((a)) The Secretary of the military department concerned may appoint as a cadet or midshipman, as appropriate, in the reserve of an armed force under his jurisdiction any eligible member of the program who will be under 31 years of age on December 31 of the calendar year in which he is eligible under this section for appointment as an ensign in the Navy or as a second lieutenant in the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force.

((b)) To be eligible for appointment as a cadet or midshipman under this section a member must—

((1)) be a citizen or national of the United States;

((2)) be specially selected for the financial assistance program under procedures prescribed by the Secretary of the military department concerned;

((3)) enlist in the reserve component of an armed force for the period prescribed by the Secretary of the military department concerned;

((4)) contract, with the consent of his parent or guardian if he is a minor, with the Secretary of the military department concerned, or his designated representative, to serve for the period required by the program; and

((5)) agree in writing that, at the discretion of the Secretary of the military department concerned, he will—

((A))

((i)) accept an appointment, if offered, as a commissioned officer in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force, as the case may be, and that, if he is commissioned as a regular officer and his regular commission is terminated before the sixth anniversary of his date of rank, he will accept an appointment, if offered, in the reserve component of an armed force and not resign before that anniversary or before such other date, not beyond the eighth anniversary of the midshipman’s date of rank, that the Secretary of Defense may prescribe; and

((ii)) serve on active duty for four or more years;

((B))

((i)) accept an appointment, if offered, as a commissioned officer in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force, as the case may be; and

((ii)) serve in a reserve component of an armed force until the eighth anniversary of the receipt of such appointment, unless otherwise extended by subsection (d) of , under such terms and conditions as shall be prescribed by the Secretary of the military department concerned; or

((C))

((i)) accept an appointment, if offered, as a commissioned officer in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force, as the case may be; and

((ii)) serve in a reserve component of an armed force until at least the sixth anniversary and, at the discretion of the Secretary of Defense, up to the eighth anniversary of the receipt of such appointment, unless such appointment is otherwise extended by subsection (d) of , under such terms and conditions as may be prescribed by the Secretary of the military department concerned.

((c))

((1)) The Secretary of the military department concerned may provide for the payment of all expenses in his department of administering the financial assistance program under this section, including tuition, fees, books, and laboratory expenses. In the case of a student enrolled in an academic program which has been approved by the Secretary of the military department concerned and which requires more than four academic years for completion of baccalaureate degree requirements, including elective requirements of the Senior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps course, financial assistance under this section may also be provided during a fifth academic year or during a combination of a part of a fifth academic year and summer sessions.

((2)) The Secretary of the military department concerned may provide financial assistance, as described in paragraph (1), to a student enrolled in an advanced education program beyond the baccalaureate degree level if the student also is a cadet or midshipman in an advanced training program. Not more than 15 percent of the total number of scholarships awarded under this section in any year may be awarded under this paragraph.

((3)) In the case of a cadet or midshipman eligible to receive financial assistance under paragraph (1) or (2), the Secretary of the military department concerned may, in lieu of all or part of the financial assistance described in paragraph (1), provide financial assistance in the form of room and board expenses for the cadet or midshipman and other expenses required by the educational institution.

([(4)) Repealed. , , .]

((5))

((A)) The Secretary of the Army, under regulations and criteria established by the Secretary, may provide an individual who received a commission as a Reserve officer in the Army from a military junior college through a program under this chapter and who does not have a baccalaureate degree with financial assistance for pursuit of a baccalaureate degree.

((B)) Such assistance is in addition to any financial assistance provided under paragraph (1) or (3).

((C)) The agreement and reimbursement requirements established in are applicable to financial assistance under this paragraph.

((D)) An officer receiving financial assistance under this paragraph shall be attached to a unit of the Army as determined by the Secretary and shall be considered to be a member of the Senior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps on inactive duty for training, as defined in .

((E)) A qualified officer who did not previously receive financial assistance under this section is eligible to receive educational assistance under this paragraph.

((F)) A Reserve officer may not be called or ordered to active duty for a deployment while participating in the program under this paragraph.

((G)) Any service obligation incurred by an officer under an agreement entered into under this paragraph shall be in addition to any service obligation incurred by that officer under any other provision of law or agreement.

((d)) Upon satisfactorily completing the academic and military requirements of the four-year program, a cadet or midshipman may be appointed as a regular or reserve officer in the appropriate armed force in the grade of second lieutenant or ensign, even though he is under 21 years of age.

((e)) The date of rank of officers appointed under this section in May or June of any year is the date of graduation of cadets or midshipmen from the United States Military Academy, the United States Naval Academy, or the United States Air Force Academy, as the case may be in that year. The Secretary of the military department concerned shall establish the date of rank of all other officers appointed under this section.

((f)) A cadet or midshipman who does not complete the four-year course of instruction, or who completes the course but declines to accept a commission when offered, may be ordered to active duty by the Secretary of the military department concerned to serve in his enlisted grade or rating for such period of time as the Secretary prescribes but not for more than four years.

((g)) In computing length of service for any purpose, an officer appointed under this section may not be credited with service either as a cadet or midshipman or concurrent enlisted service, other than concurrent enlisted service performed on or after , as a member of the Selected Reserve.

((h))

((1)) The Secretary of Defense shall determine the number of cadets and midshipmen appointed under this section who may be in the financial assistance programs at any one time in each military department.

((2)) Of the total number of cadets appointed in the financial assistance programs under this section in any year, not less than 100 shall be designated for placement in the program of the Army for service upon commissioning in the Army National Guard, of which one-half shall be for financial assistance awarded for a period of two years and the remainder shall be for financial assistance awarded for a period of four years. A cadet designated under this paragraph who, having initially contracted for service as provided in subsection (b)(5)(A) and having received financial assistance for two years under an award providing for four years of financial assistance under this section, modifies such contract with the consent of the Secretary of the Army to provide for service as described in subsection (b)(5)(B), may be counted, for the year in which the contract is modified, toward the number of appointments required under the preceding sentence for financial assistance awarded for a period of four years. A cadet who receives financial assistance under this paragraph and is commissioned in the Army National Guard shall perform service as provided in subsection (b)(5)(B) and may not be accepted for service on full-time active duty pursuant to the member’s voluntary application until the completion of the period of service prescribed in that subsection. The Secretary of the Army shall prescribe regulations to ensure a geographical distribution of the cadets who receive financial assistance under this paragraph.

((i)) The Secretary of each military department shall seek to achieve an increase in the number of agreements entered into under this section so as to achieve an increase, by the 2006–2007 academic year, of not less than 400 in the number of cadets or midshipmen, as the case may be, enrolled under this section, compared to such number enrolled for the 2002–2003 academic year. In the case of the Secretary of the Navy, the Secretary shall seek to ensure that not less than one-third of such increase in agreements under this section are with students enrolled (or seeking to enroll) in programs of study leading to a baccalaureate degree in nuclear engineering or another appropriate technical, scientific, or engineering field of study.

((j))

((1)) Payment of financial assistance under this section for, and payment of a monthly subsistence allowance under to, a cadet or midshipman appointed under this section may be suspended on the basis of health-related incapacity of the cadet or midshipman only in accordance with regulations prescribed under paragraph (2).

((2)) The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe in regulations the policies and procedures for suspending payments under paragraph (1). The regulations shall apply uniformly to all of the military departments. The regulations shall include the following matters:

((A)) The standards of health-related fitness that are to be applied.

((B)) Requirements for—

((i)) the health-related condition and prognosis of a cadet or midshipman to be determined, in relation to the applicable standards prescribed under subparagraph (A), by a health care professional on the basis of a medical examination of the cadet or midshipman; and

((ii)) the Secretary concerned to take into consideration the determinations made under clause (i) with respect to such condition in deciding whether to suspend payment in the case of such cadet or midshipman on the basis of that condition.

((C)) A requirement for the Secretary concerned to transmit to a cadet or midshipman proposed for suspension under this subsection a notification of the proposed suspension together with the determinations made under subparagraph (B)(i) in the case of the proposed suspension.

((D)) A procedure for a cadet or midshipman proposed for suspension under this subsection to submit a written response to the proposal for suspension, including any supporting information.

((E)) Requirements for—

((i)) one or more health-care professionals to review, in the case of such a response of a cadet or midshipman, each health-related condition and prognosis addressed in the response, taking into consideration the matters submitted in such response; and

((ii)) the Secretary concerned to take into consideration the determinations made under clause (i) with respect to such condition in making a final decision regarding whether to suspend payment in the case of such cadet or midshipman on the basis of that condition, and the conditions under which such suspension may be lifted.

((k))

((1)) Provisions of this section referring to a regular commission, regular officer, or a commission in a regular component shall be treated as also referring to the commission of an officer, or an officer, who is a commissioned officer in the Space Force serving on active duty pursuant to .

((2)) Provisions of this section referring to a reserve commission, reserve officer, or a commission in a reserve component shall be treated as also referring to the commission of an officer, or an officer, who is a commissioned officer in the Space Force not serving on active duty pursuant to .