · What if I am a student at Penn State Altoona?
 · What if I am a student at another commonwealth campus?
 · Apply for Scholarships

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 · Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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 · AFROTC Frequently Asked Questions
 · AFROTC Official Site, Apply for a scholarship

 Informative  Videos

 · Conclusion
 · Leadership Laboratory  · Activities

What is Air Force ROTC?
The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) at Penn State is a training program designed to give men and women the opportunity to become Air Force officers and leaders while completing a degree.  The Air Force ROTC program is designed to prepare you to assume positions of increasing responsibility and importance in the modern Air Force.  Our goal is to give you the skills you need to be a United States Air Force officer.  We do this through classroom education, hands-on leadership experiences in our "Leadership Laboratory", physical fitness, and most importantly a focus on academics.  Anyone in any major can join Air Force ROTC.  Additionally, there are numerous scholarship and financial incentives available in all majors.  If you've always wanted to be a pilot, the Air Force has many of the best pilots in the world.  If you'd rather keep your feet on the ground, we have over 50 officer career fields for you to choose from. These range from highly technical engineers to hands-on leadership of people and vast resources. You have absolutely nothing to lose and a world of opportunities available to you simply by asking for more information.

How large is the AFROTC presence at Penn State?
With around 120 cadets, we commission 25-30 lieutenants each year, placing many in aviation positions. Of the 120 cadets, nearly 14 percent are women and 16 percent are minorities. Our unit is big enough to offer some incredible opportunities, while being small enough so that everyone gets to know each other.

How to Enroll in AFROTC at Penn State
 Any Penn State, University Park student can join Air Force ROTC in the Spring or Fall by enrolling in the appropriate class.  Freshman and sophomores should sign up for Air 151 or 251 in the Fall and Air 152 or 251 in the Spring.  Juniors and higher should talk to us before registering to ensure we have you placed in the correct class.  When you register, your class and leadership lab (Tues 4-6 PM) will automatically be placed on your schedule.  If you have a conflict with the classes listed or can not get into a section that is closed, please contact us for further directions.  To get more information, contact Captain Hunter Channell at (814) 865-5453 or email airforce@psu.edu.  Our Air Force ROTC detachment is located on the first floor of Wagner Building on the University Park campus.

Penn State - Altoona Students
Penn State Altoona students are encouraged to join the Air Force ROTC program, but must commute from Altoona (40-50 min) usually one day per week as a freshman and sophomore.  We typically have 5-10 students taking the program from Altoona, all of whom work out ride-share programs.  We understand the long distance required to travel, so we try to place most required events on Tuesdays when you come for leadership lab and Air Force class.  Juniors and seniors have a harder time commuting from Altoona, as they have 3 hours of class room instruction in addition to leadership lab, requiring at least 2 days per week at the University Park campus - we recommend that you transfer to the main campus by your junior year.  Note that all ROTC opportunities afforded to University Park students to include scholarships, voluntary summer programs and in-school programs are open to all Altoona cadets.

Other Penn State Commonwealth Campuses
If you are enrolling at a Penn State University commonwealth campus other than University Park, you may be able to fulfill your ROTC obligations through a cross-town agreement.  This program enables you to participate in Air Force ROTC one afternoon a week at a nearby campus of another college or university.  The following Penn State campuses participate in cross-town agreements: Altoona, Worthington-Scranton, Wilkes-Barre Hazelton, Abington, and Delaware County. Other Pennsylvania detachments include:

Det 750, St. Joseph's University, Philadelphia, (610) 660-3190, servicing Penn State Abington and Delaware County

Det 752, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, (570) 408-4860, servicing Penn State Worthington - Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and Penn State Hazleton

More in depth information, go to the AFROTC official website here.
 

National Guard and Reserves while in ROTC

While the Army ROTC allows some of its individuals to be in the National Guard or Reserves, the Air Force does not have such a program.  You can be in the National Guard or Reserves of any branch while in Air Force ROTC until you are contracted.  You would be contracted upon entering your Junior year of ROTC or receiving a scholarship.

Please note that most units will release you to go to Air Force ROTC, but they do not have to.  The process to get an answer from your unit usually takes about four months.  Once released from your commitment, you will contract with Air Force ROTC for a a 4-year active duty commitment.  Air Force ROTC commissions all lieutenants on to active duty and has no programs which place you back into the National Guard or Reserves.

For more information please call or write:

Air Force ROTC, Detachment 720
The Pennsylvania State University
109 Wagner Building
University Park, PA 16803
(814) 865-5453

AFROTC Unfunded Law School Program

GENERAL INFORMATION: The Graduate Law Program (GLP) is a non-scholarship two-year Air Force ROTC program for law students. Once selected for the GLP, students are guaranteed a position as an Air Force judge advocate upon successful completion of the AFROTC program, graduation from an ABA-approved law school, and completion licensing requirements including admission to practice before any state's highest court.

ELIGIBILITY: To enroll, students must:

APPLICATION: The application process is done in two parts:

  1. Students apply through the local AFROTC Detachment (where the applicant plans to receive training) at the start of the spring semester of their first year of law school.

  2. Students complete the application and schedule a hiring interview with the senior attorney (staff judge advocate) at a nearby Air Force base. The deadline for completion of all paperwork and the hiring interview is 1 April.

SELECTION: Selection is on a best-qualified basis. Selection factors include academic performance, extracurricular activities, work experience, community service, military record (if any), and the recommendation in the report of interview. The best qualified applicants are selected by the Judge Advocate General upon recommendations by a board of senior judge advocates. The selection board is convened in April each year and applicants are notified of the results by letter.

TRAINING: Selectees attend a field training encampment at an Air Force base during the summer between their first and second year of law school. They then complete the normal academic requirements for the AFROTC two-year program while attending their second and third year of law school. For students with prior military service, field training is four weeks; for those with no prior military experience, field training is five weeks.

COMMISSIONING AND SERVICE COMMITMENT: Upon completion of the AFROTC program and graduation from law school, cadets are commissioned as second lieutenants. Those who have completed legal licensing requirements, including admission to practice before a state's highest court, normally enter active duty shortly thereafter. Those who have not yet completed legal licensing requirements are granted an educational delay until completion of those requirements. The initial period of active duty is four years. Graduates of the GLP begin active duty as first lieutenants and are eligible for promotion to captain on the day they complete six months of active duty.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: Students are paid during summer field training and they also receive a $200 tax-free stipend each month of school during the last two years of their legal education.

MORE INFORMATION: For more details, write or call:

HQ USAF/JAX,
Washington DC 20330-5120
(703) 614-3021

OR

HQ AFROTC Cadet Personnel
551 E. Maxwell Blvd.
Maxwell AFB AL 36112-6106

OR

Contact the Penn State Air Force ROTC Department:
Phone number: (814) 865-5453
Homepage: http://www.airforce.psu.edu
E-Mail: airforce@psu.edu

Information is subject to change and current as of 7 October 2008.