FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• Do I have to be enrolled as a student at Manhattan College to be a part of Detachment 560?
  No! Detachment 560 (Manhattan College) has cadets from several "crosstown" schools in the New York City Area. Click here for comprehensive list of cross towns.
• What do I need to do to join?
  To be eligible, you must be enrolled as a full-time student (12 credit hours) at Manhattan College or one of our cross-town campuses. To join click here for our application process.
• I am a sophomore or junior can I join ROTC?
  If you are a sophomore you may join ROTC. You will have to take two AS classes (100 & 200) to make up for the year that you missed. It is not ideal, but it is doable. We've had many cadets enter as sophomores and go on to do great things in Air Force or Space Force. If you are a junior your situation will be looked in a case by case basis to determine if you meet ROTC requirements.
• What jobs does the Air Force and Space Force have?

  If there is a job in the civilan sector, something similar exists in the Air Force and/or Space Force. Check out the Air Force Officer Classification Directory for more details.

   

• I am a freshman/sophomore can I join during the spring semester?
  If you are a freshman, yes you may join. However, you will have to make up the previous semesters objectives before moving on in the program. If you are a sophomore your situation will be looked at in a case by case basis to determine if you meet ROTC requirements.
• I am a senior/grad student can I join ROTC?
  No you may not. You will not meet the required objectives. We recommend seeking out an Officer Training School (OTS) recruiter if you still want to become an officer in the Air Force or Space Force.
• What is an example of a typical Friday Schedule?
  Detachment 560 generally follows Manhattan College's academic calendar. All of our training sessions take place on Fridays. Students should make every effort to arrange their academic schedules to be completely open on Fridays so that they can be on the Manhattan College campus for the entire day. Mandatory activities typically end by 4:00 PM. Extracurricular activities such as Honor Guard and Arnold Air Society can run later.
• Will I have to go to boot camp?
  AFROTC cadets participate in a two-week training program during the summer between their sophomore and junior years in AFROTC. This two-week program is called "Field Training" and it is the AFROTC equivalent of boot camp. You will spend your first two years in the AFROTC program learning the skills that you will need in order to be successful at Field Training. Field Training takes place at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. While you are at Field Training, you will receive career orientation, survival training, weapons familiarization, physical training, and familiarization with the organization and function of an Air Force base.
• Do I have to sign an active duty contract in order to join?
  No, not to join AFROTC. You will sign a contract at some point during your AFROTC career, which will obligate you to spend four years as an active duty Air Force or Space Force officer. If you are a high school scholarship winner, you will have the first year of AFROTC to try it out and decide if it's something that you want to continue to do. You can leave the AFROTC program (and end your scholarship benefits) any time during the first year of the program. If you leave before the start of your second year, you will not owe the service anything. If you are not a high school scholarship winner, you have the first two years of your AFROTC career to decide if the Air Force/Space Force is a path you'd like to pursue for a career. If, during your first two years in the program, you decide not to continue with AFROTC you can leave with no obligation to the service. However, once you return from Field Training and begin your third year in the program, you will sign a contract that obligates you to spend four years as an active duty Air Force or Space Force officer. If you receive an in-college scholarship, you will sign a contract that obligates you to a four year active duty commitment when you accept the scholarship.
• I have a medical condition. Can I still join AFROTC?
  To become a fully qualified cadet, you must take and pass a DoDMERB (Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board) physical. This exam will be provided to you at no cost within your first few weeks of participating in AFROTC. All medical qualification decisions are made by a team of medical professionals on a case-by-case basis. Students who are concerned about something in their medical history are encouraged to discuss the issue with the AFROTC detachment staff; however, we do not have the expertise or authority to make final judgments about your qualifications for the program.
• What about scholarships?
  For the most up to date information about the AFROTC scholarship program, click here. If you have specific questions about the scholarship program, please contact the USC AFROTC Unit Admissions Officer (UAO). You can reach the UAO either by phone at (718) 862-7201 or by email at afrotc@manhattan.edu