Boy Scout Advancement

Merit Badges

The procedures for earning and receiving Merit Badges can be found in the Introduction to Merit Badges. Current requirements for all Merit Badges can be found on our Merit Badge Requirements pages. The requirements for all Merit Badges are listed in the 2008 Boy Scout Requirements book (#33215). Scouts who began working on any old requirements before January 1, 2008, may continue to use them if they wish, or may use the current requirements. Since the new requirements became effective on January 1, 2008, Scouts BEGINNING work on a Merit Badge now MUST use the current requirements.

A list of all Merit Badges, with the pamphlet stock numbers, copyright and latest revision dates, and the date of the most recent revision to the requirements is also available.

Age Requirement Eligibility

Merit badges, badges of rank, and Eagle Palms are for boys who are registered Boy Scouts or Varsity Scouts. Any registered Boy Scout or Varsity Scout may earn these awards until his 18th birthday. Any Venturer who achieved the First Class rank as a Boy Scout or Varsity Scout in a troop may continue working for the Star, Life, and Eagle ranks and Eagle Palms while registered as an Venturer up to his 18th birthday.

Varsity Letters and Pins, and the Denali Award

Older Scouts (ages 14 - 18) may participate in Venture Patrols in Boy Scout Troops, or in separate units known as Varsity Scout Teams. In addition to Rank Advancements, members of Varsity Teams may earn a Varsity Letter, and Activity Pins for a series of Sports and "Ultimate Adventures". A list of the sports and activities for which pins may be earned is included on the Varsity Letter page. Members of Varsity Scout Teams that have earned the Varsity Letter may also earn the Denali Award.

Venturing Awards

Members of Venture Patrols within Boy Scout Troops are NOT eligible for Venturing and/or Sea Scouting awards unless they are also registered in a Venturing Crew and/or Sea Scout Ship, and then they may earn those awards only in the Venturing/Sea Scouting units.

Boy Scout Requirements Book

On a regular basis, Boy Scouts of America issues a Booklet, entitled Boy Scout Requirements which lists the current requirements for all Boy Scout Rank Advancements, Merit Badges, and Special Opportunities, and some supporting information. The introduction to these books (on the inside front cover) contains the following, which should be read carefully:

The requirements listed in this book might not match those in the merit badge pamphlets because the pamphlets may not have been recently revised. The requirements in this book are the official requirements of the Boy Scouts of America.

There are three exceptions to that rule.

When BSA makes major changes to rank requirements, they usually include a grace period (identified in the Requirements Book) to allow Scouts to advance to the next rank using the old requirements. The grace period does have an absolute deadline, however.
When BSA issues a new merit badge pamphlet, with new requirements, subsequent to the publication of the Boy Scout Requirements book, boys starting a merit badge with the new book should be able to use the new requirements. Those starting with the old book can continue to use the old requirements. After the following January 1, when the new Boy Scout Requirements book has been issued, boys starting the badge must use the new requirements only.
Boys that started work on a merit badge before the requirements changed may continue to use the old requirements until they complete the badge (or turn 18), or they may use the new requirements. It is the BOY's choice, but the Scout must do ALL of either the old or new requirements. He cannot choose some old and some new requirements to complete. We have a copy of a letter from the Director of Boy Scout Advancement, confirming this procedure. Click Here to view it (GIF - 23 KB).

Revisions to Requirements

2008 Edition

The 2008 Edition of Boy Scout Requirements (33215) lists revisions to eight Merit Badges and three ranks on the inside front cover. Most of those changes involved changes where merit badge pamphlets, with revised requirements, were issued during 2007. One of the merit badges (Graphic Arts) had a new pamphlet issued in 2006, with revised requirements, but those revisions were omitted from the 2007 requirements book due to an editorial error.

The list of Merit Badge Pamphlets on the inside back cover lists revised dates for most of the badges that have changed requirements. That list, with additional information on when the merit badge requirements were changed also, can be found by Clicking here.

These revisions can be found at 2008 Advancement Changes

All of the Merit Badge pamphlets were reissued, with new stock numbers, on August 1, 2008. In many of them, the only changes were the addition of color to the pamphlet contents and covers, while others have had major or minor changes to the text and/or requirements. The revisions made in August, 2008, which become official in 2009, can be found at 2009 Advancement Changes.

For those merit badges where there are new or revised requirements, Scouts have the option of starting with the new requirements now, or they may start work using the old requirements until the next edition of Boy Scout Requirements is issued, in January, 2009. If a Scout starts work after the 2009 edition of Boy Scout Requirements is issued, he must use the new requirements. In any case, once a boy starts with a set of requirements he can continue using them until he completes the badge or turns 18. This is stated in the on-line Merit Badge Counselor Training on BSA's web site. If he started using the old requirements, he also has the option of switching to the new requirements (which may in fact mean starting over in some cases). So long as he meets all of the requirements (either old or new) he can earn the badge. However, he can't use, for example, old requirements 1, 3, and 5 and new requirements 2, 4, and 6-8.

Earlier Editions

We also prepared analyses of the revisions in the Requirements Books in each year since 1995. These analyses can be found at 2007 Advancement Changes, 2006 Advancement Changes, 2005 Advancement Changes, 2004 Advancement Changes, 2003 Advancement Changes, 2002 Advancement Changes, 2001 Advancement Changes, 2000 Advancement Changes, 1999 Advancement Changes, 1998 Advancement Changes, 1996 Advancement Changes, and 1995 Advancement Changes.

Advancement Transfers for Foreign Scouts

Questions arise occasionally on whether a Scout moving to the USA from another country can use the advancements he had earned in that country toward advancement in a BSA Troop or Team. For the answer, click here.

Rank Advancement for Venturers and Sea Scouts

The following requirements apply to boys, including Sea Scouts, registered in the Venturing Program.

Any male Venturer 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 and Eagle Palms 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 may fulfill leadership requirements by serving as president, vice president, secretary, or treasurer of his crew, or as boatswain, boatswain's mate, yeoman, purser, or storekeeper for his ship.
The Scoutmaster conference will be conducted by the Advisor or Skipper.
As the Venturer meets requirements for the Star and Life ranks or Eagle Palms, a board of review will be conducted by the crew or ship committee.
The Eagle board of review should follow the procedures established by the local council.

Explorers

Explorers (participants in the Exploring program of the Learning for Life Corporation) are ineligible for Boy Scout advancement unless they are also registered as members of a Boy Scout Troop, a Varsity Scout Team, a Venturing Crew, and/or a Sea Scout Ship.