4 Military Boarding Schools in Pennsylvania

This post provides concrete information on the military boarding schools in Pennsylvania. High school and college students who want to attend a military academy in the US will find the details provided here entirely useful.

Pennsylvania has excellent military academies for students in high school and college who want a military-style education. The benefit of education like this is that you get more value for your money compared to a typical high school. The students are equipped with various skills that will help them in any careers they want to pursue and in life generally.

A student of a military high school is instilled with certain qualities such as self-discipline, self-respect, leadership, and other qualities that will make them successful in their careers and become law-abiding citizens. Aside from these, students are also equipped with job-ready skills and survival skills which they can use to help or assist their community.

Military high schools take the academic performance of a student very seriously, in fact, this comes first before any military training, drills, and other extracurricular activities. Although, the others follow as part of the complete development of every student.

Furthermore, students are groomed for college opportunities and the acceptance rate of colleges accepting graduates of military high schools is between 90-100%. Finally, the students aren’t obligated to join the military service when they graduate from a military academy. These and more are reasons to consider enrolling your child in a military high school.

Military education at the college level is different, although they also instill in students leadership, discipline, and all other qualities, you get to pursue an academic program of your choosing while training in the military. Not all colleges in Pennsylvania offer this military training program, commonly known as ROTC, the few that offer the program have been duly discussed here.

Whether you want to enroll in a military high school or college there are certain requirements that applicants must meet to get accepted. A list of the general requirements has been drafted below to help in facilitating your admission at one of the military boarding schools in Pennsylvania.

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Admission Requirements Into Military Boarding Schools in Pennsylvania

  1. You must have applied for admission at the college in an academic degree program of your choosing.
  2. Applicants must have received a letter of admission into the college to be eligible to apply for the ROTC program.
  3. Applicants must be within the required age range that the military academy or program accepts. The typical age is between 17 years old to 24 years old.
  4. Must be a resident of Pennsylvania and a citizen of the United States or a permanent resident
  5. Applicant should be free of felony charges and no pending court proceedings
  6. Physical and mental capability to participate in the program
  7. Should be free from the use of illegal drugs or other substances
  8. Complete then submit all supporting documents such as application form, transcripts from other schools attended, recommendation and reference letters, etc. as required by your preferred school.
  9. Pay the application fee, if required

How Much Does Military School Cost in Pennsylvania?

Typically, public chartered military schools cost zero fees to attend while the private ones can be costly to attend ranging from $25,000 to $50,000 per year. This also applies to the military academies in Pennsylvania.

At the college level, that is when you are in college and enroll in an ROTC program, you can study for free (scholarship) or get reduced tuition. But in this case, you will become enlisted into the military immediately after your graduation.

Must I Become A Soldier If I Attend A Military Boarding School in Pennsylvania?

When you graduate from a military boarding school in Pennsylvania, which is typically high school, you can go on to pursue any career interest you are interested including applying for college. You mustn’t become a soldier because you graduated from a military boarding school.

Also at the college level, completing the ROTC program doesn’t make you obligated to enlist for military service. You can choose to enlist or with your degree and other skills you gained through the program, channel it towards a career you’ve always been interested in.

What Is The Age Requirement For Military School In Pennsylvania?

The age requirement for military boarding schools in Pennsylvania varies from school to school. While some schools only accept students from grades 7 through 12, others start accepting from grades 7 and 8. So, it depends on the school.

However, for the ROTC program offered at college-level then students must be at least 17 years old to join.

Military Boarding Schools in Pennsylvania

Here, we have listed and carefully discussed the military boarding schools in Pennsylvania, their unique requirements, tuition, and the age requirements of students accepted. It covers both high school and college-level students.

The military academies in Pennsylvania are:

  • Valley Forge Military Academy and College (VFMAC)
  • Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania AROTC
  • The University of Scranton ROTC
  • Slippery Rock University ROTC

1.      Valley Forge Military Academy and College (VFMAC)

On the first list of military boarding schools in Pennsylvania is the Valley Forge Military Academy and College established in 1928 and located in Wayne, Pennsylvania. The academy is a military junior college, privately-owned, college prep, and boarding all rolled into one for students in grades 7-12.

VFMAC is the only private military junior college in the US and all of its students are members of the Corps of Cadets. The military academy is divided into a high school and a junior college. The high school division trains, develop, and prepare students for college while the college part offers academic programs that lead to an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, or an Associate in Business Administration.

International students are accepted at both high school and college. In the high school division, you can either choose to be a day or boarding student and the fees are different. High school boarding students pay $37,975 per year while day students pay $22,975 per year.

At the college level, all students must be boarders and this also includes international students. The tuition fee for domestic students is $47,975 per year and for international students, the tuition fee is $53,122 per year.

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2.      Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania AROTC

AROTC stands for Army Reserve Training Officer Corps, it is a military program common in universities and colleges in the United States for college students who want to get additional experience and skills other than the typical one offered to them by colleges. When students who participate in this program graduate they can either enlist for the US Army or apply their newly found skills in some other career.

Now, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania offers this AROTC program to college students allowing them to earn an academic degree and still gain military skills such as leadership, character, self-discipline, and self-confidence. The university is a public one established in 1871 and offers a wide range of academic programs leading to bachelor, master’s, and doctoral degrees.

To participate in the AROTC program at Shippensburg University you must have applied for admission into the school to pursue a major and gotten accepted. You can pursue whatever major you want and still participate in the program. To take the first two years of the program, there are no requirements but cadets must complete a course in military history. And if you continue into the third year you will attend a summer camp and participate in advanced military training such as Airborne School or Air Assault School.

When you complete the program you will be commissioned into one of the 17 fields in the United States Army. You can decide to serve on active duty, Army Reserve, or Army National Guard. Scholarships are available to all eligible students.

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3.      The University of Scranton ROTC

The University of Scranton is a prestigious, private Jesuit university established in 1888 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The university has three colleges that offer a wide range of innovative academic programs at the bachelor, master’s, and doctoral levels.

The university has a Military Science Department that offers an ROTC program to college students in any academic field and degree level. The Royal Warrior Battalion Army Reserve Training Corp provides cadets with the character-building aspects of a diverse, self-discipline, Jesuit education with tough, leadership development training.

You can join the program if you are interested in enlisting into the US Army or developing your leadership potential. Those who join to serve in the US Army are commissioned as second lieutenant when they graduate while those who do not will go on to pursue successful careers in leadership positions. Joining the program earns you a scholarship.

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4.      Slippery Rock University ROTC

On our final list of military boarding schools in Pennsylvania is the Slippery Rock University ROTC. It is a public university in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania established in 1889 to serve the academic needs of Pennsylvania residents, other US citizens, and international students.

SRU offers an ROTC program through its Department of Military Science which instills leadership qualities in cadets and prepares them for service as officers in the US Army. Upon graduation, you can serve as a commissioned officer on active duty, army reserve, or the National Guard unit. Eligible cadets receive scholarships that cover their tuition and give them monthly tuition.

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These are the military boarding schools in Pennsylvania with each of their details discussed and links to each of their websites provided to allow you to do more research on the schools if you like or contact the admissions officer or start your application.

Remember that you first need to apply for admission into the university to be eligible to join the ROTC program. Meet the admissions requirements and start your application early.

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