AFCEA ROTC Scholarships

Scholarship Sponsored by Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association

Introduction
The AFCEA Educational Foundation awards ROTC scholarships of $2,500 to $3,000 to full‑time sophomore and junior students in Army, Navy (including the Marine Corps option), or Air Force ROTC who are pursuing STEM majors and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. Note: a single application is used to evaluate candidates for all AFCEA ROTC scholarship opportunities for which they qualify.

Available Scholarships
- General ROTC Scholarship: Awards of $2,500 are available to full‑time sophomores or juniors in Army, Navy, Marine Corps, or Air Force ROTC majoring in a STEM field with an overall GPA of at least 3.0.

- VADM Jon L. Boyes Memorial Scholarship: The Dr. Jon L. Boyes, VADM, USN (Ret.) $3,000 Memorial Scholarship honors Vice Admiral Boyes, who served as president of AFCEA International for ten years and founded the AFCEA Educational Foundation. One $3,000 scholarship is granted annually to a deserving Navy ROTC midshipman majoring in electrical engineering. Applicants must be full‑time second‑year (sophomore) or third‑year (junior) students at the time of application. This scholarship has been endowed in perpetuity by AFCEA International.

- Mort Marks and Joan Bowden Scholarships:
- AFCEA Joan Bowden $3,000 ROTC Scholarship: Created in 1987 by the Montgomery AFCEA Chapter Educational Foundation in memory of Joan Bowden (AFCEA Montgomery Chapter president, 1984–85), this $3,000 award is given each year to an Air Force option ROTC student attending a university within the AFCEA Mid‑South Region (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the northwest panhandle of Florida).
- AFCEA Mort Marks $3,000 ROTC Scholarship: Also established by the Montgomery AFCEA Chapter Educational Foundation in memory of Mort Marks, this $3,000 scholarship is presented annually to a Navy or Marine Corps option ROTC student enrolled at a university in the AFCEA Mid‑South Region (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the northwest panhandle of Florida).

Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must:
- Be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.
- Be enrolled full time at a college or university as a sophomore or junior (freshmen and seniors are not eligible).
- Be an active participant in an ROTC program.
- Be majoring in a STEM discipline that supports AFCEA’s mission (see list below).
- Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
- Demonstrate good moral character, academic achievement, financial need, and the potential to serve as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Armed Forces.
- Understand that awards depend on available funding and must be used for tuition and course‑related expenses (fees, books, supplies, and required equipment for the academic year).

Qualifying STEM Majors (examples)
aerospace engineering; astronomy; biometry/biometrics; computer engineering; computer forensics science; computer programming; computer science; computer systems; cybersecurity; electrical engineering; electronics engineering; geospatial science; industrial engineering; information science; information technology; information resource management; intelligence; mathematics; mechanical engineering; network engineering; network security; operations research; physics; robotics engineering; robotics technology; statistics; strategic intelligence; telecommunications engineering.

Application Materials and Submission Instructions
Required:
- Completed AFCEA ROTC Scholarship application (contains basic details and several short‑answer prompts).
- Current academic transcript (official copy from the Registrar or an unofficial transcript verified by the applicant’s ROTC unit).
- One letter of recommendation from a faculty member in the applicant’s major. Recommenders must submit their letter in PDF format via email to edfoundation@afcea.org.
- Letter of nomination from the ROTC unit professor of military science, professor of naval science, professor of aerospace studies, or the designated commanding officer. This nomination must be submitted by the reference in PDF form to edfoundation@afcea.org.

Optional:
- A third letter of recommendation or a résumé may be included.

Important notes:
- It is the applicant’s responsibility to coordinate with recommenders and the commanding officer to ensure required letters are submitted.
- If electronic submission is not feasible, official documents may be mailed to the AFCEA address below. All application materials and supporting documents must be received by the posted deadline.

Mailing address:
AFCEA Educational Foundation
4114 Legato Road, Suite 1000
Fairfax, VA 22033

For questions or to confirm electronic delivery, email edfoundation@afcea.org.