BDCP App. Question

[semperfimelissa]

To apply for the Navy’s BDCP, you must:

Be a U.S. Citizen;
Be at least 18 but not more than 34 before degree completion. (Most officer programs have lower age requirements.);
Meet Navy physical standards;
Have a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of at least 2.7 on a 4.0 scale;
Be enrolled in or accepted for transfer to a regionally accredited four-year college or university with at least 30 semester hours or 45 quarter-hours of accredited college or university credit.

Do you have to be 18 by the time you get your degree or 18 to apply for the program?

 

[Godspeed]

HEHE. I don't know a whole hell of a lot of people that have their bachelors degrees at 18. You must be 18 to apply for the program. Good Luck!

 

[erinbynight]

You have to be at least 18 to receive a commission in the US Navy.

 

[semperfimelissa]

HEHE. I don't know a whole hell of a lot of people that have their bachelors degrees at 18. You must be 18 to apply for the program. Good Luck!

You have to be at least 18 to receive a commission in the US Navy.

Haha..you guys have me confused now. I'm going to be starting college in the fall of 2005 and I'm 16. My question was can you apply as long as you're 18 by the time you commission or do you have to be 18 to even apply?

 

[erinbynight]

I believe you need to be 18 before you receive commission...I guess I wasn't that clear. I believe you can be younger than 18, in your case 16, to apply, but you must have 30 college credit hours (generally 2 semesters; I believe it is 45 if you are doing quarters). You should talk to a recruiter, even though it can be a hassle especially if you aren't that sure about the program, since they generally keep on your case. Make sure you call your regional OFFICERS program office, and not an enlisted.

 

[erinbynight]

Also, since you are just starting college, I highly recommend looking into the Navy ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) option. You can be younger than 18 to apply, and you will receive commission upon graduation instead of having to attend OCS. However, you will be commissioned into the reserves, where if you graduate from OCS you have active duty option.

 

[erinbynight]

Sorry...I forgot to mention that you have a Marines option with the NROTC, since you have semper fidelis as part of your screen name.

 

[semperfimelissa]

Thanks, I will call a recruiter after the holidays and ask. I will be 17 by the time I finish 30 credits so maybe that will help.

 

[semperfimelissa]

Thanks for the suggestion..I'm looking into the NROTC College Program already. But if it's possible BDCP does sound like a better option then being in the NROTC College Program. For example, you get $18,000 per year in salary plus full medical and dental benefits, but in the NROTC College Program you only get naval textbooks and a uniform. Another question, if you get some college credit by AP or CLEP exams and your college accepts them..would it count towards the 30 credit requirement?

 

[Godspeed]

For example, you get $18,000 per year in salary plus full medical and dental benefits, but in the NROTC College Program you only get naval textbooks and a uniform. Another question, if you get some college credit by AP or CLEP exams and your college accepts them..would it count towards the 30 credit requirement?

A full ride ROTC scholarship is obtainable, mooting the point you made about only receiving a uniform and textbooks, since there is a possibility of having them pay for your college. In some instances this is worth more or less than BDCP. This is solely dependant on the cost of attending the college in question.

BDCP is the best option for a lot of us. I started college when I was 16 as well. I was implying that I don't know a whole lot of individuals that were graduating college at the age of 18 with their bachelors degrees. I had an associates when I was 18, but was, and still am, a quite a ways away from my bachelors.

If your college accepts AP or CLEP exams as college credit, and they show up on your transcripts as credit hours, than they are counted towards your 30 credit hours.

Congrats on finding all of this out so early on. It will pay off in the end, trust me :-D

 

[snow85]

another thing that you might want to check on is your legal status.

if you are fully emancipated as a college student, that's one thing. if not, your parents/ legal guardian may need to sign on the bottom line. you recruiter should be able to walk you through that part of the process.

good for you-- keep us posted, and good luck!

 

[erinbynight]

Yeah it counts.

 

[Red2]

Also, since you are just starting college, I highly recommend looking into the Navy ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) option. You can be younger than 18 to apply, and you will receive commission upon graduation instead of having to attend OCS. However, you will be commissioned into the reserves, where if you graduate from OCS you have active duty option.

Not true. Everyone is commissioned USNR. Academy grads used to be commissioned USN but that stopped in the '90s.

 

[semperfimelissa]

Thank you guys for all of your help! I talked to a recruiter online today at Navy.com and he said that I could be in BDCP as long as I was 18 by the time I commission. I'm so excited..any tips on the application process?

 

[erinbynight]

Not true. Everyone is commissioned USNR. Academy grads used to be commissioned USN but that stopped in the '90s.

Hmm...my bad. How am I supposed to serve in the USN???