Eighty-four college campuses will see changes to their Army ROTC programs, ranging from total closure to merging with a program at a neighboring institution, the U.S. Army announced late last month. Program changes will take effect in summer 2026.
Ten host ROTC programs and nine extension campuses will lose their affiliation with Army ROTC, impacting 115 students, according to a spokesperson from the U.S. Army Cadet Command. While most will graduate in the next two years, 13 incoming first-year students and rising juniors will be given other options to continue their ROTC training.
The realignment was prompted by personnel changes under the Trump administration’s deferred resignation program, which shrank the Army’s civilian workforce by 12 percent, or about 168 positions.
“Throughout this process, Cadet Command has conducted a thorough assessment of each program’s previous production, their proximity to other programs, and higher education enrollment trends to provide an informed recommendation to Army Senior Leaders,” according to an Army statement to Inside Higher Ed. “Cadet Command is working closely with affected cadets and employees to provide support and ensure all impacted individuals have viable options moving forward.”
In addition to changes at the campus level, the Army inactivated the First Brigade headquarters at Fort Knox, which supports ROTC programs at 10 colleges including Texas A&M University–College Station, the Citadel, Virginia Military Institute, Georgia Military College and New Mexico Military Institute.
ROTC, short for the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, offers participating college students full-tuition scholarships at the partner institution, as well as monthly stipends for living and housing expenses. The colleges provide students with priority registration for courses. In return, students—called cadets—commit to serving in the Army for eight years either in active duty, the Army Reserve or Army National Guard. ROTC programs remain active at 900 colleges across the country.
Impacted first- and second-year cadets can choose to continue their training at a different institution or walk away from their contracts without financial obligation.
The University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh is among the institutions losing its ROTC program, which over the decades has supported 40 cadets, many of whom attended other colleges in the region, according to the university provost.
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, will close its military science department in the 2026–27 academic year, after commissioning over 1,400 officers during 70 years of operation. One Cal Poly cadet told the student newspaper he would transfer to continue his officer training.
The other host campuses losing ROTC programs are the University of Northern Iowa, Western Illinois University, Truman State University, Elizabeth City State University, Saint Augustine’s University, Clarkson University, John Carroll University and West Virginia State University. Dozens more will see their operations shifted to a larger campus.
Some colleges have already reported shrinking dollars for their cadets. Howard University’s professor of military science told the student paper, The Hilltop, this spring that the Army was limiting the number of scholarships available to students.
