Cadet Life FAQs
The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) is a commissioning program designed to give college students the opportunity to train to become Air Force or Space Force officers while completing their undergraduate degree. The AFROTC program is designed to prepare men and women to assume positions of increasing responsibility and importance in the Air and Space Forces. Air Force ROTC is a four or five-year program that can be condensed to three years, if necessary. Students are allowed to "try out" AFROTC for up to two years without incurring any military obligation (Exception: scholarship students fall under different rules). All cadets that are contracted with the Air Force and obligated to serve active duty following graduation and commissioning. For further information please visit www.afrotc.com.
In order to enroll in AFROTC classes with Det 005, you must either be a full-time student at Auburn University or Southern Union State Community College (SUSCC). Since SUSCC is only a two-year college, you must transfer to Auburn University after your first two years of AFROTC in order to complete the program with Detachment 005.
Application for AFROTC at Auburn University begins with enrollment into your first classes, AIRF 1010/1011. All freshmen will enroll in these classes, but sophomore and transfer students will need to speak with the Recruiting Officer to plan out the remainder of their academic plan for graduation and commissioning. Contact the detachment to make an appointment – afrotc.recruiter@auburn.edu.
Please refer to the Class Sign-Up Guide for further information.
The program requires a minimum of six semesters for a student to commission. You will have to sit down with the Recruiting Flight Commander to see how many credit hours you have left in your undergraduate degree. As long as you have six semesters worth of credit hours left in your degree program, you can join the program as an AS250 student and take your AS100 and AS200 classes at the same time. Cadets with prior service experience can have some requirements waived; please contact the Recruiting Officer for further information.
The same rules apply to transfer students, as do rules for Auburn students not previously enrolled in AFROTC. We need a minimum of six semesters to get students all the way through the AFROTC curriculum. For specific questions, contact the Recruiting Officer – afrotc.recruiter@auburn.edu.
The only time anyone in the program incurs a commitment to the Air Force is if they have signed a contract with the Air Force. Contracts are only signed to accept an AFROTC scholarship or for a student to join the POC following Field Training. All other students can walk away from the program at any time without incurring a financial or military obligation.
Leadership Lab is a cadet-run program taken each semester of cadet participation in AFROTC. POC, or upper class, cadets plan, manage, and execute LLAB activities each week. LLAB is a two-hour course that you will register for each semester with Auburn University. It is a pass/fail course with the university and requires successful completion in order to move forward in the AFROTC program. In short, LLAB is the hands-on version of what you learn about in your Air Force class.
Field Training is AFROTC's version of "boot camp" with a heavy leadership component. Students will be put under stress, have their military discipline tested, and challenge their emerging leadership abilities. Field Training varies in duration but is typically between 2-4 weeks long and takes place between a student's second and third year in the program. Not every student will attend Field Training; students must compete against cadets from around the country who also want to attend Field Training. For those selected to attend, your transportation to and from the encampment (at Maxwell AFB, AL) will be paid for.
Det 005 boasts a 91.5% selection rate for Field Training over the past 3 years. Our cadets are well prepared for the challenges they face at Field Training and stand out among their peers.
To qualify for the General Military Course (your first two years in AFROTC), you must:
- Be a full-time student at Auburn University or SUSCC (12 semester credit hours, minimum)
- Be a United States citizen (to contract with the Air Force)
- Meet Air Force ROTC height/weight standards
- Have good moral character
- Be at least 14 years old (17 to contract with the Air Force) but not older than 30 years old by the time you commission
For more information please visit www.afrotc.com/what-it-takes/.
You must maintain these standards while in Air Force ROTC:
- Be enrolled as a full-time student
- Be in good academic standing with the college and Air Force ROTC
- Make satisfactory progress toward degree requirements to graduate when contracted and in the major you selected to enter the POC (changes must be approved)
- Attend Aerospace Studies (AS) classes and Leadership Lab
- Wear your uniform to Leadership Laboratory and to AFROTC classes as directed by your AFROTC instructor
- Meet the same dress and appearance standards as active duty personnel, including haircuts
- Remain physically qualified, and maintain required physical fitness and weight standards
- Comply with the Air Force drug abuse policy
- Enlist in the Obligated Reserve Section of the Air Force Reserve
After graduating from college and completing all Air Force ROTC requirements, you'll be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Force or Space Force. Non-rated officers serve 4 years on active duty, navigators serve 6 years after training, and pilots serve 10 years after training.
Yes! Your GPA is one of the most important metrics you are rated by. Your GPA is used in nearly every aspect of AFROTC including field training acceptance, cadet wing jobs, and career job boards. Having a high GPA is important throughout your college career.
At Det 005, we have cadets from nearly every college at Auburn that can help you choose the best professors, classes, and academic help.
Yes, absolutely! Most students who enter the program do so without a scholarship. We will work hard to qualify you for potential in-college scholarships, if you so desire.
You will compete in a selection process that rank orders you amongst all the cadets seeking Air Force jobs in your graduation year. The factors to be used will include your AFOQT scores, your GPA, your academic major, your Physical Fitness Assessment score and the Detachment Commander's rating. You will also be asked to rank order your desired career fields in the Air Force, and YES, they do look at your preferences. You will know your specific Air Force job category approximately one year before you are commissioned.
The Air Force is in the business of flying, but not everyone in the Air Force flies planes. Besides pilots and navigators, there are missile launch officers, airfield management, cyber-operations officers, nursing, technical and non-technical career fields. Nearly every career area found in the civilian economy is also found in the Air Force. Additionally, a limited but growing number of opportunities are to be found in the Space Force. To get a better idea of how many jobs are available to you, see the official websties at www.airforce.com/careers and www.spaceforce.com/careers.
All required uniforms are free of charge and will be issued to students while they are in the GMC portion of the course.
You're required to wear your uniform on the day you have Leadership Lab as well as during your weekly ROTC class period. There are also certain military social events (Military Ball, Dining Out, etc.) that require uniform wear.
Your weekly requirements with AFROTC will amount to 5-6 hours of time at the Detachment. You can put as little or as much time into Air Force ROTC as you want beyond that, as long as you satisfy all academic, Leadership Laboratory, and physical fitness requirements. The ROTC staff knows your studies are critical for your success in college, your success in the ROTC program, and your success in the future.
The Air Force is education-oriented and financially supports graduate studies. You can apply for the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) to earn an advanced degree on full scholarship. Additionally, most bases have graduate college programs, and you may apply for the tuition assistance program.
The PFA is taken every fall and spring term while a cadet is enrolled in Air Force ROTC. All cadets must pass a physical fitness assessment before the end of each semester with a minimum composite score of 75 in order to remain eligible to participate in the program. In order to be issued all uniforms other than the Physical Training Uniform and Detachment 005 polo shirt, freshman and late joining sophomores must pass the PFA when it is offered in the semester.
The PFA is composed of a Body Mass Index evaluation and three events in the following order:
- 1 minute: Push-ups
- 1 minute: Sit-Ups
- 1.5-mile run
All events must be completed. There is a rest period between each event.
No! As a cadet, your first priority is to be a student first. Being in an AFROTC program replaces your requirement to go to Officer Training School (OTS), the officer version of boot camp. Your GPA heavily matters when applying for selection boards including Field Training and job opportunities. Upon commissioning you will enter active duty.
Yes. Hair must be kept in accordance with Air Force guidlines, AFI 36-2903 concerning grooming standards when in uniform.
Yes! We encourage cadets to be involved and well rounded through the many clubs and organizations available on campus. Some organizations our cadets are a part of include greek life, athletics, the Ethical Hacking Club, and the War Eagle Flying Team.
Yes, but you must complete a minimum of six full time academic semesters in our program.
Cadets are encouraged to choose a major they are interested in. We only care about cadets maintaining a high GPA.
Cadets on scholarship (all juniors and seniors) receive an increasing monthly living expense stipend ranging from $300/month to $500/month.
We'd love to answer all the questions you have about AFROTC! Please contact the Recruiting Officer at afrotc.recruiter@auburn.edu for any further questions or if you would like to schedule a visit.
No. The university does not provide cadet-specific housing. For more information on housing refer to Auburn University Housing.
Scholarship FAQs
The Recruiting Officer will receive your contact information from Headquarters once you declare that you are attending Auburn University and you accept your scholarship. From there, register for the soonest Camp War Eagle (CWE) session you can to get first dibs on class registration! While you are at Camp War Eagle, it is a great time to stop by the Detachment to meet the Recruiting Officer, take a tour, and get additional questions answered.
Registered students will be invited to attend Det 005's Cadet Orientation Day which will take place just prior to the start of school. It is highly encouraged that all cadets attend if available. Cadet Orientation Day usually takes up about half the day where you will learn some basics of AFROTC, meet your cadet leadership team, and have a chance to interact with your new detachment family.
As a scholarship cadet, your monthly stipend starts when you contract with the Air Force. This stipend amount varies depending on your academic year. In addition, cadets on scholarship receive about $900 per academic year for textbooks. You'll need to have an active bank account in order for the Air Force to directly deposit both of these allowances in your account.
No, the scholarship does not pay your room and board.
First, don't panic! Quite often it takes time for all the paperwork to catch up and you may receive a bill showing you owe money. Simply bring it into the Air Force detachment and we will take care of it.
Yes, but it's difficult and should be attempted only after a lot of thought and with a valid reason. The Air Force offers scholarships only in specific majors.
