Not at all. ROTC is a series of elective college courses, which you can begin your freshman year with no military obligation. Taking a Military Science course is similar to taking any other class on campus.

For most students it’s the start of your junior year of college. This is when you decide whether or not you want to pursue a commission in the Army. At this time you would sign a contract with the US Army. This applies to two-year scholarship students and all non-scholarship students in the program. A three-year or four-year scholarship winner becomes obligated at the start of their sophomore year.

It depends on whether you receive an active duty or a reserve commission, and whether you are a recipient of a scholarship. See the table below for the duty obligations connected with each situation:

The Golden Knight Battalion is the host Battalion for the Associated Colleges of the St Lawrence Valley. Full time students attending the following local Colleges and Universities may enroll with the Clarkson Army ROTC Program at no cost:
St Lawrence University, Canton, NY
State University of New York at Potsdam, Potsdam, NY
State University of New York at Canton, Canton, NY

There are 4-year, 3-year and 2-year scholarships available to qualified students. As an incoming student you are eligible for any of the three scholarships but must be selected for it. For more information on applying for a scholarship, contact the Golden Knight Battalion Enrollment Officer at (315) 268-7705, or e-mail at armyrotc@clarkson.edu

Anyone can enroll in ROTC. And regardless of whether you're a scholarship winner or not, all ROTC books, supplies and equipment are furnished at no cost to you.

No, it is not like Basic Training at all. At ROTC you are an Army cadet, where motivated, academically and physically qualified college students are trained to become Army Officers. The training methodology and standards are entirely different than traditional Basic Training.

No, you may wear civilian attire to class on Tuesdays. However, during Thursday's lab time and any field training, uniforms are required. You will be issued the uniforms and equipment you need free of charge.

At ROTC we do not cut anyone's hair! You must however meet the Army appearance standards. That may mean for males shorter hair than you currently have, but nobody gets his (or her) head shaved. Females must wear their hair up off the collar of the uniform they are wearing.

No, it is not. All contracted cadets are required to attend 3, 1-hour physical fitness sessions per week. These sessions are held on both the Clarkson and St Lawrence campuses. Normal sessions are held from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m., but the program is extremely flexible and can be tailored to your individual schedule. For non-contracted cadets the sessions are optional, but it is strongly encouraged that they attend. We do more than run during these sessions. Sports, aerobics, obstacle courses, and many other activities that are fun are incorporated into the fitness program. There are also incentives in place based upon your score on a fitness test that can exempt you from 1-2 sessions per week.

No. We do conduct Field Training Exercises (FTX's), but there is more to ROTC than running around in the woods.

For more information on the ROTC program and scholarships available at the Golden Knight Battalion, contact the Golden Knight Battalion Enrollment Officer at (315) 268-7705 or e-mail him at armyrotc@clarkson.edu