ICSP Scholarships

Table of Contents

The In-College Scholarship Program (ICSP) is a program to give cadets that are already in AFROTC a scholarship. See the HSSP for options on AFROTC scholarships for high school students that have not yet entered college.

In 2022, AFROTC HQ issued a policy memo that they were going to allocate more scholarship resources into ICSP scholarships rather than HSSP scholarships. So unless the policy changes again, getting an ICSP scholarship should become much more likely (97% select rate in 2022)

Categories of ICSP Scholarships

Commander’s In-College Scholarship (CICS)

A scholarship that the commander can award to any eligible cadet with no selection or board process. In the past few years each detachment will usually get 1 – 3 of these scholarships per year. Some commanders may award them to their most deserving cadet, while others may choose to award them to a cadet that is eligible for a scholarship, but unlikely to receive one due to poor competitive factors.

EXPRESS Scholarship

These scholarships are driven by Department of the Air Force (DAF) recruiting needs, and are quite uncommon. When they are offered, it will usually only be for a certain time period, and may only be offered to cadets with certain majors, or that are willing to take certain jobs in the military. For instance, over the past 5 years or so, I’ve seen EXPRESS scholarships for Electrical Engineers (must agree to be an electrical engineer in the USSF or USAF), Meteorology (must agree to be a Weather Officer) and for anyone willing to become a Missileer (officer that launches nuclear weapons).

ICSP-FL

Must be pursuing approved and needed foreign language studies.

Historically Black College or University (HBCU)

For cadets attending an HBCU university. The cadet does not have to be minority in order to receive these scholarships, they just have to be attending an HBCU as defined by the Department of Education.

Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI)

For cadets attending an HSI university with an active Title V grant.

Nursing

For cadets pursuing a nursing degree accredited by the National League of Nursing or Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Must gain entry into a nursing program and work as a nurse in the USAF.

PxAS100/200

This is the catch-all ICSP scholarship board offered each semester. All eligible cadets will compete for a scholarship.

POC Scholarship

New in 2022, this scholarship will be awarded to every eligible cadet that has completed field training and will be entering the POC part of the program.

Types of AFROTC Scholarships

Type 1

Full tuition and fees with no cap, for any public or private university. These scholarships are quite rare, and usually only given to STEM majors.

Type 2

Up to $18,000 per year for tuition and fees for any public or private university. Cadets are responsible for any tuition over the scholarship amount.

Type 7

Full tuition and fees (capped at in-state tuition rate) for any public university. Can be converted to 3 years of the Type 2 amount for HSSP scholarships if attending a private university.

Eligibility

To be eligible for an ICSP scholarship, cadets must meet the following criteria (for the most recent info, check Table 4.4 of AFROTCI 36-2011 found on the resources page):

  • GPA of 2.5 or higher
  • At least 17 years of age, and no older than 30 as of 31 December of the commissioning year
  • Meet body mass index or body fat standards
  • Passing AFOQT Score
  • Must be a US Citizen
  • Must have a passing PFA score
  • Must have completed at least one term of full-time graded college-level work

To activate an ICSP scholarship, cadets must also meet:

  • Qualified DoDMERB physical
  • Must activate in the immediate term after selection
  • Must have tGPA and cGPA of 2.5 or higher
  • Must have an EA if the cadet has already competed for PSP
  • Body fat/Body Mass Index standards
  • US Citizen

How to apply

As long as all of the cadet’s information is up-to-date and correct in the WINGS personnel system, cadets should for the most part be automatically nominated for an ICSP scholarship by their cadre. I recommend asking your APAS about this scholarship and your eligibility during your one-on-one meeting with them during the semester, if not before.