Question for Naval Nuclear Engineers & Officers

Paying for College Specialized programs (GI Bill, ROTC, TUE)
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Hey y’all… I’m a prospective senior who’s pretty passionate about nuclear engineering. In America, the easiest way to get employed for nuclear engineering is through the Navy. Now, I’m presented with a few options on how to get there without paying for college which is the goal.

  1. I get enlisted and take the pipeline through Recruit Training, NF “A” School, Nuclear Power School, and then to STA-21 (which is like the NROTC but with added benefits), and then to Officer training. - The problem here is that on Reddit, people hate this program and apparently it is very difficult to follow through the pipeline and there are no guarantees of ever working as a nuclear Officer for the navy.

  2. I could go through the NROTC… which to my knowledge doesn’t guarantee a navy officer position. But it pays for college :slight_smile:

  3. I could go through NUPOC… This means that I would have to find another way to get to college. After a year of that, if I get into NUPOC, the rest of college will be paid for and I will be guaranteed the job and position that I want while also getting a salary. But it is risky, since I can’t receive money from NROTC and then switch to NUPOC, so college won’t be free in that sense.

Do you have any advice on which route I should take?

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Have you looked into the DOD smart scholarship options ?

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Yeah, but I’ve heard some pretty bad things and rumors that the SMART Dellum’s for senior high schoolers doesn’t even exist anymore. I’ve tried to get in touch with the Dellum’s office but they won’t respond.

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Not all students in NROTC get scholarships, which are awarded competitively: Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps - Home Page

Of course, there is the US Naval Academy, but admission there is highly competitive (similar for US Military Academy for Army).

Your other thread says that you are a Florida resident who needs a net price of <$10k, but with parental income that prevents need-based aid to get there, and that you have a 3.93 GPA, 1580 SAT, and NMSF.

Of the small number of schools (besides the USNA and USMA) with ABET accredited nuclear engineering:

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Thank you! I’ll look into those!

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