<p>No, having a NROTC scholarship, in itself, is not a barrier to getting an appointment to USNA. Never heard of such a waiver. As @aglages suggested, if you are currently in NROTC you will need your unit CO to give you a recommendation. Also, you can get a nomination through the NROTC program.</p>
<p>However, there is a limit of only 20 USNA appointments, nationwide, which can come through NROTC and that number includes Junior NROTC (high school). In other words, this path is even more competitive than the normal process. That might be where this idea of difficulty comes from.</p>
<p>Also, if a person already has an NROTC scholarship and is in college, I do wonder why they would want to start college all over again at USNA. After all, yes, both lead to a commission and in such a case, the NROTC will get you there faster. Only makes sense if you just gotta have that “academy experience.”</p>