Navy 3 year HPSP with backpay and signing bonus

[Spiderman97]

Hello, I have a question about the Navy 3 year HPSP. I am a D1 and I applied for the 4 year HPSP and did not get it, but I am still in the applicant pool for the three year scholarship. After talking with my recruiter, he said that the three year can essentially be the same as the 4 year scholarship because the Navy will backpay for all of the official expenses (not including living expenses but only the charges by the school) from the first year of dental school (which at this point, is only the first semester) and, as a result, the commitment will go up to four years. The only difference is that you will have missed out on the monthly stipends that the 4-year HPSP recipients had received up to the point of you accepting the scholarship.

My question is, does anybody know if this is true? Furthermore, I have read on SDN that if you get the 3 year Navy HPSP and decide to take the $20,000 signing bonus, the commitment also goes to four years. So, if you take the backpay, the commitment goes up to four years. If you take the signing bonus, the commitment goes up to four years. Is there any way to get both the backpay AND the signing bonus? My recruiter told me that you get both, but I have not been able to find any information about this online. I would love to learn more.

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[Golfballer]

I am in the same boat as OP. Also interested in the same information if anybody has some insight.

Thanks in advance.

Golfballer

 

[InformMe123]

If I am not mistaken, there are no 3 year Navy scholarships that you can apply for. I heard they give the 3 years to candidates who were not selected for 4 year.

 

[Spiderman97]

If I am not mistaken, there are no 3 year Navy scholarships that you can apply for. I heard they give the 3 years to candidates who were not selected for 4 year.

You are correct. I applied for the 4 year and that is why I am in the applicant pool for the three year. Navy does not take new applicants for the 3 year, only those that were not chosen for the four year. I'm still wondering about the backpay and bonus though.

 

[8th]

This same situation/question was posted late last year if I remember correctly. There was a lot of back and forth if the tuition backpay was a real thing. Feel free to read the 2019 thread. It seems like if the backpay tuition is legitimate, then it was implemented fairly recently, bc I have never heard anything about it until last year.

Has Anyone's 3 Year HPSP Paid For 4 Years of Tuition?

 

[Spiderman97]

I just wanted to follow up for people in the future years that are curious about this. So even though the "3 year" scholarship is only given to applicants of the four year scholarship that weren't selected, it is an equivalent scholarship. The Navy awards the scholarship some time after October (which is when their new fiscal year starts) and it is given to people that applied to the four year and weren't selected. If you can commission before the last day of the first semester, the Navy will backpay the tuition for the first semester, give you a signing bonus of $20,000, and immediately start paying you a monthly stipend. The only thing that makes this scholarship lesser than the official 4 year scholarship awarded in the spring before starting dental school is that the stipend pay begins in September instead of the first of the month after you commission. So, for example, since I commissioned in the last week of November during the first semester of my D1 year, the only pay I missed out on by not being selecting last spring is the monthly stipend for September, October, and November (about $6000). I should begin being paid starting December 1st. I post this to say to all those people in the future that are disappointed that they were not selected for the 4 year scholarship to not give up hope, there is still a good chance that they can be selected for it 8 months later. Like I said, it is the same scholarship and I will be finishing dental school debt free like the others. For those that are curious about the number of scholarships awarded, this year my recruiter told me that about 130 people applied for Navy HPSP. In the spring, about 50 scholarships were awarded. They then made a waitlist and numbered the remaining applicants based on the Navy's preference. In the fall, they awarded 20 more HPSP and 10 HSCP. So please, DO NOT GIVE UP HOPE. Please reach out if you have any questions, but the backpay is not a myth.

 

[Golfballer]

I just wanted to follow up for people in the future years that are curious about this. So even though the "3 year" scholarship is only given to applicants of the four year scholarship that weren't selected, it is an equivalent scholarship. The Navy awards the scholarship some time after October (which is when their new fiscal year starts) and it is given to people that applied to the four year and weren't selected. If you can commission before the last day of the first semester, the Navy will backpay the tuition for the first semester, give you a signing bonus of $20,000, and immediately start paying you a monthly stipend. The only thing that makes this scholarship lesser than the official 4 year scholarship awarded in the spring before starting dental school is that the stipend pay begins in September instead of the first of the month after you commission. So, for example, since I commissioned in the last week of November during the first semester of my D1 year, the only pay I missed out on by not being selecting last spring is the monthly stipend for September, October, and November (about $6000). I should begin being paid starting December 1st. I post this to say to all those people in the future that are disappointed that they were not selected for the 4 year scholarship to not give up hope, there is still a good chance that they can be selected for it 8 months later. Like I said, it is the same scholarship and I will be finishing dental school debt free like the others. For those that are curious about the number of scholarships awarded, this year my recruiter told me that about 130 people applied for Navy HPSP. In the spring, about 50 scholarships were awarded. They then made a waitlist and numbered the remaining applicants based on the Navy's preference. In the fall, they awarded 20 more HPSP and 10 HSCP. So please, DO NOT GIVE UP HOPE. Please reach out if you have any questions, but the backpay is not a myth.

I just went through this exact process so I can confirm this is how it works.

Idk anything about the number of applicants and scholarships though. Changes every year so don't hang your hat on numbers. Just put your best foot forward because it is competitive.

Golfballer