Commandant of Cadets, Virginia Tech

The Emerging Leader Scholarship is awarded to incoming freshmen with outstanding leadership and academic potential who join the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. One hundred 4-year scholarships are reserved for Virginia residents. Another one hundred 4-year scholarships are reserved for students paying out-of-state tuition. The value of the 4-yr. award is approximately $6,000 but can vary depending on the scholarship status of the incoming freshman cadet. For four-year ROTC Scholarship winners, the Emerging Leader Scholarship (ELS) is applied toward the cost of room and board so that when combined with the ROTC scholarship and stipend, the overall cost of education at Virginia Tech (tuition, fees, books, room and board) is reduced to near zero. For ROTC scholarship applicants who are not ROTC scholarship winners, the ELS is targeted toward the freshman and sophomore years and designed to assist in the cost of education until such time as the student wins an on-campus two or three-year ROTC scholarship. Students accepted to Virginia Tech as cadets are automatically considered for the Emerging Leader Scholarship. In addition to the ELS, freshmen cadets who join the Regimental Band are automatically awarded a $1,000 1-year scholarship. Approximately 30 additional scholarships are awarded annually to sophomore through senior cadets, with preference given to cadets who are not in receipt of other scholarships. Membership in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets is mandatory for ROTC participants. (Note: For Navy ROTC members coming from the Fleet through the Seaman to Admiral Program, membership in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets is not mandatory.) Cadets at Virginia Tech participate in a full-time military school environment, but attend academic classes with the remainder of the university and may participate in student activities and organizations outside of the Corps.