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Eagle Rank Requirements

The first Eagle Scout medal was awarded in 1912 to Arthur Rose Eldred, a 17-year-old member of Troop 1 of Rockville Centre, Long Island, New York. Eldred was notified that he was to be awarded the rank of Eagle Scout in a letter from Chief Scout Executive James E. West, dated August 21, 1912. The design of the Eagle Scout medal had not been finalized by the National Council, so the medal was not awarded until Labor Day, September 2, 1912.

Since then, more than 2 million Scouts (as of April 2009) have earned the rank. In 1982, 13-year-old Alexander Holsinger, of Normal, Illinois, was recognized as the one-millionth Eagle Scout.

Each year the Orange County Council, Boy Scouts of America, honors the most recent class of young men who have earned the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout. The Eagle Scout rank is the highest rank a Scouting youth can obtain.
Source: National Scouting Museum and the Orange County Council, BSA.


The Eagle Rank Requirements

1.  Be active in your Troop, Team, Crew, or Ship for a period of at least six months after you have achieved the rank of Life Scout.
2.  Demonstrate that you live by the principles of the Scout Oath and Law in your daily life. List the names of individuals who know you personally and would be willing to provide a recommendation on your behalf, including parents/guardians, religious, educational, and employer references.
3.  Earn a total of 21 merit badges (10 more than you already have), including the following:
  1. First Aid
  2. Citizenship in the Community
  3. Citizenship in the Nation
  4. Citizenship in the World
  5. Communications
  6. Personal Fitness
  7. Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving
  8. Environmental Science
  9. Personal Management
  10. Swimming OR Hiking OR Cycling
  11. Camping
  12. Family Life

You must choose only one merit badge listed in items g and j. If you have earned more than one of the badges listed in items g and j, choose one and list the remaining badges to make your total of 21.

4.  While a Life Scout, serve actively for a period of six months in one or more of the following positions of responsibility:
  • Boy Scout Troop. Patrol Leader, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, Senior Patrol Leader, Troop Guide, Order of the Arrow Troop Representative, Den Chief, scribe, Librarian, Historian, Quartermaster, Junior Assistant Scoutmaster, Chaplain Aide, or Instructor.
  • Varsity Scout Team. Captain, Co-captain, Program Manager, Squad Leader, Team Secretary, Order of the Arrow Team Representative, Librarian, Quartermaster, Chaplain Aide, Instructor, or Den Chief.
  • Venturing Crew/Ship. President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Boatswain, Boatswain's Mate, Yeoman, Purser, or Storekeeper.
5.  While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or your community. (The project should benefit an organization other than Boy
Scouting.) The project plan must be approved by the organization benefiting from the effort, your Scoutmaster and Troop Committee, and the Council or District before you start. You must use the Eagle Scout Leadership Service
Project Workbook, BSA publication No. 18-927, in meeting this requirement.
6.  Take part in a Scoutmaster conference.
7.  Successfully complete an Eagle Scout board of review.

Notes

AGE REQUIREMENT ELIGIBILITY. Merit Badges, badges of rank, and Eagle Palms may be earned by a registered Boy Scout, Varsity Scout, or Venturer. He may earn these awards until his 18th birthday. Any Venturer who achieved the
First Class rank as a Boy Scout in a troop or Varsity Scout in a Team may continue working for the Star, Life, and Eagle Scout ranks and Eagle Palms while registered as a Venturer up to his 18th birthday. Scouts and Venturers who have
completed all requirements prior to their 18th birthday may be reviewed within three months after that date with no explanation. Boards of review conducted between three and six months after the candidate's 18th birthday must be
preapproved by the local Council. A statement by an adult explaining the reason for the delay must be attached to the Eagle Scout Rank Application when it is submitted to the Eagle Scout Service. The Boy Scout Division at the National
office must be contacted for procedures to follow if a board of review is to be conducted more than six months after a candidate's 18th birthday.

If you have a permanent physical or mental disability, you may become an Eagle Scout by qualifying for as many required merit badges as you can and qualifying for alternative merit badges for the rest. If you seek to become
an Eagle Scout under this procedure, you must submit a special application to your local Council Service Center. Your application must be approved by your Council Advancement Committee before you can work on alternative merit
badges.

A Scout or Venturer with a disability may work toward rank advancement after he is 18 years of age. See Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures, No. 33088 for details.

Online Resources

The National Eagle Scout Association (NESA) provides a number of online resources to assist Scouts in earning the Eagle rank — including an electronic version of the Eagle Scout Rank Application and the Eagle Scout
Leadership Service Project Workbook — via their Web site at www.nesa.org.




Source of information on this page is The Boy Scouts of America National Council, Eagle Rank Requirements.

Last revision was made on: October 31, 2008 by David Exter