Scholarships

Attending college is an expensive investment. AFROTC scholarships can pay for your tuition, books, and provide a monthly stipend to help with other expenses.

Students attending NMSU full-time and enrolled in the AFROTC program are eligible to receive a NMSU-sponsored 2-year scholarship that pays for tuition and fees plus a $500 stipend each semester. We can offer up to 10 of these NMSU-sponsored AFROTC scholarships each year.

If you are in high school, you can apply for the AFROTC High School Scholarship Program at the following link before December of your Senior year: afrotc.com/scholarships

After your first semester in the program, we will consider offering you a merit-based AFROTC scholarship or NMSU AFROTC scholarship based on your major, GPA, Air Force Officer Qualifying test scores and performance in the program. The Air Force is looking for excellent students earning degrees from a wide variety of academic disciplines.

I didn’t get a scholarship, can the Air Force still help?

Aside from offering an amazing career as an Air Force officer, we still want to help you make it through college. Once contracted (normally the start of the Junior year), ALL of our cadets receive a tax-free stipend using the table below:

Tax Free Stipend

Freshmen (scholarship only)	$300/month
Sophomore (scholarship only)	$350/month
Junior (FT Graduates)	$450/month
Senior (FT Graduates)	$500/month

When signing up for housing ask for the optional ROTC Living Learning Community if interested in rooming with other cadets in both Army and Air Force ROTC.

Air Force and Army ROTC Scholarships at NMSU

The SFC Antonio Rey “ROD” Rodriguez Memorial Endowed Scholarship was created to celebrate the life of SFC Antonio Rey “ROD” Rodriguez. SFC Rodriguez was an Army Ranger and Cryptologic linguist who was killed in action protecting his country during combat operations in Afghanistan. He earned a number of medals and commendations for his devotion to service, most notably the Bronze Star for heroic or meritorious service in a combat zone. This scholarship is available to one junior or senior level cadet enrolled in the Air Force or Army ROTC Programs who maintains a GPA of 3.25 and has served or is serving as an enlisted member of the US Armed Forces. For SFC Antonio Rey “ROD” Rodriguez’s full biography click here .

The Major Phillip E. Neale Jr. Scholarship was created to honor the life of NMSU and Det 505 Alum Phillip E. Neale Jr. He was born in El Paso, TX and attended both high school and college in Las Cruces New Mexico. After Graduating from the NMSU ROTC program with a degree in Agricultural Engineering, he commissioned into the United States Air Force as a jet qualified pilot. Major Neale was a qualified pilot on a number of different aircraft, served as a pilot instructor, and was considered an expert in test and experimental aircraft. His life was cut short during a test aircraft flight in Bretigny, France. The scholarship is available to any deserving Air Force ROTC cadet with a financial need based on character, and enrolled in AS200, AS300, or AS400 level courses.

Phillip E. Neale Jr.
Major, USAF
January 24, 1930 –
September 08, 1965

The Air Force ROTC Alumni Current Use Scholarship was created as a way for former NMSU cadets who graduated from the program to give back to the current generation of cadets. The scholarship is available to any cadet enrolled in the NMSU Air Force ROTC Program who is in good academic standing. Subsequent awarding of the scholarship can be provided to cadets who are members of the Arnold Air Society and Blue Knights.

The Colonel Elwood J. “Buck” Waid Endowed Scholarship was established to honor the life of former the NMSU Air Force ROTC Commander. The endowment was created by Tommy Crawford, a former ROTC cadet who became a major general in the Air Force. In 2008, Tommy and his wife, Judith, established the Colonel Elwood J. Buck Waid Scholarship in Buck’s honor to support Air Force ROTC students. The Scholarship is available to any NMSU Air Force ROTC Cadet who is a US citizen.

Colonel Elwood Waid and
Evelyn Waid

The Joseph S. Cordova Air Force ROTC Endowed Scholarship celebrates the legacy of Joseph S. Cordova (1930 to 2015). He began his 32 plus years of federal service as an Airman in the United States Air Force during the Korean War, before completing his career in a twenty-year leadership role as the Regional Director of the Veterans Administration in Albuquerque NM. Mr. Cordova’s charismatic presence served as a constant source of integrity, strength and guidance for family, friends and co-workers. This scholarship supports upper level students enrolled in the Air Force ROTC program, who maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 and demonstrate financial need.

The Colonel Lawrence J. and Trudi Hahn Pickett Memorial Air Force ROTC Current Use Scholarship was created to celebrate the life of the former NMSU ROTC Alum. Col Pickett was a decorated pilot flying in both World War II and the Korean War and helped pioneer transatlantic fueling and nuclear delivery. The scholarship is available to one male and one female Air Force ROTC cadet enrolled in AS 200 or 300 courses who rank in the top third amongst their peers based on a comprehensive “whole person” evaluation.

Colonel
Lawrence J. Pickett

The Lieutenant Colonel Max L. Piper Current Use Award was created in 2009 to support cadets in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Program. Lt Col Piper was a veteran of World War II, served in Iceland, Africa, and Germany, and retired from the Air Force after 28 distinguished years of service. The scholarship is available to any AFROTC cadet who is actively involved in community service with the AFROTC program and is ranked in the top 25% amongst their peers.

Established in 2016 by Gregory Fouratt and Larry Heydt, the Fouratt and Heydt American Leaders Endowed Scholarship was created to support students in the Army or Airforce ROTC programs at NMSU. Recipients of the award must be full time students of Junior or Senior level classification, they must be cadets in good standing of the NMSU Army ROTC or Air Force ROTC program, they must demonstrate financial need as determined by official FAFSA results, and have a cumulative GPA of 3.0. Preference will be given to students studying Government.