Advancement Already Earned Elsewhere

What this page is

The two situations in which a Scout brings advancement with them, drawn from the Guide to Advancement topics 5.0.2.0 and 5.0.4.0 and cited on every item.

They are not the same, and the difference is the whole point

Coming back after time away needs no approval from anybody. A member who leaves a Scouting program is welcome to return if they are eligible and in good standing, and they take up where they left off at the last verifiable rank or award. The Guide states two things in the negative here, and both are worth reading twice: the time away must not be held against them, and they must not be made to redo requirements.

Arriving from another country's Scouting association does need a review. If progress from a foreign association is going to count, the Scout meets the council or district advancement committee, with at least one adult from the receiving unit present, and the committee determines which Scouting America rank the previous work qualifies them for.

Two things people get wrong

The review can determine any rank up to, but not including, Eagle Scout. Eagle is not considered equivalent to any other association's rank, and there is no route by which a foreign award becomes it.

Five things always have to be done in a Scouting America unit no matter what was earned elsewhere: active participation, a position of responsibility, Scout spirit, the service project and the unit leader conference.

Why time away does not break a requirement

Requirements that call for a period of months do not call for a continuous period. Time counted as active need not be consecutive and a Scout may piece together any times they have been active; positions of responsibility need not flow from one to the next and there may be gaps between them. That is stated in the rank requirement topics themselves, not as a concession for people who left.

How to read the graph

An arrow points from the thing that has to happen first to the thing it unlocks. Nested items are part of the step above them rather than steps of their own. Dotted lines are recommended order carrying no obligation; dashed lines apply only in the case written on the arrow.