Star Rank Requirements

These requirements became effective on January 1, 2013.
The change to the footnote to requirement 3 became effective on July 15, 2013.

To see the requirements with the changes highlighted, Click here.

To see the previous requirements, Click here.

To see the current requirements, Click here

Be active in your unit(and patrol if you are in one) for at least four months as a First Class Scout.
Demonstrate scout spirit by living the Scout Oath (Promise) and Scout Law in your everyday life.
Earn 6 merit badges, including 4 from the required list for Eagle.*
___________________________________(required for Eagle)*
___________________________________(required for Eagle)*
___________________________________(required for Eagle)*
___________________________________(required for Eagle)*
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While a First Class Scout, take part in service project(s) totaling at least 6 hours of work. These projects must be approved by your Scoutmaster.
While a First Class Scout, serve actively in your unit for four months in one or more of the following positions of responsibility (or carry out a unit leader-assigned leadership project to help your unit):

Boy Scout troop.

Patrol leader,
assistant senior patrol leader,
senior patrol leader,
Venture patrol leader
troop guide,
Order of the Arrow troop representative,
den chief,
scribe,
librarian,
historian,
quartermaster,
bugler,
junior assistant Scoutmaster,
chaplain aide,
instructor ,
troop Webmaster, or
Leave No Trace trainer.

Varsity Scout team.

Captain,
cocaptain,
program manager,
squad leader,
team secretary,
Order of the Arrow team representative,
librarian,
historian,
quartermaster,
chaplain aide,
instructor,
den chief,
team Webmaster, or
Leave No Trace trainer.

Venturing crew / Sea Scout ship.

President,
vice president,
secretary,
treasurer,
den chief,
quartermaster,
historian,
guide,
boatswain,
boatswain's mate,
yeoman,
purser,
storekeeper,
crew/ship Webmaster, or
Leave No Trace trainer.

Take part in a Scoutmaster conference
Complete your board of review.

* Choose any of the 15 16 required merit badges in the 12 categories to fulfill requirement 3. See requirement 3 in the Eagle Scout requirements for a list of badges required for Eagle.

NOTE: The footnote to Requirement 3 means that, for example, a Scout can use both Lifesaving AND Emergency Preparedness and/or Swimming, Hiking, AND Cycling toward the requirement of 4 from the required list for Eagle when working toward Life Scout.) Also note that the asterisks are specifically placed on the lines marked "(required for Eagle)" signifying that the note applies to these badges. The Guide to Advancement explicitly states this on page 52:

7.0.4.5 Earning Eagle-Required Merit Badges for Star or Life Rank
Candidates for Star or Life, in the selection of “any four” or “any three,” respectively, of the merit badges required for Eagle, may choose from all those listed, including where alternatives are available: Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving; Cycling OR Hiking OR Swimming; and, beginning July 2013, Environmental Science OR Sustainability. For example, if a Scout earns Cycling, Hiking, and Swimming, all three of them count as Eagle required for Life rank. Only one, however, would serve toward the required merit badges for the Eagle Scout rank. The other two would count toward the optional merit badges required to make up the total of 21 merit badges.

Note that Star and Life requirements each allow two non-Eagle-required merit badges. It is the Scout’s decision, however, to earn more—or all—of his Star and Life badges from the Eagle-required list. Beginning July 2013, Sustainability may be used for a Star or Life Eagle-required merit badge as well, even if Environmental Science has also been earned, but only one of the two would count toward an Eagle rank.

Please note that Requirement 7 - (Complete your Board of Review) MAY be done AFTER the Scout' has reached age 18. All other requirements must be completed BEFORE the Scout's 18th Birthday.

Upcoming change

Cooking Merit Badge to Be Required for Eagle Starting Jan. 1, 2014

Effective Jan. 1, 2014, the Cooking merit badge will be required to obtain the Eagle Scout rank. Regardless of when a Scout earned the Life rank or began working toward Eagle, unless he fulfills all the rank requirements—with the exception of his board of review— before Jan. 1, 2014, he must earn the Cooking merit badge to become an Eagle Scout.

Note: This means that as of January 1, 2014, the number of "Eagle required" merit badges will be 13, instead of 12, and the number of "Optional" badges will drop to 8. In addition, this change to the Eagle required list will result in another change to the footnote to requirement 3. Once the Cooking merit badge becomes required, the footnote will be changed as follows: "* Choose any of the 16 17 required merit badges in the 12 13 categories to fulfill requirement 3."

VENTURERS and SEA SCOUTS

The requirements above are those for boys enrolled as members of Boy Scout Troops (including Venture Patrols within Troops) or Varsity Scout Teams. The following requirements apply to boys registered in the Venturing Program including Sea Scouts.

Any male Venturer or Sea Scout who has achieved the First Class rank as a Boy Scout in a troop or Varsity Scout in a team may continue advancement toward Star, Life and Eagle Scout ranks up to his 18th birthday.

He must meet the requirements as prescribed in the official Boy Scout Handbook and the current Boy Scout Requirements book.

The Venturer or Sea Scout may fulfill leadership requirements by serving as president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, quartermaster, historian, den chief, guide, webmaster, Leave No Trace trainer, boatswain, boatswain's mate, yeoman, purser, or storekeeper.

The Scoutmaster conference will be conducted by the Advisor or Skipper.

A board of review will be conducted by the crew or ship committee.