The Navy Reserve is a force of highly trained men and women available
to meet the expanded needs of the regular Navy. Reservists serve as
officers or enlisted personnel, depending on their qualifications
and interests.
For a special in-depth section on Navy Reserve life and opportunities,
visit the Navy Reserve Recruiting
Home. For more on general Reserve benefits and pay, see the Reserve
Help Pages.
Guidelines
If you are interested in joining the Navy Reserve, you must be between
the ages of 21 and 39 without prior service. Prior service age limits
differ. You must have a High School diploma although in some instances
GED certificates can be accepted. You must also pass a physical, and
take the Armed Services
Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), which will determine career
paths available for consideration.
Montgomery G.I. Bill - The MGIB allows you attend school full-time
while serving in the Reserve and get up to $272 a month in addition
to your Reserve paycheck and any other Reserve educational benefits
you may be eligible to receive. For more on the GI Bill for Reservists,
go to the Reserve
GI Bill section.
Tuition Assistance - The Navy Reserve offers you tuition assistance.
You can be reimbursed up to 75% of tuition costs for up to 15 credit
hours per fiscal year.
Credits for Experience - Members of the Reserve can also take
advantage of free College Level Examination Program tests (CLEP).
For every test you pass on a particular subject, you earn three transferable
college credits.
DANTES - You can also pursue college and university independent
study courses through the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Educational
Support (DANTES) as a member of the Reserve. The program is comprised
of over 1200 colleges and universities nationwide which help sevicemembers
transfer credits from school to school and get college credits for
military training and experience.
Promotions and Career Path
The Navy Reserve bases its promotions on the criteria of job performance,
job knowledge and time in service.
Navy Reserve Accelerated Initial Accession (AIA) - The Navy
Reserve has an Accelerated Initial Accession (AIA) program which allows
the enlistment of non-prior service personnel into the Navy Reserve
to fill non-designated positions such as; FN (Fireman), SN (Seaman),
and AN (Airman) requirements.
You must enlist for a minimum of eight years, with four years in a
participating status. The last four years can be in the Inactive Ready
Reserve (IRR).
The AIA program requires 2 weeks recruit training (boot camp), followed
by the standard one weekend a month and two weeks a year reservist
schedule.
To be eligible for this program you must:
Have no prior service
Have a high school diploma or GED
Have an Armed Forces Qualification Test Score of 31 or above
Qualify physically and meet height and weight requirements
Meet the Navy Reserve's dependency requirements (Unmarried
applicants with dependents are not normally eligible, but a waiver
may be requested from the Chief of Naval Personnel).
Advanced Pay Grade (APG) - The Navy Reserve Advanced Pay Grade
(APG) program allows qualified civilians, whose occupations and experience
are comparable to Navy career fields, to enlist in the Navy Reserve.
Those with prior military service must enlist for a minimum of three
years. Those with no prior-service applicants incur a minimum obligation
of eight years, with six years in a participating status.
The APG program requires 2 weeks recruit training (boot camp), followed
by the standard one weekend a month and two weeks a year reservist
schedule.
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