The programs available to enlisted servicemembers looking for a commission:

(Jump ahead to Marine Corps / Navy / Air Force)

Army

ARMY ROTC GREEN TO GOLD PROGRAM

Description: Provides selected active-duty enlisted members of the Army an opportunity to complete their degree requirements and obtain a commission through participation in the ROTC scholarship program. Soldiers can apply for a scholarship, non-scholarship or nursing option. Young enlisted soldiers who have decided to leave, or are considering leaving, active duty can attend college. Soldiers with officer potential, who have served at least two years on active duty, are allowed to voluntarily request discharge from active duty to enroll in Army ROTC. Upon completing the program, they can earn degrees and commissions as second lieutenants.

Age: Be under age 30 at completion of degree and commissioning requirements, except for nursing students and for individuals who are singularly outstanding. Waivers are available.

Academic: Have completed two years of active duty on their initial enlistment, as well as three months of active duty for every month of specialized training received as of the date of discharge. Soldiers on their second and subsequent enlistment must have completed three months of active duty for every one month of the most recent specialized training received. Waivers are available.

When to apply: All year round.

WARRANT OFFICER PROGRAM

Age: Be younger than 29 by the board convene date for aviation fields; be under 46 for other options.

When to apply: Packages must be in by the 1st of the month prior to the selection board meeting. See unit counselors for dates.

Source: http://www.goarmy.com/job/officer/;www.usarec.army.mil/hq/warrant.

Marine Corps

ENLISTED COMMISSIONING PROGRAM

Description: Allows qualified enlisted Marines to apply to attend officer candidate school and eventually earn a commission.

Age: Must be at least 21 and no older than 30 on the date they are commissioned for most fields; aviation officers between age 21 and 27 and a half. Waivers for most programs to 35 for exceptional candidates; 29 for aviation officers.

Academic: Must have already completed a bachelor’s degree to apply for the program.

When to apply: By August each year.

MERITORIOUS COMMISSIONING PROGRAM

Description: It’s an opportunity for commanding officers to recognize worthy Marines who don’t have a bachelors by nominating them to attend OCS and earn a commission.

Age: Must be at least 21 and no older than 30 on the date they are commissioned for most fields; aviation officers between age 21 and 27 and a half. Waivers for most programs to 35 for exceptional candidates; 29 for aviation officers.

Academic: Applicants must have either an associate’s or completed at least 75 semester hours at a regionally accredited school. Waiverable down to 60 semester hours for exceptional candidates. After commissioning, Marines are expected to complete a four-year degree in order to remain competitive. Marines with degrees are not eligible for this program. Must also have at least a 1000 on SAT (600 Math, 400 verbal).

When to apply: All year round.

WARRANT OFFICER PROGRAM

Description: Marine Corps warrant officers serve in a variety of leadership positions.

Age: No age limit, but must have served as an active-duty Marine for eight years, but less than 16 years.

Academic: No degree required. Must have an EL score of at least 110 on the Armed Service Vocational Aptitude Battery.

When to apply: Accepting applications all through the year.

Source: MARINE CORPS ORDER 1040.43A

Navy

SEAMAN TO ADMIRAL 21 (STA-21)

Description: The name for a grouping of individual commissioning programs designed to allow younger sailors a chance to earn a commission. These programs include Seaman to Admiral, Enlisted Commissioning Program, Aviation Enlisted Commissioning Program, Nuclear Enlisted Commissioning Program, Civil Engineer Corps Enlisted Commissioning Program, Fleet Accession to Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps, and BOOST Program (Broadened Opportunity for Officer Selection and Training).

Age: Age limits vary by program.

Academic: A minimum score of 1000 on the SAT (500 on math, 500 on English) or 41 on the ACT. Nuclear candidates must have a minimum 1140 on the SAT and 50 on the ACT.

When to apply: Varies by program. Contact your command career counselor for details.

MEDICAL ENLISTED COMMISSIONING PROGRAM

Description: Offers sailors an opportunity to earn a commission in the Navy Nurse Corps. Participants will complete their bachelors in nursing. They must be able to complete the program on a full-time basis within 36 months.

Age: Must be able to complete nursing program by age 35. Have at least three years in service.

Academic: Must have some college credits.

When to apply: Before Oct. 1 of the year applied.

MEDICAL SERVICE CORPS IN-SERVICE PROCUREMENT PROGRAM

Description: Offers sailors with degrees in health-care administration or physician assistant a chance to earn a commission in the Navy Medical Service Corps.

Age: Must not have reached age 35 by time of initial appointment.

Academics: Have an applicable degree from a regionally accredited university or college.

When to apply: By Nov. 1 each year.

OFFICER CANDIDATE SCHOOL

Description: For sailors (and civilians) who have already earned their degrees, OCS is a 13-week school at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., designed to crank out Naval officers.

Age: Be at least 19 years old. Age limits are based on which individual programs being applied for. The general age limit is 35 at time of commissioning.

Academic: Have a qualified bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university of college.

When to apply: Applications are accepted all through the year.

LIMITED DUTY OFFICER/WARRANT OFFICER PROGRAM

Description: Senior enlisted sailors have a chance to become officers without earning college degrees. The program is limited to certain specialties.

Age: No age limit, although sailors must be at least a chief petty officer or a “board eligible” first class petty officer for LDO, or a first class selected to become a chief for warrant officer. For LDO, must have been in at least 8 years, but not more than 16 years, and for warrant, at least 12 years of service, but not more than 24 years.

Academic: No college required, but it does improve chances.

When to apply: By Aug. 1 each year.

NAVAL ACADEMY

Description: The Naval Academy sets aside 85 billets every year for qualified sailors.

Age: Applicants must be between 17 and 23 by July 1 on year applied. They can’t be married or pregnant, or legally responsible for any children.

Academic: Must have scored at least a 950 on the SAT or 43 on the ACT.

When to apply: By Jan. 31 each year.

Source: OPNAVINST 1420.1

Air Force

AIRMAN ROTC EDUCATION AND COMMISSIONING PROGRAM

Description: AECP offers active-duty enlisted personnel the opportunity to earn a commission while completing their bachelor’s degree. Student must attend Air Force ROTC courses to earn their commission. Those selected for AECP remain on active duty and are administratively assigned to an Air Force ROTC detachment. Their job is to go to school full time. In addition to full pay and benefits, AECP cadets are provided with a tuition/fees scholarship of up to $15,000 per year and an annual $510 textbook allowance. Students may not pay the difference to attend higher cost schools.

Age: Under 30 by board date or have obtained an age waiver (available if you can commission before 35).

Academic: Minimum GPA varies with degree program, pass AFOQT, and must complete degree within three years. AECP is open to students in the following fields: Meteorology, nursing, foreign languages (limited to Arabic, Chinese, Persian, Russian, Hindi, Pashto, Armenian, Georgian, Azeri, Kazakh, Indonesian, Swahili, Hebrew, French). All other languages will be considered on a case-by-case basis based on the needs of the Air Force, Foreign area studies (limited to Middle East, Africa, Asia); Area studies degree programs must include a requirement for foreign language courses in the region of study, mathematics, physics, computer science.

When to apply: Board held annually in spring

AIR FORCE ROTC PROFESSIONAL OFFICER COURSE-EARLY RELEASE PROGRAM (POC-ERP)

Description: The Professional Officer Course-Early Release Program offers active duty airmen who can complete all degree and commissioning requirements within two years an opportunity for an early release from the active duty Air Force to enter the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps.

Age: For nonscholarship applicants, you must be under age 30 by the application date or have obtained an age waiver (available if you can commission before age 35). To be eligible for a scholarship you must be under age 31 on Dec. 31 of the year you will graduate and earn your commission.

Academic: Have 24 hours or more of college-graded coursework and must be able to complete their degree within two years. If you have not earned 24+ semester hours in graded college work, you must have earned an ACT composite score of 24 or higher or an SAT combined Verbal and Math score of 1100 or more. This requirement is not waiverable. You must also be admitted to a school offering Air Force ROTC and the academic major you desire to study.

Degrees in one of four different tiers will be accepted. There are three technical tiers, grouped based on the needs of the Air Force, and a fourth non-technical tier. With Tier 4 majors, however, opportunities will be limited and competitive. The following tiered academic majors are listed in descending order of importance and are subject to change:

Technical—Tier 1: Electrical Engineering, Meteorology/Atmospheric Sciences

Technical—Tier 2: Aeronautical, Architectural, Astronautical, Civil, Computer, Environmental, Industrial, and Mechanical Engineering

Technical-Tier 3: All other ABET-accredited engineering majors, Architecture, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, Operations Research, and Physics

Non-technical—Tier 4: all other majors

When to apply: No later than Oct. 15 each year. Late packages or waiver requests will not be accepted.

AIR FORCE ROTC AIRMAN SCHOLARSHIP AND COMMISSIONING PROGRAM (ASCP)

Description: The Airman Scholarship and Commissioning Program offers active duty enlisted personnel the opportunity to earn a commission while completing their bachelor’s degree as an Air Force ROTC cadet. Those selected separate from the active duty Air Force, join an Air Force ROTC detachment and become a full-time college student. The Air Force provides them with a tuition/fees scholarship of up to $15,000 per year, an annual $510 textbook allowance, and a monthly nontaxable stipend of $250-$400. This scholarship will be awarded for two to four years, depending on how many years you have remaining in your bachelor’s degree program. Airmen with some or no college credit may apply for the program.

Age: Be under age 31 on Dec. 31 of the year you will graduate and earn your commission.

Academic: Have at least a 2.5 cumulative college grade point average (If you earned at least 24 semester hours (or 36 quarter hours) in graded college credit). If you have not earned 24+ semester hours in graded college work, you must have earned an ACT composite score of 24 or higher or an SAT combined Verbal and Math score of 1100 or more. Be admitted to a school offering Air Force ROTC and the academic major you desire to study. Earn Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) scores of 15 or more on the Verbal scale and 10 or more on the Quantitative scale.

NOTE: AFOQT scores may be waiverable for those who have taken the test twice and failed both times.

Degrees in one of four different tiers will be accepted. There are three technical tiers, grouped based on the needs of the Air Force, and a fourth non-technical tier. With Tier 4 majors, however, opportunities will be limited and competitive. The following tiered academic majors are listed in descending order of importance and are subject to change:

Technical—Tier 1: Electrical Engineering, Meteorology/Atmospheric Sciences

Technical—Tier 2: Aeronautical, Architectural, Astronautical, Civil, Computer, Environmental, Industrial, and Mechanical Engineering

Technical—Tier 3: All other ABET-accredited engineering majors, Architecture, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, Operations Research, and Physics

Non-technical—Tier 4: all other majors

When to apply: Packages due by Oct. 15 each year.

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR OUTSTANDING AIRMEN TO ROTC (SOAR)

Description: SOAR is the commander’s program to select outstanding airmen to earn a commission with a $15,000 college scholarship.

Age: Be under 31 on Dec. 31 of the year you will graduate and earn your commission. Have at least one year but no more than six years in the Air Force.

Academic: Have at least a 2.5 cumulative college grade point average (If you earned at least 24 semester hours (or 36 quarter hours) in GRADED (i.e., not CLEP, DANTES or CCAF) college credit). Otherwise, have an ACT composite score of 24 or higher or an SAT combined Verbal and Math score of 1100 or more. This requirement is not waiverable.

When to apply: By Oct. 15 each year.

OFFICER TRAINING SCHOOL

Description: Like officer candidate school in the other services, this 12-week school at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., allows enlisted airmen, and civilians, with bachelors degree or higher to earn a commission. This program is aimed at more critical skills for the Air Force, such as pilots, navigators, and air war battle managers.

Age: Be at least 18 at the time of commissioning, but not yet 34 by the initial selection board convening date. Navigator and pilot applicants must be commissioned and enter flight training before age 30. All other applicants should be commissioned before age 35.

Academic: Either be a graduate of a regionally accredited college or university or a college senior who is available to depart for training within 270 days if a servicemember; 365 days for non-prior military service.

When to apply: Selection boards are held throughout the year.

Source: www.afoats.af.mil/AFROTC/enlistedcommissioning/default.htm

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