The document attached is our guiding document for all policies and operations established here at Detachment 890.
This is our founding document that we refer to constantly. Learn it, Know it, Live it.
Please see the link below for an informational brochure:
CCT/Newcomer's Orientation
Prior to beginning your first Fall Semester in AFROTC, you are highly encouraged to participate in New Cadet Orientation, also known as Cadet Candidate Training.
This is a two-day mini-bootcamp to introduce new potential cadets on how AFROTC operates. We expect you to arrive mentally and physically fit.
This event occurs a week prior to the start of the Fall Semester and is vital to in-processing into the program. We cover general expectations and requirements while enrolled in the program.
Required In-Processing Documents can be found under the section CCT/Newcomer's Orientation.
More information will be given out to those who enrolled early into our classes. The course codes are listed in another section below. Make sure you enroll into our courses at the beginning of the semester.
Missing this event puts you at a great disadvantage with regards to military protocol and physical fitness. Come ready to learn.
CCT will be held on-location at each university minus PVCC. PVCC candidates must provide their own transportation to UVA.
Active Duty Service Commitment
Active Duty Service Commitment applies to cadets under contract. This includes cadets who activated their scholarship and been in the program for one year. Also, ADSC is incurred for contracted cadets who passed Field Training (look under the section labeled "Summer Requirements" for more info on Field Training).
ADSC is incurred based on the occupation you are awarded once you graduate and commission from AFROTC. Most occupations only require 4 years on Active Duty status. Active Duty Rated Occupations incur the following
- Pilot: 12 years
- Combat Systems Officer/Navigator: 6 years
- RPA Pilot: 6 years
Prior Military Service Candidates
If you have 180 or more days of consecutive military service, you will be accredited 4 semesters worth of military training. This accreditation essentially excuses you from GMC training, but you must still attend field training and meet all requirements/standards stated in the sections below.
Your academic timeline/Date of Graduation and Commissioning will be discussed further in depth once enrolled in AFROTC.
Dorm-Specific Common Areas
There are no AFROTC dorm room common areas. Dorm room assignments are managed by the university, and the Detachment has no say in where the cadets are housed.
Deadline to Join
The final day to join AFROTC is congruent with your school's policy for final class schedule changes. After that day, we will no longer accept cadets.
- Freshman or Sophomore (Juniors on a case-by-case basis, we suggest Juniors look into Air Force OTS). Freshman must spend 4 years in the program to receive commission. Sophomores must spend 3 years in the program to receive commission.
- Maintain Full Time Student Status (12 credit hours per semester or more). Classes not taken at your enrolled university count towards this requirement. AFROTC classes count towards this credit requirement as well.
- Be a student at either UVA, Liberty University, JMU, or PVCC.
- Be a U.S. Citizen or obtain citizenship within 12 months of Professional Officer Candidate Selection Process (PSP)
- Enroll into your respective AIRS Class(es) and LLAB Class
YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE ON SCHOLARSHIP TO JOIN
Moving Forward in the Program
At the end of your Spring Sophomore semester, you will be evaluated if you are eligible to move forward in the program. The requirements to advance are listed below:
- Passed all AIRS Freshman classes (110 and 120)
- Passed all AIRS Sophomore classes (210 and 220)
- Successfully completed at least 2 semesters worth of LLAB
- Met all physical fitness requirements
- Have a qualified DoDMERB Exam
- Have a passing AIr Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT)
DoDMERB stands for Department of Defense Medical Evaluation Review Board. The DoDMERB process will be discussed further once you join the program. AFOQT testing is administered by us and will also be discussed further once you join the program.
UVA - AIRS1100 (Class) and AIRS100 (LLAB)
Liberty - AIRS110 (Class) and AIRS001 (LLAB)
JMU - AIRS110 (Class) and AIRS100 (LLAB)
PVCC - MSC101 (Integrated Class and LLAB)
If you are joining the program as a sophomore, you must take both the Freshman course and the Sophomore course at the same time/congruently, if there is any confusion email us at afrotc@virginia.edu. See the example below. All schools follow the same format. If you are joining in the Spring as a Sophomore, you will require an extra academic year (TWO EXTRA SEMESTERS) to complete the program.
Ex for UVA student: Fall Semester: AIRS1100, AIRS1200, AIRS100
Spring Semester: AIRS2100, AIRS2200, AIRS100
You will be scored and evaluated according to official United States Air Force and Space Force Physical fitness standards. The score sheets and relevant documents can be located in the PDFs below:
To be eligible for In-College Scholarships (ICSP), you must pass your fitness test.
For HSSP, you must pass your fitness test to activate your scholarship.
**Academic Requirements to nominate for In-College Scholarships is 3.0 Cum GPA and 2.5 Term GPA in prior semester.
Secretary of the Air Force (SAF)-Approved 5-Year Majors
If your academic major is listed in the table below and you are on scholarship, you will be able to extend your entitlements and financial benefits for an additional 6-12 months. This is does not change your full time student status requirement of 12 credits per semester.
Military retention standards include, but are not limited to, moral character, bearing and behavior, physical fitness, professional conduct and relationships, dress and appearance, meeting contracted retention standards, and other standards as prescribed by Air Force directives. Failure to meet any military retention standard may result in dismissal. You are expected to wear the uniform of the day (UOD) properly to any official AFROTC function (PT, Class, LLAB, etc.).
Mandatory PMT/PDT Requirements
PMT=Professional Military Training
PDT=Professional Development Training
GMC (Freshman and Sophomore) are required to complete one PDT/PMT event during their time. This stipulation means they have two years to participate and complete a military training event outside of the normal schedule and they usually occur over the summer or on the weekend during the school year (i.e. OP 890, Ops Air Force, etc.). Det 890 only schedules one PMT/PDT event per semester. Therefore, if you can attend one, we highly encourage you do. If this requirement is not met by the end of Sophomore year, the cadet will not continue in the program.
The same requirement applies for POC (Juniors and Seniors). If this requirement is not met by the end of Senior year, Commission is denied and the cadet must pay back the Air Force in terms of money or time as enlisted.
The Form 28/Sports Physical is required every semester to participate in our program, but to become eligible for Field Training, be selected as a Junior, and be on scholarship YOU MUST HAVE A QUALIFIED DODMERB!
Please see the process below for DoDMERB and DoDMETS Account creation. Please be aware that even if you applied to any Military Academy and initially were Disqualified, that does not bar you from Military service nor participating in the program. This includes AFROTC scholarship candidates who are currently medically disqualified. Please see both images below for further clarification.
If you have any questions about DoDMERB and AFROTC scholarship, please email us at afrotc-admin@virginia.edu
For UVA/JMU/PVCC Cadets:
Class is held every Tuesday afternoon at UVA (You will be notified of room numbers once enrolled). Transportation is provided from JMU to UVA and it leaves at 1130. PVCC students must provide their own transportation.
Freshman and Sophomores are in the GMC (General Military Course) and will attend a one-hour class.
Juniors and Seniors are enrolled in the POC (Professional Officer Course) and will attend a two-hour class.
Immediately following class, all cadets convene for the two-hour Leadership Lab class.
UVA and JMU have PT three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 0555-0700.
PT is held at each university respectively.
For Liberty Cadets:
Class is held every Thursday afternoon at Liberty (You will be notified of room numbers once enrolled).
Freshman and Sophomores are in the GMC (General Military Course) and will attend a one-hour class.
Juniors and Seniors are enrolled in the POC (Professional Officer Course) and will attend a two-hour class.
Immediately following class, all cadets convene for the two-hour Leadership Lab class.
Liberty has PT three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 0555-0700.
The requirements to be eligible for a scholarship can be found in the link below
https://www.afrotc.com/scholarships/college/requirements/
Scholarships are only offered once a semester and few are awarded. It is a highly competitive process and one must be truly committed to serving in the Air Force if they want to be eligible.
To summarize, those who were awarded In-College scholarships last semester had an average of 3.2 Cumulative GPA, 92 PT Score, and were ranked at least top 10% of their class.
Nursing Scholarships are only awarded to to Nursing majors who have been accepted into the Nursing School of their respective universities.
Cadets may reapply multiple times for scholarships throughout their time in the program once applications open up each semester, pending Det Commander approval and nomination. This necessary approval and nomination will be based off your performance in the program.
Cadets who are under contract or who have activated their Scholarship are given stipends. Stipends are as follows:
Freshman: $300/month
Sophomore: $350/month
Junior: $450/month
Senior: $500/month
These stipends are not directly tied to books/fees/tuition.
In addition to the stipends above, you receive a $900 annual book allowance.
-Tutor.com
-Vettix.com, discount on tickets for live sports and entertainment
-Discount on streaming services such as Hulu and Disney+
-Discount on AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile monthly service plans
-Libby.com, access to Air Force Library for audiobooks, books, and much more
-Entrance to free National parks
-Free tax services through Military OneSource
-Discounts on amusement park tickets
-Blue Star Theaters, discounts on plays and musicals
-Buildasign.com, free banners
-Free PGA Gold Tournament tickets
-Discount on movie theatre tickets
Be advised: CAC (Common Access Card) is required to receive benefits.
If you have more than one scholarship in addition to the AFROTC scholarship, you must exhaust those scholarships first before applying the AFROTC scholarship to tuition.
Keep in mind, the AFROTC scholarships are for tuition and fees; AFROTC scholarships can also be converted to cover room and board, but not both.
The links below will provide info for interested candidates
JROTC Cadets,
Please see brochure below concerning scholarship opportunities
The first requirement is Operation Air Force, which happens in the summer between freshman and sophomore year. This program gives cadets the opportunity to travel to an Active Duty Air Force installation to shadow officers of all different occupations. It is usually two-three weeks out of the year. Scholarship recipients are given priority for this program.
The most important requirement is Field Training which occurs in the summer between sophomore and junior year. If selected to go to Field Training, you will be training in Maxwell AFB, AL for two-weeks (Travel and lodging covered by AF). It is an extensive leadership skills course that tests the mental and physical capacity of our selected cadets. They must pass this course or else they will not move forward in the program. Selection to Field Training is dependent on your academic, phsyical, and military performance in addition to your DoDMERB Qualification. If you do not meet standards by the end of sophomore year, you will be terminated from the program.
There are several other summer opportunities that cadets can be selected to attend, such as Army Air Assault School and USAFA Airmanship programs. Although these are not mandatory, they are once-in-a-lifetime experiences, all paid for by the Air Force. Selection for these programs is competitive and only committed high performers/wingmen are rewarded.
We encourage our cadets to participate in sports/extracurriculars and to join teams and clubs. AFROTC is designed to foster the "whole-person concept" in order to develop effective leaders for the Air Force.
We emphasize balance in academic, athletic, and military events.
If there are any schedule conflicts with official University-sponsored classes/events/activities, the cadre/staff will work our best to accommodate the cadet. However, this does not excuse the cadet from meeting our objectives. Objectives must still be met before the semester ends or else they risk termination from the program.
Also, unofficial University events/activities (i.e. intramurals, club events) DO NOT take precedence over AFROTC. We understand students also have jobs but work is not an excuse to miss our training events. You know our schedule, plan accordingly.
Our priority in AFROTC is to create Air Force Officers and Leaders. Anyone joining should treat it as such.
There are paths to becoming a Air Force Lawyer/JAG or Military Chaplain through AFROTC, please contact a Detachment Staff member if you have questions.
Air Force Lawyer/JAG Info Sheets:
Air Force Chaplain:
Chaplains are Religious Ministry Professionals who are trained to provide spiritual care to the Air Force community. Basic requirements to be an active duty chaplain include:
- A 72 semester hour graduate degree meeting DoDI 1304.28 Para 3.d. requirements
- Endorsement by an Armed Forces Chaplains Board (AFCB) recognized endorser.
- Two years of professional ministry leadership experience
Cadets interested in a future career as a chaplain can transition to the Chaplain Candidate Program upon graduation. They remain a Candidate while earning their qualifying graduate degree. Chaplain Candidates serve as second Lieutenants until both seminary graduation and Ecclesiastical Endorsement requirements have been met. Candidates will then reappoint as a reserve chaplain until the necessary 2 years of professional ministry leadership experience have been obtained. Reserve chaplains can then request transfer to active duty.
Applicants are not guaranteed a position as Chaplain Candidates and must be approved for participation by the AFRC Command Chaplain. Only about 15 spots available annually AFROTC wide.
OSI applications happen within the AFROTC program and more detail will be provided once you join the program, but this is also a highly selective and highly competitive program.
These career paths are also offered through OTS: https://www.airforce.com/education/military-training/ots
For aspiring medical professionals (Doctor, Physician, etc.), it is possible to enter this career field through AFROTC; please contact Detachment Staff for this pathway and the requirements. The requirements are demanding. You can learn more through here: https://www.airforcemedicine.af.mil/Organizations/Physician-Education-Branch/Medical-School-Scholarships/
If your heart is truly set on these career paths, and you do not want to do AFROTC then we suggest reaching out to your local recruiting office for more info.
The local Officer Recruiting Station number for Charlottesville is 757-435-1220.