Enlisted Commission Program STA-21
Seaman to Admiral-21 (STA-21) is a full-time undergraduate education and commissioning program open to enlisted personnel of all paygrades and ratings who meet the eligibility requirements specified OPNAVINST 1420.1B, the Enlisted to Officer Commissioning Programs Application Administrative Manual.
NAVADMIN 116/22 formally announced submission deadlines for FY-2022. Use this Webpage for an informational overview of program application requirements only!
Navy STA-21 Application Submission
Deadline for submission of applications for the FY-2023 STA-21 program is 1 July 2022. Application packages must be postmarked on or before the deadline date. It is recommended that applications be mailed prior to the deadline as early submission allows timely feedback to the Sailor for submission of missing or illegible documents. Deadline for submission of additional documentation to the package of an applicant is 1 August 2022. No additional documents can be added after this date. The selection board is scheduled to convene between late August and early September 2022 and the selectees will be announced via NAVADMIN.
The following target options and core are open for application for the FY-2023 selection board: Surface Warfare (SWO), Surface Warfare Engineering Duty (SWO/ED), Nuclear (Surface/Sub), Special Warfare, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Naval Flight Officer, Aviator Pilot, Civil Engineering Corps, Nurse Corps, and Information Professional.
The following target options have zero select opportunity for FY-2023: Human Resources, Intelligence, Information Warfare, Medical Corps, Supply Corps, Surface Warfare Officer/Information Professional (SWO/IP), Oceanography (OCEANO) and SWO/OCEANO.
The Nuclear (Surface/Sub) target option is now open to Sailors who are serving in the Fleet and hold an active nuclear Navy enlisted classification (NEC) (N1XO, N1XS, N2XO, N2XS) and to those Sailors who are in the nuclear training pipeline with the N91T NEC. Applicants holding a nuclear NEC must receive conditional release, in line with NAVADMIN 177/17 (NUCLEAR TRAINED SAILOR APPLICATIONS TO OFFICER COMMISSIONING PROGRAMS), if applying for an option outside the Nuclear community, from the Nuclear Enlisted Community Manager (OPNAV N133D). All applicants for STA-21 nuclear option (STA-21(N)) must be able to begin their first day of class in the first semester of their course work prior to commencing their eighth year of service. See the STA-21(N) Program Authorization (PA 150A) dated May 2019 for more specific information and all other requirements to apply for the STA-21(N) program. Additionally, supplementary information applicable to this years STA-21(N) application is as follows:
- If a physical fitness assessment (PFA) was not performed within the last year, a commanding officers (CO) statement in the endorsement is required to ensure the applicant is within height and weight requirements as required.
- For STA-21(N) candidates, SAT/ACT scores are not required to submit an application. Candidates are advised to verify school admission requirements, as the STA-21(N) SAT/ACT waiver does not supersede university SAT/ACT admission requirements.
- The Sailor/Marine American Council on Education Registry Transcript (SMART) per OPNAVINST 1420.1B, enclosure (1), Chapter 8, paragraph 6.b(9) is not required to be submitted for this application. A future revision of OPNAVINST 1420.1B will remove this requirement.
- The applicants photograph per OPNAVINST 1420.1B, enclosure (1), Chapter 8, paragraph 6.b(10) is not required to be submitted for this application. A future revision of OPNAVINST 1420.1B, will remove this requirement.
The following information addresses lessons learned from the FY-21 STA-21 selection process and board. This information is provided to preclude common errors:
- Of the 429 applications received for FY-2022, only 394 were board eligible. A total of 55 were selected to participate in the FY-2022 STA-21 Program.
- Each year, packages are not considered due to non-qualifying SAT/ACT scores, missing CO endorsement/recommendation, recent non-judicial punishment, missing or illegible submission of documents, and not meeting program age or PFA requirements.
- Minimum eligibility requirements must be met before submitting an application. Applications should be mailed or preferably sent electronically via DODSAFE only when fully completed. Officer interview boards shall consist of three officers, the applicants CO may not be a board member and should not submit an interview appraisal sheet, the COs personal interview should be conducted only after the application is complete and the officer interview board has submitted their appraisals. The full picture of an applicants academic and officer potential can only be determined by reviewing the SAT/ACT scores (if available), high school/college transcripts, and a completed application package.
- The CO endorsement is extremely important, especially the ranking of the individual among his/her peers. The endorsement should contain specifics about academic potential, commitment, leadership, service above self, and potential as a naval officer of the individual. CO comments should specify the primary option to which the individual is applying and address how the individual meets qualifications for that option. For junior Sailors with only schoolhouse evaluations, the CO must address this issue in his or her endorsement.
- An interview board and nomination review board shall be conducted in line with OPNAVINST 1420.1B. It is recommended that officers of the applicants designator of choice, if available, be asked to participate in the interview/nomination review board to assess the applicant for their community. Officer appraisals provide important insight on the applicant. The appraisal from the board should be a frank and honest assessment of the applicants leadership and academic potential. Appraisal forms should be typed in 10 or 12 point font.
- The applicant personal statement should address why the Sailor wants to become an officer, how the Sailors selection would improve the Navy and why the Sailor is applying for a specific option. Sailors must also address any hardships or unique experiences that shaped their character. Junior Sailors should provide information on high school experiences as high school transcripts rarely provide in-depth information on involvement in sports, clubs, volunteer hours, work, etc. Additionally, applicants should address any anomalies in the package (e.g., poor high school grades, college grades, service school grades or poor evaluation performance). The explanation should include details of the situation, how the applicant has overcome these issues and why the applicant will be successful in the future.
- Qualifying SAT/ACT scores are required for all but STA-21(N) applicants. Applications can still be submitted pending receipt of SAT/ACT scores or with a command statement indicating non-availability for overseas locations and deployed units. SAT/ACT scores can be from exams taken between 1 July 2017 and 1 July 2022 (five years - an exception to policy has been approved for FY-2023 extending SAT/ACT validity window specified in NAVADMIN 177/17, "NUCLEAR TRAINED SAILOR APPLICATIONS TO OFFICER COMMISSIONING PROGRAMS" from three to five years). Applicants without a SAT/ACT score and who meet the SAT/ACT exception to policy criteria of having either been stationed outside the United States at any time between April 2021 and April 2022 or deployed at any time between April 2021 and April 2022 should ensure their high school cumulative grade point average (minimum 2.5 grade point average (GPA)) is within the last five years or have a minimum 2.5 cumulative college GPA on a 4.0 scale with 12 or more semester hours.
- It is recommended that the command retain a copy of the entire application package. The command copy should not be given to the applicant.
The Navy needs innovative and bold men and women to lead, think creatively, challenge assumptions, and take well-calculated risks. Today's Navy is composed of men and women representing dozens of different ethnic groups and literally hundreds of cultural backgrounds. The Navy's ability to meet leadership challenges relies on having leaders from our entire Navy who reflect our very best.
Applications should be mailed to:
- Commander
- Naval Service Training Command (N92 STA 21)
- 2601A Paul Jones St Building 1
- Great Lakes, IL 60088-2845
For questions, specific details, eligibility criteria, application requirements and selection procedures, refer to OPNAVINST 1420.1B or contact your command career counselor for the most up-to-date information.
