Normally, your ROTC unit has to submit the SF-86 (national security questionnaire) in order for you to do summer training, which may expose you to things at the SECRET level. With a completed and submitted form you can be granted an "Interim" clearance based on a screening of your SF-86 by your security manager. They generally look for foreign contacts or anything that would question your patriotism, reliability and responsibility. Interim is only good while you are under that security manager's purview.

Once you come back from training, that is revoked and your SF-86 goes to the bottom of the adjudication stack until you get commissioned. Then you usually update it and the actual process gets moving.

Bottom line is, if you have an active clearance, or have actually been cleared you would definitely know it as you and your references would have been interviewed by DSS and you'd have signed follow-up paperwork.

If you're interviewing for a job or filling out an app, definitely be honest about where you are. Any company that needs you to have one has the capability to look up your status...all you need is a name/social and JPAS.

It is a big deal for some work...getting a non-DOD employee a SECRET clearance runs about $150k and usually a couple years to get a final determination...see the comment above about "interim" ones that would allow you to work. Still, that's a lot of coin to lay out on a new employee.

HTH
Spongebob