Seven ISU Army ROTC scholarships for next fall are up for grabs, but program officials are having trouble finding students who want them.

Each year, Army ROTC awards 14 merit-based scholarships. Right now, the program has only given out half that number.

The scholarships cover full tuition and fees, including textbooks.

If the department cannot find applicants, it will lose those scholarships.

“This year, we’ve had difficulty awarding all of our scholarships,” said Lt. Col. Thomas W. Johnson, professor of military science. “Although we’ve had several applicants, there are still seven two-year scholarships available.”

Maj. Leif Gunhus, enrollment officer for ISU Army ROTC, said Iowa residents can receive ROTC scholarship awards up to $8,000 per year. Non-residents can receive up to $12,000 per year.

Johnson said the problem may lie in that students are not aware of the scholarships available through the ROTC program.

“It’s hard to reach everyone on a big campus,” Gunhus said.

Another possible reason for the lack of candidates is that some students do not fit the criteria — for example, their GPA may not be high enough.

Gunhus also said a relatively low tuition price at Iowa State makes scholarships less attractive to students.

A strong economy and the changing demographics of today’s young people also seem to contribute to the apparent lack of interest in ROTC and the military in general, Gunhus said.

“There is a lack of commitment in today’s youth,” he said.

Basic requirements students must meet to be considered for the scholarships include a 2.5 GPA, U.S. citizenship, good moral character, medical and physical qualifications as well as being younger than 27 years of age at the time of graduation.

Deadline for the application is June 1. Students must have at least four semesters remaining in their degree program upon acceptance into ROTC.

For more information, contact Gunhus at [email protected] or call 294-0308.