Coast Guard Officer Candidate School Acceptance Rate

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Most people proudly dedicate themselves to long-term military careers when they take on the challenge of becoming commissioned officers. After graduating from college, the first step toward that career is Officer Candidate School (or Officer Training School, for the Air Force and Space Force). Featured Programs:

In every service, OCS/OTS is the training that distinguishes officers from enlisted personnel. It provides a more demanding intellectual path to service, one that also offers greater rewards. Officers work more interesting and difficult jobs, earn more money, and have more career options both inside and outside the military.

You should read our Pre-Service College Guide if you haven’t yet obtained that four-year degree to find out how you might be able to benefit from DoD education benefits and other choices even before you start serving in the military.

A commissioned officer also has access to a wide range of additional training opportunities, including those offered by elite military academies of all stripes and formal college courses. If you play your cards right (and sign up for a few more years of service), you may even be able to get the military to pay for a graduate degree.

However, you must first complete a demanding set of training that will challenge you mentally and physically. You’ll be happy you already have a college degree because those study techniques will come in handy when you’re studying for classes on damage control techniques or discovering the nuances of celestial navigation.

Overview:

Applying for selection as a Coast Guard officer through the Officer Candidate School program is open to both civilians and current enlisted members of the Coast Guard who want to develop their leadership skills and are willing to take on the challenge of greater responsibility in one of the service’s many missions. Officer Candidate School (OCS) is a 17-week, highly specialized program that teaches military, law enforcement, navigation, management, and leadership skills. OCS classes meet twice a year, in the summer and in January.

It is an amazing reality that OCS graduates will be expected to successfully supervise CG enlisted personnel as they carry out CG missions after only 17 weeks of training. Some of these CG members have years of experience, and in some cases, they may have more experience than the officer has had in their lifetimes. Therefore, before starting the OCS application process, applicants should honestly assess their leadership experience as well as project and budget management skills to determine their level of competitiveness. The Coast Guard is seeking candidates for the coveted and crucial position of Coast Guard officer who have shown the potential to be exceptional leaders. The United States Coast Guard commissions individuals who complete Officer Candidate School successfully as ensigns (O-1) (note that CG CWOs may also be eligible for commissioning as O-2s).

Initial Assignments and Potential Career Paths

Officer candidates compete for positions that will become available to them after graduation and commissioning during the final stages of OCS. Initial responsibilities will fall under one of the four operational specialties for main officers, such as afloat, aviation, prevention, and response. Assignment to a/n is usually one of the choices for any given OCS graduating class.

• To carry out the duties and obligations of an enforcement or incident management officer (focusing on law enforcement boardings, pollution investigation and response, and operational planning), or to perform the functions of a prevention officer (focusing on marine safety, vessel inspections, vessel mishap investigations, and aids to navigation/waterways).
• Ensigns assigned to sectors also typically rotate through duties at the Sector Command Center, which oversees, directs, and fuses sector operations on a daily basis on behalf of the sector commander. Coast Guard Sector Response Search and rescue, law enforcement, investigation of pollution, incident management, PWCS, and Captain of the Port Authority are all included in this.
• To carry out the responsibilities of a deck watch officer (cutter navigation and piloting) or an engineering officer in training (maintenance of the engine room, propulsion plant, and machinery systems).
• Flight school and training to become a Coast Guard pilot are included in the aviation (training billet).

Officer candidates work with assignment officers to find an initial assignment that best fits their needs, the needs of the service, and their skills, training, experience, and preferences. A junior officer’s first assignment is seen as their chance to learn about and excel in an operational specialty in addition to managing resources and leading people.

Career Path: Many junior officers typically receive follow-up assignments in their initial assignment’s career field. There are opportunities to pursue a subsequent assignment in a different career field or sub-specialty, such as intelligence, human resources, engineering and C4IT, international affairs, legal, recruiting, financial management, and training.

Officer Candidate School Reserve Commission (OCS-R) Program

• Age: Attained 21 years of age but not yet turned 42 as of September 30th of the fiscal year in which the selection panel is convened.
• Character Standards: All applicants must be of outstanding moral character. In the 36 months prior to the first OCS class panel date in the selection cycle, applicants are ineligible for commissioning if they have been found guilty by a court-martial, received non-judicial punishment (NJP), received an “Unsatisfactory” conduct mark, received a mark of less than “4” in any performance dimension, received unfavorable administrative remarks, or have been involved in an incident involving alcohol.
• Citizenship: Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Clearance: Must be eligible for a Secret Clearance
• Dependency: No more than three dependents (your spouse is a dependent regardless of your status in the military). If single, you cannot have sole custody or primary care of your dependents.
• Education: Possess a baccalaureate degree or higher and a minimum of two 5 cumulative GPA on a 4. If all of the following requirements are satisfied, applicants on the 0 scale or college seniors are eligible to apply: A baccalaureate degree will be awarded prior to the start of the OCS course for which the panel is making selections. The applicant submits a certified letter from their college registrar attesting to their enrollment, major, grade point average, and anticipated graduation date. Foreign degrees: Candidates who have degrees from foreign institutions must also submit a translation of their degree (if it is not in English) and a course-by-course evaluation from a company like Education Credential Evaluators with their application.
• Financial: Must meet all financial obligations, and not have a debt to income ratio in excess of 30% (ratio of debt to projected income at the O-1 level) possibly not filed for bankruptcy within the previous ten years Student Loans: Applicants must also disclose to their recruiter any deferred student loan payments as well as the estimated date and sum of those loans’ repayment.
• Candidates for the OCS-R position must pass an interview conducted by a panel of three Coast Guard officers.
• Maximum Active Duty Service: Applicants may not have more than six years of non-Coast Guard active duty service as of the accession (commissioning) date, which would be the date the applicant enlists in the USCG prior to attending officer candidate school. Military Service: (all of the below must apply) Not required Members who are currently serving in another military branch (or IRR) and members of the CG Reserve must include a completed DD368 form (conditional release) in their application materials. Release approval (validity) period: The release must remain in effect at least until the projected accession date for each panel, but not less than through that date. Recruiters must send the DD368 to the CGRC Accessions branch at CGR-SMB-DD368@uscg with only Section I completed for CG Reservists, CG IRR, and Other Military Service IRR. mil. CG Active Duty Enlisted: do not need a conditional release. Members of Other Military Services (other than IRR): The applicant must submit the DD368 through their chain of command to their service’s authorized official, which varies depending on the service. Once approved, the DD368 and any other approval documents (i. e. Service Memorandum) shall be submitted in the application package. Officers in the Coast Guard and Coast Guard Reserve currently holding commissions are not eligible to apply if they are on the Active Duty Promotion List (ADPL). Officers on the Inactive Duty Promotion List (IDPL) who meet the requirements may apply for the program as long as a conditional resignation that has been approved by CG-PSC-rpm is submitted with the application. Prior Military Service for Commissioned Officers: Candidates who previously served as commissioned officers in the Regular or Reserve Component of any military service and were separated or removed as a result of a force reduction or as a result of being passed over for promotion, extension, or integration are ineligible for Coast Guard commissioning programs. Members of the Coast Guard who are currently on active duty and who meet all other criteria for OCS-R eligibility must not be E-5s and must have completed at least four years of continuous active duty as of the date the selection panel convenes. This indicates that you are qualified for OCS-R if you have 4 or more years of active duty service but have not yet been promoted to E-5 as of the selection panel convening date. Similarly, you qualify for OCS-R if you are an E-5 or higher and have less than 4 years of service as of the date the selection panel convenes.
• Meet height/weight requirements: CG members must meet MAW or Body Fat requirements as per COMDTINST M1020. Physical (Medical): Must pass commissioning physical (including): Normal Color Vision 8H. 30 days prior to reporting to OCS, a health and physical pre-assessment is required. Prior to graduating from OCS, you must be able to pass a physical fitness test and a swimming test.
• Test Score: Achieve a qualifying score on one of the following tests (test results are valid for an unlimited period of time): ASVAB: 109 GT (General Technical score: sum of Arithmetic Reasoning (AR) and Verbal (VE) scores, taken after 1 July 2004); ASVAB: 110 GT (if taken prior to 1 July 2004); SAT: 1000 (Combined score, taken prior to 1 April 1995); SAT I: 1100 (Combined score, taken from 1
• Tattoos: Applicants are not permitted to have tattoos or other body markings that violate the CG’s policy on such things as body piercings and mutilation.
• Application candidates must have read and comprehended the OCS Pre-Reporting Guide.

OCS-R Terms of Service:

Members will be released from their enlisted status upon commissioning, which takes place after OCS graduation, and commissioned as Coast Guard officers with an initial 3-year active duty obligation.

Application Process:

If you are prepared to submit an application, you must go to the “Plan Your Next Move to Become an Active Duty Coast Guard Officer” page and complete the necessary steps, which include downloading the application check list.

Important:

• Existing Coast Guard members may apply for either the OCS-R or the OCS-T program (but not both), as this program is only open to them. To determine which program they are qualified for, Coast Guard members should review the eligibility requirements for OCS-R and OCS-T.

Temporary Commission (OCS-T) Eligibility Requirements:

• Age: Attained 21 years of age but not yet turned 42 as of September 30th of the fiscal year in which the selection panel is convened.
• Character Standards: All applicants must be of outstanding moral character. In the 36 months preceding the first OCS class panel date in the selection cycle, applicants are ineligible for commissioning if they have been found guilty by a court-martial, received non-judicial punishment (NJP), received an “Unsatisfactory” conduct mark, received a mark of less than “4” in any performance dimension, received unfavorable Administrative Remarks (CG Form 3307), or have been involved in an incident involving alcohol.
• Citizenship: Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Clearance: Must be eligible for a Secret Clearance
• Dependency: A maximum of three dependents (your spouse is a dependent regardless of your status in the military). applicants for active duty in the Coast Guard who are E-5 and above and have served in the military for a minimum of four years (excluding active duty for training) may have sole or primary custody of their dependents. All qualified candidates must submit a dependent care strategy and unique power of attorney.
• Education: Have a minimum 2. 5 cumulative GPA on a 4. 0 scale OR obtain the ACE recommended score on the five general CLEP exams (i) OR hold a baccalaureate or higher degree e. English Composition, Humanities, Natural Science, College Mathematics, Social Science/History) OR At least one year of college (30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours) with at least one college-level mathematics course completed, or achieve the ACE recommended score on the College Mathematics CLEP exam. Foreign degrees: Candidates who have degrees from foreign institutions must also submit a translation of their degree (if it is not in English) and a course-by-course evaluation from a company like Education Credential Evaluators with their application.
• Financial: Must meet all financial obligations, and not have a debt to income ratio in excess of 80% (ratio of debt to projected income at the O1 level) Possibly never filed for bankruptcy (under any chapter) in the previous ten years. Student Loans: Applicants must also disclose to their recruiter any deferred student loan payments as well as the estimated date and sum of those loans’ repayment.
• Interview: Three Coast Guard officers who serve as the interview board’s members must recommend OCS-T applicants.
• Military service: (all of the following requirements must be met) Must be currently serving on active duty in the Coast Guard, AND have at least 4 years of active duty time-in-service as of the selection panel convening date in the cycle, WITH 2 YEARS OF ACTIVE SERVICE IN THE COAST GUARD, AND, MUST BE AN E-5 OR ABOVE AS OF THE SELECTION PANEL CONVENING DATE, OR E-4 IF THE APPLICANT PREVIOUSLY SERVED
• Meet height/weight requirements: CG members must meet MAW or Body Fat requirements as per COMDTINST M1020. Physical (Medical): Must pass commissioning physical (including): Normal Color Vision Before reporting to OCS, 8H must submit a health and physical pre-assessment. Prior to graduating from OCS, you must be able to pass a physical fitness test and a swimming test.
• Test Score: Achieve a qualifying score on one of the following tests (test results are valid for an unlimited period of time): ASVAB: 109 GT (General Technical score: sum of Arithmetic Reasoning (AR) and Verbal (VE) scores, taken after 1 July 2004); ASVAB: 110 GT (if taken prior to 1 July 2004); SAT: 1000 (Combined score, taken prior to 1 April 1995); SAT I: 1100 (Combined score, taken from 1
• Tattoos: Applicants are not permitted to have tattoos or other body markings that violate the CG’s policy on such things as body piercings and mutilation.
• Applicants are required to have read and comprehended the OCS Pre-Reporting Guide.

Members will be released from their enlisted status upon commissioning, which takes place after OCS graduation, and commissioned as Coast Guard officers with an initial 3-year active duty obligation.

Application Process:

Visit the “Plan Your Next Move to Become an Active Duty Coast Guard Officer” page and follow the application instructions if you are prepared to apply. Still Havent Found Your Fit?.

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Officer Candidate School (OCS)

FAQ

Is it hard to get into Coast Guard OCS?

Some people are shocked to learn that the Coast Guard is the most competitive OCS program. Only around 15 percent of applicants make it.

What GPA do you need to get into OCS?

The most competitive packages have a GPA of 3. 0 or higher, especially if the recruit is enrolled in one of the below-listed preferred majors and has successfully completed a calculus and physics sequence

How hard is it to get into OCS school?

While current military candidates and civilian college graduates do not compete with one another for available OCS slots, the better prepared you are for the physically demanding requirements of OCS. About 65% of OCS applicants are accepted.

How long does it take to get into Coast Guard OCS?

Graduates with a four-year degree may enroll in Officer Candidate School (OCS), a 17-week program that includes training in military, law enforcement, navigation, leadership, and management. Throughout the year, OCS classes are held on occasion depending on the needs of the USCG.