FAQ

Nope! Detachment 040 (LMU) has cadets from several schools in the southern California area, including Biola University, CSUDH, CSUF, CSULB, CSULA, Pepperdine, UCI, and several junior colleges. For a complete list of Det 040 cross-town schools, refer to the crosstown menu on the top of the page.

The AFROTC program is designed to be completed in four years.  Therefore, the simplest and most straightforward path through the program is to start AFROTC when you start your freshman year of college and to complete both the AFROTC requirements and your undergraduate degree together four years later.  HOWEVER - variations on this path are possible.  The most important information that we'll need to know is when you anticipate finishing the requirements for your undergraduate degree.  Typically, if you have at least 2.5 years (5 semesters) remaining before you graduate, there's still time to do AFROTC.  If you're unsure, please give us a call.  The Det 040 cadre would be happy to speak with you about your specific situation!

Joining AFROTC is simple! To be eligible, you must be enrolled as a full-time student (12 credit hours) at LMU or one of our cross-town campuses. To join, you must provide proof of your full-time student status and you must follow the steps on our website here. You can also make an appointment to come visit the detachment and meet personally with the Recruiting Flight Commander. If you would like to make an appointment to visit the detachment, you can use this link.

Detachment 040 generally follows the Loyola Marymount academic calendar, which can be found on the registrar's page. All of our training sessions take place on Tuesdays. Students attend AFROTC academic class(es), Leadership Laboratory, and a physical fitness session immediately after. Activities usually run from ~2:00 pm until ~7:30 pm. Students should build time into their schedules (to include transit time to campus) to ensure they can be on campus for their Aerospace Studies classes through the completion of Leadership Laboratory.

Nothing! As a member of LMU’s Detachment 040, AFROTC academic classes, textbooks, and uniforms are free. We do not provide cadets with transportation to the LMU campus; however, most students carpool with other AFROTC cadets from their area.

AFROTC cadets participate in a two-week training program in Alabama and/or Mississippi during the summer between their sophomore and junior years in AFROTC. “Field Training” is the AFROTC equivalent of boot camp. While you are at Field Training, you will receive career orientation, survival training, weapons familiarization, physical training, and familiarization with the organization and function of an Air Force base. Cadets spend their first two years in the AFROTC program learning the skills to be successful at Field Training.

No, not to join AFROTC. You will sign a contract at some point during your AFROTC career, which will obligate you to spend four years as an active duty Air Force officer. If you are a high school scholarship winner, you will have the first year of AFROTC to try it out and decide if it’s something that you want to continue to do. You can leave the AFROTC program (and end your scholarship benefits) any time during the first year of the program. If you leave before the start of your second year, you will not owe the Air Force anything. If you are not a high school scholarship winner, you have the first two years of your AFROTC career to decide if the Air Force is a path you’d like to pursue for a career. If, during your first two years in the program, you decide not to continue with AFROTC you can leave with no obligation to the Air Force. However, once you return from Field Training and begin your third year in the program, you will sign a contract that obligates you to spend four years as an active duty Air Force officer. If you receive an in-college scholarship, you will sign a contract that obligates you to a four year active duty commitment when you accept the scholarship.

For the most up to date information about the AFROTC scholarship program, click here.  If you have specific questions about the scholarship program, please contact the LMU AFROTC Recruiting Flight Commander (RFC). You can reach the RFC either by phone at 310-338-2770 or by email at det040@lmu.edu.

To become a fully qualified cadet, you must take and pass a DoDMERB (Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board) physical.  This exam will be provided to you at no cost within your first few weeks of participating in AFROTC.  All medical qualification decisions are made by a team of medical professionals on a case-by-case basis.  Students who are concerned about something in their medical history are encouraged to discuss the issue with the AFROTC detachment staff; however, we do not have the expertise or authority to make final judgments about your qualifications for the program.