These requirements were revised effective on January 1, 2000.
To see the changes which were made in 2000, Click here.
To see the 1999 version, Click Here.
To see the changes which take effect on January 1, 2010, Click here.
Note that Eagle Palms are NOT considered "Ranks" by BSA.
The Charter and Bylaws in Article X, Section 1, Clause 6, states:
"Ranks. There shall be the following ranks in Boy Scouting: Tenderfoot, Second
Class, First Class, Star, Life, and Eagle. The requirements shall be those authorized
by the Executive Board and set forth in official Scouting publications. Eagle
Palms may also be awarded on the basis of requirements authorized by the Executive
Board and set forth in official Scouting publications."
After becoming an Eagle Scout, you may earn Palms by completing the following requirements:
- Be active in your troop and patrol for at least 3 months after becoming an Eagle Scout or after the award of your last Palm.
- Demonstrate Scout spirit by living the Scout Oath (Promise) and Scout Law in your everyday life.
- Make a satisfactory effort to develop and demonstrate leadership ability.
- Earn five additional merit badges beyond those required for Eagle or last Palm.*.
- Take Part in a Scoutmaster conference.
- Complete your board of review.
You may wear only the proper combination of Palms for the number of merit badges you earned beyond the rank of Eagle. The Bronze Palm represents 5 merit badges, the Gold Palm - 10, and the Silver Palm - 15.
*Merit Badges earned any time since becoming a Boy Scout may be used to meet this requirement.
Please note that Requirement 6 - (Complete your board of review) MAY be done AFTER the Scout has reached age 18.
The requirements above are those for boys enrolled in the Boy Scout Division as members of Boy Scout Troops (including Venture Patrols within Troops) or Varsity Scout Teams.
Click here for the guidelines which apply to members of Venturing Crews or Sea Scout Ships.
NOTE: Scouts who earn three Palms may continue to earn additional Palms in the same order - bronze, gold, and silver. All requirements for Eagle Palms must be completed before a candidate's 18th birthday. The Palms beyond Silver can't be entered into BSA's Scoutnet database, since there doesn't appear to be a way to record multiple instances of the awards, just the number of merit badges earned, but a Scout can still earn and wear the multiple Palms.
The following Table shows how many and which Palms should be worn for various numbers of Merit Badges beyond the 21 required for Eagle Scout, and how long it takes to earn these palms ( assuming exactly 3 months between each Board of Review).
Palm Number |
Merit Badges beyond those required for Eagle Scout |
Total Merit Badges since joining Scouts |
Minimum number of Months since earning Eagle | Number of Palms to be worn | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bronze | Gold | Silver | ||||
1 | 5 | 26 | 3 | 1 | ||
2 | 10 | 31 | 6 | 1 | ||
3 | 15 | 36 | 9 | 1 | ||
4 | 20 | 41 | 12 | 1 | 1 | |
5 | 25 | 46 | 15 | 1 | 1 | |
6 | 30 | 51 | 18 | 2 | ||
7 | 35 | 56 | 21 | 1 | 2 | |
8 | 40 | 61 | 24 | 1 | 2 | |
9 | 45 | 66 | 27 | 3 | ||
10 | 50 | 71 | 30 | 1 | 3 | |
1 | 55 | 76 | 33 | 1 | 3 | |
12 | 60 | 81 | 36 | 4 | ||
13 | 65 | 86 | 39 | 1 | 4 | |
14 | 70 | 91 | 42 | 1 | 4 | |
15 | 75 | 96 | 45 | 5 | ||
16 | 80 | 101 | 48 | 1 | 5 | |
17 | 85 | 106 | 51 | 1 | 5 | |
18 | 90 | 111 | 54 | 6 | ||
19 | 95 | 116 | 57 | 1 | 6 | |
20 | 100 | 121 | 60 | 1 | 6 |
To reach 20 palms (6 Silver and a Gold), in addition to earning 121 Merit Badges, a Scout must pass his Eagle Scout Board of Review no later than the day before his 13th Birthday, then pass each of the 20 subsequent Eagle Palm Boards of Review exactly 3 months after the preceding Board of Review, in order to complete all tenure requirements before his 18th birthday.
Worksheet for use in working on these requirements: | Prepared by | Format | |
---|---|---|---|
Craig Lincoln | Word Format | PDF Format |