US Code

Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

10 U.S.C. § 2107a

Financial assistance program for specially selected members: Army Reserve and Army National Guard

(a)
(1)
The Secretary of the Army may appoint as a cadet in the Army Reserve or Army National Guard of the United States any eligible member of the program who is enrolled in the Advanced Course of the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at a military college, military junior college, or civilian institution and 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 a second lieutenant in the Army Reserve or Army National Guard.
(2)
To be considered a military college or military junior college for the purposes of this section, a school must be a civilian postsecondary educational institution essentially military in nature and meet such other requirements as the Secretary of the Army may prescribe. For purposes of this section, a military junior college does not confer a baccalaureate degree.
(b)
(1)
To be eligible for appointment as a cadet under this section, a member of the program must—
(A)
be a citizen or national of the United States;
(B)
be specially selected for the financial assistance program under this section under procedures prescribed by the Secretary of the Army;
(C)
enlist in a reserve component of the Army for the period prescribed by the Secretary of the Army;
(D)
contract, with the consent of his parent or guardian if he is a minor, with the Secretary of the Army to serve for the period required by the program;
(E)
agree in writing that he will accept an appointment, if offered, as a commissioned officer in the Army Reserve or the Army National Guard of the United States; and
(F)
agree in writing that he will serve in a troop program unit of the Army Reserve or Army National Guard for not less than eight years.
(2)
Performance of duty under an agreement under this subsection shall be under such terms and conditions as the Secretary of the Army may prescribe and may include periods of active duty, active duty for training, and other service in an active or inactive status in the reserve component in which appointed.
(3)
(A)
Subject to subparagraph (C), in the case of a person described in subparagraph (B), the Secretary may, at any time and with the consent of the person, modify an agreement described in paragraph (1)(F) submitted by the person for the purpose of reducing or eliminating the troop program unit service obligation specified in the agreement and to establish, in lieu of that obligation, an active duty service obligation.
(B)
Subparagraph (A) applies with respect to the following persons:
(i)
A cadet under this section at a military junior college.
(ii)
section 2114 of this title A cadet or former cadet under this section who is selected under to be a medical student at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
(iii)
section 2122 of this title A cadet or former cadet under this section who signs an agreement under for participation in the Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship and Financial Assistance program.
(C)
The modification of an agreement described in paragraph (1)(F) may be made only if the Secretary determines that it is in the best interests of the United States to do so.
(c)
(1)
The Secretary of the Army shall provide for the payment of all expenses of the Department of the Army in administering the financial assistance program under this section, including the cost of tuition, fees, books, and laboratory expenses which are incurred by members of the program appointed as cadets under this section while such members are students at a military junior college.
(2)
In the case of a cadet eligible to receive financial assistance under paragraph (1), 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 such cadet and other expenses required by the educational institution.
[(3)
Pub. L. 109–163, div. A, title V, § 531(b)119 Stat. 3247 Repealed. , , .]
(4)
(A)
The Secretary of the Army 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 provided under paragraph (1) or (2).
(C)
section 2005 of this title The agreement and reimbursement requirements established in are applicable to financial assistance under this paragraph.
(D)
section 101(23) of title 38 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 program, a cadet may be appointed as a reserve officer in the Army in the grade of second lieutenant, 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 from the United States Military Academy in that year. The Secretary of the Army shall establish the date of rank of all other officers appointed under this section.
(f)
A cadet who does not complete the course of instruction, or who completes the course but declines to accept a commission when offered, or who does not complete a baccalaureate degree within five years after appointment as a cadet under this section, may be ordered to active duty by the Secretary of the Army to serve in his enlisted grade 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 as a cadet or with concurrent enlisted service, other than enlisted service performed after , as a member of the Selected Reserve.
(h)
The Secretary of the Army shall appoint each year under this section not less than 22 cadets at each military junior college at which there are not less than 22 members of the program eligible under subsection (b) for such an appointment. At any military junior college at which in any year there are fewer than 22 such members, the Secretary shall appoint each such member as a cadet under this section.
(i)
section 2107 of this title Cadets appointed under this section are in addition to the number appointed under .
(j)
Financial assistance provided under this section to a cadet appointed at a military junior college is designated as, and shall be known as, an “Ike Skelton Early Commissioning Program Scholarship”.

Pub. L. 96–357, § 1(c)(1)94 Stat. 1179Pub. L. 102–190, div. A, title V, § 522(a)105 Stat. 1362Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title V110 Stat. 2512Pub. L. 105–85, div. A, title X, § 1073(a)(36)111 Stat. 1902Pub. L. 107–107, div. A, title V115 Stat. 1106Pub. L. 108–136, div. A, title V117 Stat. 1463Pub. L. 108–375, div. A, title V, § 524(b)118 Stat. 1889Pub. L. 109–163, div. A, title V119 Stat. 3247–3249Pub. L. 109–364, div. A, title V, § 535120 Stat. 2207Pub. L. 110–181, div. A, title V122 Stat. 102Pub. L. 111–84, div. A, title V, § 522123 Stat. 2285(Added , , ; amended , (b)(1), , ; , §§ 507(a)(3), 555(a), , , 2527; , , ; , §§ 534(b), 536(a), (c), , , 1107; , §§ 521(b), 522, , ; , , ; , §§ 531(b), 532, 534(b), 536, , ; , , ; , §§ 522, 523, , , 103; , , .)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Pub. L. 111–842009—Subsec. (h). substituted “22 cadets” for “17 cadets”, “22 members” for “17 members”, and “22 such members” for “17 such members”.

Pub. L. 110–181, § 522section 2122 of this title2008—Subsec. (b)(3). , amended par. (3) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (3) read as follows: “In the case of a cadet under this section at a military junior college, or a cadet or former cadet under this section who signs an agreement under , the Secretary may, at any time and with the consent of the cadet, or former cadet, concerned, modify an agreement described in paragraph (1)(F) submitted by the cadet, or former cadet, to reduce or eliminate the troop program unit service obligation specified in the agreement and to establish, in lieu of that obligation, an active duty service obligation. Such a modification may be made only if the Secretary determines that it is in the best interests of the United States to do so.”

Pub. L. 110–181, § 523Subsec. (h). , substituted “each year under this section” for “not more than 416 cadets each year under this section, to include”.

Pub. L. 109–163, § 534(b)2006—Subsec. (b)(1)(A). , inserted “or national” after “citizen”.

Pub. L. 109–364section 2122 of this titleSubsec. (b)(3). inserted “or a cadet or former cadet under this section who signs an agreement under ,” after “military junior college,” and “, or former cadet,” after “consent of the cadet” and after “submitted by the cadet”.

Pub. L. 109–163, § 531(b)Subsec. (c)(3). , struck out par. (3) which read as follows: “The total amount of financial assistance, including the payment of room and board and any other educational expenses, provided to a cadet in an academic year under this subsection may not exceed an amount equal to the amount that could be provided as financial assistance for such cadet under paragraph (1), or another amount determined by the Secretary of the Army, without regard to whether the room and board and other educational expenses for such cadet are paid under paragraph (2).”

Pub. L. 109–163, § 532Subsec. (h). , substituted “416” for “208”.

Pub. L. 109–163, § 536Subsec. (j). , added subsec. (j).

Pub. L. 108–3752004—Subsec. (c)(4). added par. (4).

Pub. L. 108–136, § 521(b)2003—Subsec. (c). , designated existing provisions as par. (1) and added pars. (2) and (3).

Pub. L. 108–136, § 522Subsec. (h). , substituted “17” for “10” wherever appearing.

Pub. L. 107–107, § 534(b)2001—Subsec. (a)(1). , substituted “31 years of age on December 31” for “27 years of age on June 30” and struck out “, except that the age of any such member who has served on active duty in the armed forces may exceed such age limitation on such date by a period equal to the period such member served on active duty, but only if such member will be under 30 years of age on such date” before period at end.

Pub. L. 107–107, § 536(a)Subsec. (b). , designated introductory provisions of subsec. (b) as introductory provisions of par. (1), redesignated former pars. (1) to (6) as subpars. (A) to (F), respectively, of par. (1), redesignated former concluding provisions as par. (2), and added par. (3).

Pub. L. 107–107, § 536(c)Subsec. (h). , substituted “At any military junior college” for “At any military college” in second sentence.

Pub. L. 105–851997—Subsec. (g). inserted “the” after “, as a member of”.

Pub. L. 104–201, § 555(a)1996—Subsec. (a)(1). , substituted “27 years of age” for “25 years of age” and “30 years of age” for “29 years of age”.

Pub. L. 104–201, § 507(a)(3)Subsec. (g). , inserted “, other than enlisted service performed after , as a member of Selected Reserve” before period at end.

Pub. L. 102–190, § 522(b)(1)1991—, substituted “Army Reserve and Army National Guard” for “military junior colleges” in section catchline.

Pub. L. 102–190, § 522(a)(1)Subsec. (a)(1). , substituted “enrolled in the Advanced Course of the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at a military college, military junior college, or civilian institution” for “a student at a military junior college” and inserted “Reserve or Army National Guard” after “second lieutenant in the Army”.

Pub. L. 102–190, § 522(a)(2)Subsec. (a)(2). , inserted “military college or” after “To be considered a”, substituted “and meet” for “that does not confer baccalaureate degrees and that meets”, and inserted at end “For purposes of this section, a military junior college does not confer a baccalaureate degree.”

Pub. L. 102–190, § 522(a)(3)Subsec. (b)(6). , substituted “a troop program unit of the Army Reserve or Army National Guard” for “such reserve component”.

Pub. L. 102–190, § 522(a)(4)Subsec. (f). , inserted “or who does not complete a baccalaureate degree within five years after appointment as a cadet under this section,” after “when offered,”.

Pub. L. 102–190, § 522(a)(5)Subsec. (h). , struck out par. (1) designation, substituted “not more than 208 cadets each year under this section, to include not less than 10 cadets” for “not less than 10 cadets under this section each year”, and struck out par. (2) which read as follows: “If the level of participation in the program at any military junior college meets criteria for such participation established by the Secretary of the Army by regulation, the Secretary shall appoint additional cadets under this section from among members of the program at such military junior college who are eligible under subsection (b) for such an appointment.”

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2003 Amendment

section 521(b) of Pub. L. 108–136section 521(c) of Pub. L. 108–136section 2107 of this titleAmendment by applicable to payment of expenses of cadets and midshipmen of Senior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Program that are due after , see , set out as a note under .

Effective Date of 2001 Amendment

Pub. L. 107–107, div. A, title V, § 536(b)115 Stat. 1107

section 2107a(b) of title 10“The authority of the Secretary of Defense under paragraph (3) of , United States Code, as added by subsection (a), may be exercised with regard to any agreement described in paragraph (1)(F) of such section (including agreements related to participation in the Advanced Course of the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at a military college or civilian institution) that was entered into during the period beginning on , and ending on (in addition to any agreement described in that paragraph that is entered into on or after the date of the enactment of this Act []).”
, , , provided that:

Effective Date

Pub. L. 96–357, § 1(e)94 Stat. 1180

“The amendments made by this section [enacting this section and amending sections 2107 and 2108 of this title] shall take effect on .”
, , , provided that:

Savings Provision

section 531(c) of Pub. L. 109–163section 2107 of this titleParagraph (3) of subsec. (c) of this section, as in effect on the day before , to continue to apply in the case of any individual selected before , for appointment as a cadet under this section, see , set out as a note under .

Benefits Not To Accrue for Periods Prior to

section 507 of Pub. L. 104–201section 507(c) of Pub. L. 104–201section 2106 of this titleNo increase in pay or retired or retainer pay to accrue for periods before , by reason of amendments made by , see , set out as a note under .