Eagle Scout Rank Requirements
The seven requirements, the service project approval chain, and the merit badges: in the order they actually have to happen.
15 steps (29 parts inside them). 7 parts depend on questions you have not answered yet. · Version 1, published 7 August 2026 · About Eagle Scout Rank
No questions answered
This is the whole plan: everything that could apply to anybody. Answering the 3 questions at the address above takes out the parts that are not for you.
Which of this applies to you
You have not answered anything yet, so this is the whole plan: everything that could apply to anybody. Answering 3 short questions will take out the parts that are not for you.
The steps
Stage 1 of 10
3 steps
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Life Scout board of review passed Milestone
The date everything else is measured from. Requirements 1, 4, 5 and 6 all begin "While a Life Scout", and only what happens after this date counts towards them.
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2. Demonstrate Scout spirit, and list your references Often forgotten Requirement
Live by the Scout Oath and Scout Law, tell how you have done your duty to God, and list people who know you personally and will speak on your behalf.
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Statement of ambitions and life purpose, and your leadership positions Often forgotten Document
Prepared for the board of review and attached to the application: your ambitions and life purpose, the positions you have held outside Scouting, and the honours you received.
Stage 2 of 10
3 steps
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1. Be active in your unit for at least six months as a Life Scout Requirement
Six months of active participation, counted from the Life Scout board of review. Runs at the same time as requirement 4, not after it.
Usually comes after Life Scout board of review passed.
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4. Serve six months in a position of responsibility Requirement
Six months in one or more listed positions, counted only from the Life Scout board of review. Runs alongside requirement 1.
Usually comes after Life Scout board of review passed.
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6. Participate in a unit leader conference Often forgotten Requirement
Held while a Life Scout. It does not have to be the last thing you do, and treating it as a final gate delays people for no reason.
Usually comes after Life Scout board of review passed.
Stage 3 of 10
1 step
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3. Earn a total of 21 merit badges Requirement
Thirteen required badges and eight of your own choosing. Three of the thirteen are a choice between two or three badges, so the list you choose from is seventeen badges long.
Usually comes after 3. The thirteen required merit badges and 3. Eight optional merit badges.
19 parts
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3. The thirteen required merit badges Usually comes after 3.1. Camping, 3.2. Citizenship in the Community and 11 others. Citizenship in Society is no longer required. Scouting America discontinued it on 27 February 2026: no Scout may start it after that date, and Eagle now needs 13 required badges and 8 optional ones, still 21. Requirement books and Star and Life sheets printed earlier still list it. One exception: a Life Scout who had already completed some of its requirements before that date may finish it by 31 December 2026, and the council or district advancement chair or council registrar may let it count toward Eagle. Ask your council before relying on it.
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3.7. Emergency Preparedness May not apply
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3.7. Lifesaving May not apply
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3.8. Environmental Science May not apply
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3.8. Sustainability May not apply
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3.10. Swimming May not apply
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3.10. Hiking May not apply
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3.10. Cycling May not apply
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Stage 4 of 10
1 step
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5. Plan, develop and give leadership to others in a service project Requirement
The project must benefit an organisation other than Scouting America, and the proposal must be approved by four parties before any work begins.
Usually comes after 5. Complete the project report and collect the final signatures.
10 parts
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5. Obtain the current Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook Usually comes after Life Scout board of review passed.
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5. Choose a beneficiary and write the project proposal Usually comes after 5. Obtain the current Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook.
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5. Proposal approved by the beneficiary Usually comes after 5. Choose a beneficiary and write the project proposal.
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5. Proposal approved by the unit leader Usually comes after 5. Choose a beneficiary and write the project proposal.
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5. Proposal approved by the unit committee Usually comes after 5. Choose a beneficiary and write the project proposal.
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5. Proposal approved by the council or district Often forgotten Usually comes after 5. Choose a beneficiary and write the project proposal. No work on the project may begin until the proposal has all four approvals, including this one. A project carried out before approval has not met the requirement, however good the project was.
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5. Develop the final project plan Usually comes after 5. Proposal approved by the beneficiary, 5. Proposal approved by the unit leader and 2 others.
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5. Carry out the project, giving leadership to others Usually comes after 5. Develop the final project plan.
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5. Complete the project report and collect the final signatures Usually comes after 5. Carry out the project, giving leadership to others.
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Stage 5 of 10
1 step
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Requirements 1 to 6 complete Milestone
The point the certification on the application refers to. Everything except the board of review has to be behind you.
Usually comes after 1. Be active in your unit for at least six months as a Life Scout, 2. Demonstrate Scout spirit, and list your references and 4 others.
Every requirement except the board of review has to be finished before the 18th birthday. The board itself may be held afterwards. A Scout who completed the requirements in time may be reviewed within 24 months of that birthday without having to explain the delay; beyond that, and for extensions granted before the birthday, the Guide to Advancement sets out the process.
Stage 6 of 10
1 step
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Complete the Eagle Scout Rank Application and obtain unit signatures Document
The current application form, filled in, then signed personally by the unit leader and the unit committee chair.
Usually comes after Requirements 1 to 6 complete.
Stage 7 of 10
1 step
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Submit the application to the council service center Task
Keep a copy of everything you hand in. The workbook goes with it.
Usually comes after Complete the Eagle Scout Rank Application and obtain unit signatures.
Stage 8 of 10
2 steps
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Council verifies the application and schedules the board of review Approval
The council checks its records against the application and arranges the board.
Usually comes after Submit the application to the council service center.
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References contacted Often forgotten Approval
The Scout asks the references listed on the application; the council contacts them. A reference who never replies is the commonest cause of delay at this stage.
Usually comes after Submit the application to the council service center.
Stage 9 of 10
1 step
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7. Successfully complete your board of review for the Eagle Scout rank Requirement
The only requirement that may be completed after the 18th birthday.
Usually comes after Council verifies the application and schedules the board of review and References contacted.
Stage 10 of 10
1 step
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Credentials received by the local council Milestone
The rank may not be presented until the council has the Eagle Scout credentials back from the national advancement program team.
Usually comes after 7. Successfully complete your board of review for the Eagle Scout rank.
This plan is a planning aid: the current Boy Scouts of America publication is always the authority, and the sources used here are listed in full. Each step names its own.