About OCS

IamtheFred

C/o2026 Applicant
Joined
Apr 26, 2021
Messages
75
Hello,
I am applying to several academies this year and so I am also thinking about OCS as a plan B. Could someone please answer a few questions about OCS for me.
1) Is it possible to be denied entry into OCS?
2) How soon after enlisting could I go into OCS?
3) What courses would I take at OCS?
4) Could I attend a four year university after OCS and still remain active duty?
5) Do people who go through OCS advance through the ranks slower than those who did ROTC or a SA?
Specifically I am thinking about Navy. If you could also talk about life at OCS, and the general attitude/life style there.
Thanks!!
 
1. Yes you can be denied entry to OCS - it is pretty selective and as an enlisted person, you need to get your Chain of Command to support your OCS application.
The first hurdle is likely to be a Bachelor's Degree. Navy OCS is fairly selective about which specific degrees they want and will also consider your college GPA.
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3. OCS is relatively short and includes both professional and physical topics (not courses).
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4. See the latter part of Answer #1
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5. No - promotions for officers are at the same rate for OCS as they are for ROTC or SA.
 
1. absolutely! OCS is a very competitive program. There are multiple boards each year, if you don't get selected at first you can keep trying.
2. You don't need to serve as an enlisted member before going to OCS, though many do.
3. OCS is an Officer training program, it's not a College program.
4. You must have a 4 year degree before applying to OCS
5. No, once you commission, you will advance through the ranks based on your performance, not on where you commissioned.

Based on your questions, you might be confusing OCS with other programs, such as STA-21. OCS stands for Officer Candidate School. It is a commissioning source for Navy, that fills the gap between the required force structure and the output of NROTC and USNA. Because it can be turned up and turned down quickly to meet the needs, it can be difficult to predict how many spots are available month to month.

The biggest difference between OCS and the other sources, is that with OCS you go to college on your own, and apply to become an officer after. You don't get any help will college costs. But the big advantage is that you apply for a specific program and you will know for sure what you will do in the Navy if you are accepted. If you apply to be a pilot and are accepted, then you are guaranteed to go to flight school if you commission (and meet the physical qualifications etc). With NROTC or USNA, there is always the risk that you could be assigned to do something you have no interest in doing.

If you are thinking about enlisting as a path to gaining a commission as a plan B after USNA and NROTC, there are a lot of things to consider. You should also consider attending a 4 year college that offers NROTC, and join that program as a non-scholarship member, and re-apply for the scholarship.

If going to college without an NROTC scholarship isn't an option, and you are considering enlisting and then applying to an officer program, check out the STA-21 program, https://www.netc.navy.mil/Commands/Naval-Service-Training-Command/STA-21/STA-21-Program/
 
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Excellent answers above. I am a Navy OCS grad, applied my senior year of college. The officer recruiters were interested in my major, GPA, leadership and sports activities, general physical fitness. I had to take some kind of test. I had to pass the accession physical. The recruiters actually found me, but that’s another story. I did not appreciate how competitive it was until I met my classmates.

If you have any interest at all in going into nuclear power officer, surface or submarine, check out the NUPOC program, which does provide college assistance. It is a highly specific program and very competitive, on a par with USNA and NROTC warfare community selection process.
 
“Life at OCS” - full daily schedule of immersion military life, because you are active duty from Day 1 getting E-5 pay. Classes with exams on professional development topics similar to USNA and NROTC, condensed and pressurized; PT sessions and tests, marching/drill/parades, sports periods, color company competitions (academic, drill grades, inter-company sports), uniform inspections, room inspections, pool PT and swim tests snd the tower jump, standing watch at all hours, going to the range to shoot pistols, driving the YP craft around Narragansett Bay, company leadership and regimental leadership roles, shots and pre-comm physicals, homework, tests, cleaning and polishing, some liberty on the weekends if you were sat in academics and other graded areas, going to “stupid nav,” or “stupid swim” if you weren’t. Oh yes, and a crucible-like, Sea Trials-like yelling experience near the end, and a general Plebe Summer vibe throughout. My OCS class was 16 weeks. I think it is shorter now. No doubt things have changed, but I know the pressure-cooker has not. My classmates and companymates were the highest-quality prior enlisted and top-quality college grads who had athletic and leadership skills. My years of club swimming, college field hockey and fencing and weight training helped a great deal, knowledge of sailing and Rules of the Road, as did leadership activities in HS and college, plus a track record of solid academics, test scores and class standing.
 
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What does the Navy OCS application process entail?
Typically, you find a Navy officer recruiter via a STEM career fair at college or go to the website to be contacted. I ran into my Navy officer recruiters at an info table in front of the campus post office one spring day, where in pre-email days, everyone went once a day. They noticed the advanced STEM course book I was carrying, initiated conversation, and within a few weeks, I had kicked over the traces of my grad school acceptances and fellowships, and had a seat in an OCS class 4 months after I graduated college. I knew I had places to go, people to meet, and things to do, and this was my path.

Similar to other commissioning pipelines, you fill out application forms, provide transcripts, do a preliminary security check, pass a physical, take a test. This usually happens during senior year of college, though you can get on an officer recruiter’s radar as a junior to stay in touch. I keep saying “officer recruiter,” because these are not the fine folks who are the enlisted recruiting teams in your nearby shopping center office. These are officer recruiters who work a specific region.

Have you researched the Navy OCS website, read all the links?
 
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Typically, you find a Navy officer recruiter via a STEM career fair at college or go to the website to be contacted. I ran into my Navy officer recruiters at an info table in front of the campus post office one spring day, where in pre-email days, everyone went once a day. They noticed the advanced STEM course book I was carrying, initiated conversation, and within a few weeks, I had kicked over the traces of my grad school acceptances and fellowships, and had a seat in an OCS class 4 months after I graduated college. I knew I had places to go, people to meet, and things to do, and this was my path.

Similar to other commissioning pipelines, you fill out application forms, provide transcripts, do a preliminary security check, pass a physical, take a test. This usually happens during senior year of college, though you can get on an officer recruiter’s radar as a junior to stay in touch. I keep saying “officer recruiter,” because these are not the fine folks who are the enlisted recruiting teams in your nearby shopping center office. These are officer recruiters who work a specific region.

Have you researched the Navy OCS website, read all the links?
What an inspiring story!! thank you for sharing! Not quite though I have briefly skimmed it!, would love to further discuss ok to pm?
 
What an inspiring story!! thank you for sharing! Not quite though I have briefly skimmed it!, would love to further discuss ok to pm?
My experience is decades old now, which is hard to write. I can’t tell you much more than what I have written in previous posts.

OCS is highly competitive. The Navy can cherry-pick exactly who they want to fill officer recruiting goals for that year, depending on predicted production from USNA, NROTC and other pre-comm programs. You could be an outstanding candidate, but if you are not what they are looking for or have enough for the year, the door closes. The good news is, the age limit is much higher for OCS. You can keep trying after college.
 
My experience is decades old now, which is hard to write. I can’t tell you much more than what I have written in previous posts.

OCS is highly competitive. The Navy can cherry-pick exactly who they want to fill officer recruiting goals for that year, depending on predicted production from USNA, NROTC and other pre-comm programs. You could be an outstanding candidate, but if you are not what they are looking for or have enough for the year, the door closes. The good news is, the age limit is much higher for OCS. You can keep trying after college.
I’m a college reapplicant (as surely you’ve gathered from other threads) OCS is my backup plan in the event I’m turned down by USNA again. On the contrary, I’ll have my Associates degree in the spring and have a Baccalaureate degree program ready to complete in mind to boost entry chances as that is a major part of the process. It sure seems like Annapolis the competition is fierce though hopefully not AS tough as the SA route.
 
You have three ways to commission. The Academy which is a guarantee (ok nothing is 100%) if you graduate but of course is the hardest to get into. OCS/OTS which is what you do after you graduate college. Sure you could enlist and then try to get into officer school but i don't see the point. You could enlist and try to get into OCS while enlisted which then makes you dependent on your commanding officers as they have to agree to it, or you can enlist and finish and then apply to OCS which as i said before, i don't get the point. OCS\OTS is tough to get into because the military relies on the academy and Rotc to fill up the demand for officers. If there is an additional need, they take them from OCS. The more the need the more they take in. The less the need, the less they take in. Therefore it is very competitive. Your third option and the best option assuming you can't get into an academy is Rotc. While its hard to get a scholarship from Rotc, getting in to Rotc without asking for money is no more than signing some forms. Obviously, you will have to do many things for the next four years but if you do everything correctly, you will commission when you graduate college. I mean if you are going to go to college anyway, why not do Rotc and have an almost guarantee commission when you finish. Compare that to going to college, graduating, and the apply to OCS where you may or may get accepted based on things you can control and things you cant control. The really only benefit of OTS at least for the Air Force, is that you can apply for it and only asking for a pilot spot or other rated position. It's a yes or no answer. With Rotc, you can commission but still be denied a pilot spot. So in a sense, you get a have a little more control assuming they accept you. Not sure if that would apply to the Navy, but its the only benefit i can see except for those who do college and don't do Rotc as It gives them away in.
 
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You have three ways to commission. The Academy which is a guarantee (ok nothing is 100%) if you graduate but of course is the hardest to get into. OCS/OTS which is what you do after you graduate college. Sure you could enlist and then try to get into officer school but i don't see the point. You could enlist and try to get into OCS while enlisted which then makes you dependent on your commanding officers as they have to agree to it, or you can enlist and finish and then apply to OCS which as i said before, i don't get the point. OCS\OTS is tough to get into because the military relies on the academy and Rotc to fill up the demand for officers. If there is an additional need, they take them from OCS. The more the need the more they take in. The less the need, the less they take in. Therefore it is very competitive. Your third option and the best option assuming you can't get into an academy is Rotc. While its hard to get a scholarship from Rotc, getting in to Rotc without asking for money is no more than signing some forms. Obviously, you will have to do many things for the next four years but if you do everything correctly, you will commission when you graduate college. I mean if you are going to go to college anyway, why not do Rotc and have an almost guarantee commission when you finish. Compare that to going to college, graduating, and the apply to OCS where you may or may get accepted based on things you can control and things you cant control. Best part about OTS in the Air Force, you can apply for it only asking for a pilot spot or other rated position. It's a yes or no answer. With Rotc, you can commission but still be denied a pilot spot. So in a sense you get a have a little more control.
PLUS, you can earn a scholarship while in the ROTC program. That’s a win in my book!!
 
You have three ways to commission. The Academy which is a guarantee (ok nothing is 100%) if you graduate but of course is the hardest to get into. OCS/OTS which is what you do after you graduate college. Sure you could enlist and then try to get into officer school but i don't see the point. You could enlist and try to get into OCS while enlisted which then makes you dependent on your commanding officers as they have to agree to it, or you can enlist and finish and then apply to OCS which as i said before, i don't get the point. OCS\OTS is tough to get into because the military relies on the academy and Rotc to fill up the demand for officers. If there is an additional need, they take them from OCS. The more the need the more they take in. The less the need, the less they take in. Therefore it is very competitive. Your third option and the best option assuming you can't get into an academy is Rotc. While its hard to get a scholarship from Rotc, getting in to Rotc without asking for money is no more than signing some forms. Obviously, you will have to do many things for the next four years but if you do everything correctly, you will commission when you graduate college. I mean if you are going to go to college anyway, why not do Rotc and have an almost guarantee commission when you finish. Compare that to going to college, graduating, and the apply to OCS where you may or may get accepted based on things you can control and things you cant control. The really only benefit of OTS at least for the Air Force, is that you can apply for it and only asking for a pilot spot or other rated position. It's a yes or no answer. With Rotc, you can commission but still be denied a pilot spot. So in a sense, you get a have a little more control assuming they accept you. Not sure if that would apply to the Navy, but its the only benefit i can see except for those who do college and don't do Rotc as It gives them away in.
Thank you for this!! May I send you a pm?
 
If you want a specific community in the Navy, OCS is the only guarantee. Otherwise, USNA/ROTC is for you.

USNA gets more quotas than ROTC for certain communities. Not a problem if you want to go SWO, Aviation, or submarines.

Recommend doing some research on the public Navy website for requirements and how to prepare for OCS. GPA and officer aptitude rating (OAR) are good initial indicators of how competitive you will be against the pool of applicants. You can find minimum/desired OAR scores on the officer community management pages on MyNavyHR: https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Career-Management/Community-Management/Officer/Active-OCM/.

I don't recommend enlisting with the goal of a commission. Many factors at play and some outside of your control as a junior Sailor--having the time and command support to finish a bachelor's degree is just one of the major obstacles. Enlist because you want to enlist.
 
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