Requirement
3. Earn a total of 21 merit badges
Required
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.
What this is made of
Where this step comes from
- Eagle Scout Rank Application (January 2026 Revision), Requirement 3 · The requirement itself: 21 badges, of which 13 come from the numbered required slots.
- Citizenship in Society Merit Badge Discontinuance (Program update, 27 February 2026) · Thirteen required and eight elective since 27 February 2026; the 2025-12 requirements book, which lists fourteen, is superseded on this point.
- Merit Badge Requirements (Current online edition) · What each individual badge requires.