Entry Qualifications:

Federal Law

10 U.S. Code § 531: In order to receive original appointments in grades O1, O2 and O3, an officer requires a Presidential appointment. In order to receive original appointments in grades O4, O5 and O6, an officer requires a Presidential appointment made with the advice and consent of the Senate. Service Secretaries may make original appointments for reserve officers transferring to active-duty status.

10 U.S. Code § 532: Original officer appointments are only given to a person meeting the following criteria:

• Is a U.S. citizen (unless waived by SECDEF and only for grades O1 to O3).
• Is able to complete 20 years of commissioned service (YCS) before age 62, except for medical and dental officers, chaplains, or any officers designated for limited duty in the Navy or Marine Corps.
• Is of good moral character.
• Is physically qualified for active service.
• Has such special qualities as prescribed by the concerned Service Secretary.

10 U.S. Code § 12201: Service Secretaries prescribe required qualifications for appointment as a reserve officer in the concerned military branch, provided that the candidate is over the age of 18 and

• is a citizen of the United States or
• has been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence or
• has previously served in the armed forces or in the National Security Training Corps.

In prescribing the age qualification for appointment as a Reserve officer, the Service Secretaries shall not prescribe a maximum age of less than 47 years for the initial appointment of a person who will serve as a medical, dental, or nurse officers in a specialty designated as critically needed in wartime.

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DoD Policy

DODD 1322.22: Appointments to service academies are made by the President and offered only to those with strong potential for military careers as commissioned officers. Except for certain exceptions, appointees must have the following qualifications:

• Meet acceptable standards of physical fitness and health.
• Meet high standards of moral conduct.
• Be at least 17 years old and not older than 22 years old on July 1 of entry year into the academy.
• Be a citizen of the United States (except for a few cases specifically approved by USD[P&R]).
• Have no spouses or dependents.

All cadets and midshipmen who complete graduation requirements (unless they become medically disqualified during their senior year) are eligible for officer commissions.

DODI 1310.02: Commissioned officers are required to have the potential for full careers in the military (defined as 20 YCS prior to age 62). Medical, dental, chaplains and Limited Duty Officers in the Navy or the Marine Corps are exempt from this requirement, as are Reserve officers appointed as medical skills officers (e.g., officers in the Nurse corps). Other than Reserve officers performing operational support duty, all active-duty officers are given regular appointments, while all Reserve active-status officers will be given Reserve appointments.

With the exception of adjutants general (AGs) and assistant AGs, no person shall be appointed as a Reserve officer above the grade of O4 unless the person was formerly a commissioned officer of an Armed Force or such an appointment is recommended by a board of officers convened by the Service Secretary.

DODI 1304.26: To be eligible for appointment as a regular officer, a person must be a U.S. citizen unless wiaved by the SECDEF for lawful permanent residents in a grade below O4. Educational requirements for appointment as a commissioned officer are determined by each service. Generally, a baccalaureate degree is required as a prerequisite for a commission or appointment. The services shall specify circumstances under which individuals who have dependents may become commissioned officers.

DODI 1215.17: With some exceptions, officers in grades above O2 in the Reserve Components must have a baccalaureate degree (unless otherwise waived by the secretary of the given Service).

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Air Force Policy (AF Community of Practice Wiki)

AFPD 36-20: To be eligible for appointment as a commissioned officer in the reserve of the Air Force, an individual must:

• Be of high moral character
• Be a U.S. citizen
• Be medically qualified
• Be at least 18 years old
• Have a baccalaureate or higher degree

Except for former officers, officers of any of the other services (except those applying for entry in pilot or navigator training), or individuals in the professional career fields, Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) minimum percentiles required are as follows:

• Pilot: 25 in pilot and 10 in navigator composites, with a total score in the two of at least 50
• Navigator: 25 in navigator and 10 in pilot composites, with a total score in the two of at least
• All positions: 15 in academic aptitude, 15 in verbal, and 10 in quantitative composites. The combined composite score for academic aptitude, verbal, and quantitative must be at least 100

AFI 36-2013: To be eligible for appointment as a commissioned officer, an individual must:

• Be able to complete 20 years of active federal military service before his/her 55th birthday (or 62nd birthday for chaplains and health professionals)
• Be of good moral character
• Be a citizen of the United States
• Be physically qualified
• Have a baccalaureate or higher degree

Has same AFOQT scores as AFPD 36-20 but adds the following:

• Combat systems operator: 25 in combat systems operator and 10 in pilot composites, with a total score in the two of at least 50
• Air battle manager: 10 in combat systems operator and 10 in pilot composites, with a total score in the two of at least 50

Officer Training School (OTS) applicants must be at least 17 to apply and commissioned before their 35th birthday.

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Army Policy (Army Community of Practice Wiki)

AR 601-100: The Army seeks to transition into an All-Regular Army Active Duty Force. All officers commissioned for service on the ADL will receive Regular Army commissions, regardless of the original source of commission. Reserve officers on the ADL will be integrated into the Regular army, including reserve officers moving from the ADL to RASL.

In order to be commissioned in the Regular Army, candidates must have the following qualifications:

• Be a U.S. citizen (with some exceptions).
• Be medically and physically qualified (with some exception).
• Possess a SECRET-level security clearance.
• Be able to complete 20 YCS prior to the age of 62 (with excepts for some of the professional corps)
• Have a baccalaureate degree, except officer candidate school graduates with 90 semester hours of college who are able to complete a baccalaureate degree prior to consideration for O3.
• Have high standards of loyalty and character.

AR 135-100: Minimum and maximum age limitations for officer appointments in the Army Reserve and Army National Guard are as follows:

Appointees must

• Be U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. Residents, or must be currently serving or have previously served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
• Achieve a General Technical Aptitude Area score of 110 or higher and a score of 90 or higher on Subtest 2 of the Officer Selection Battery.
• Have a high school diploma or GED
• Be of good moral character and possess leadership traits
• Be medically qualified
• Possess a SECRET-level security clearance.

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Navy Policy (Navy Community of Practice Wiki)

OPNAVINST 1120.13: N13 issues Program Authorizations (PAs) that prescribe commissioning qualifications, eligibility requirements, accession source, obligated service requirements, and other related topics for a specific community or Navy designator. In general, the PAs specify that an officer must:

• Be a U.S. citizen
• Be at least 19 years old and less than 29 years old. The maximum age limit may be adjusted for prior service.
• Have a baccalaureate degree
• Be physically qualified
• Be of good moral character

COMNAVCRUITCOM sends applications passing initial screening to the appropriate community sponsor for review by a professional recommendation board for the applicants’ communities, which reviews the applications based on the following criteria:

• Academic performance
• Test scores
• Professional certification (if applicable)
• Commitment
• Leadership potential
• Work experience
• Foreign language/cultural expertise
• Qualities of character (e.g., honor)
• Prior service
• Interview appraisals
• Personal recommendation
• Adversity overcome

Each community will provide boards with selection guidance. Medical, Dental, Nurse, Medical Services, JAG, and Chaplin Corps require a board precept.

OPNAVINST 1120.4A, OPNAVINST 1120.5A, OPNAVINST 1120.6, OPNAVINST 1120.7, OPNAVINST 1120.8, OPNAVINST 1120.9, OPNAVINST 1120.10, OPNAVINST 1120.11, and OPNAVINST 1120.12 outline specific details on appointments to the Medical, Dental, Supply, Nurse, Medical Services, Chaplain, Civil Engineering, JAG Corps and for Limited Duty Officers, respectively.

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Marine Corps Policy (USMC Community of Practice Wiki)

Follows Navy Policy