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Enlistment Standards

First things first: enlistment standards. The ANG, like all of the U.S. Armed Forces, has them. These are the minimum standards you must meet to enlist. Click on the links below to see the complete list.

  • Age Requirements
  • Citizenship
  • Family Members: Single Parents
  • Family Members: Dependents
  • Financial Obligations
  • Education: High School Graduate Education: High School Equivalency
  • Education: Non-High School Graduate
  • Drug/Alcohol Policy
  • Medical/Legal/Moral Standards

Age Requirements

You’re graduating from high school and want to enlist in the ANG. Smart decision. You must be no older than 34 but at least 17 years old. However, if you are not yet 18, you must have parental consent.

Citizenship

As a U.S. citizen* you may enlist in the ANG (assuming you meet the other enlistment standards). But what if you are a non-citizen? You can still enlist as long as you meet the following requirements:
  • Entered the United States on a permanent residence visa or have an Alien Registration Green Card, and
  • Established a bona fide residence, and
  • Established a home of record in the United States

To verify your eligibility to enlist, contact a recruiter.

* For enlistment purposes, citizens of the United States include citizens of the following: Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

Single Parent Restrictions

If you are a single parent, you can enlist in the ANG you will simpley need to fill out a Family Care Plan so that you can designate who will care for your child should you ever have to travel away from home. If you have joint custody of a child by court order, and you do not have a spouse (who is not considered a spouse for enlistment standards), you are considered a single parent.

Dependents

The ANG will normally not allow you to enlist if you have more than two dependents under the age of 18. Who is considered your dependent? Read the information below. If you have questions, contact a recruiter.
  • A spouse, to include a common-law spouse if the state recognizes such, or
  • Any natural child, or one adopted, if the child is under 18 years of age and unmarried, regardless of whether or not you have custody of the child. (If you are an unmarried male living with your child, you are considered to have custody of the child.) The term natural child includes any child you claim as yours, or whose birth certificate your name is listed on as the parent, or who a court order establishes your paternity or if any person makes an allegation of paternity toward you that has not been finally adjudicated by a court; or
  • A stepchild under the age of 18 who resides with you; or
  • Any parent or other person(s) who is/are, in fact, dependent on you for more than one-half of their support, as determined by the ANG.

Financial Obligations

The ANG takes personal financial responsibility very seriously. In certain cases when you enlist, you have to prove that you can meet your current financial obligations. If you are enlisting at a pay grade less than your monthly financial obligations, contact a recruiter about your eligibility.

Education: High School Graduate

Generally speaking, you must meet the high school graduate or high school equivalency requirements to enlist in the ANG. A high school graduate is defined as the following:

  • High School Graduate. You must have attended and completed a 12-year/grade, daytime, structured program of classroom instruction and possess a high school diploma. The diploma must be issued from the school where you completed the program requirements. This includes both:
    • Traditional high school graduates
    • Alternative/continuation high school graduates (there are exceptions, however, so talk to your recruiter)
  • College/post-secondary student. You may achieve high school equivalency (regardless of high school education) if you have attended and successfully completed 15 semester hours/22 quarter hours of college-level coursework or 675 clock hours at a vocational/technical school. Get complete details from your recruiter.
  • Adult high school graduate. You have received a high school diploma after attending an adult education program.

Education: High School Equivalency Credential Holder

Maybe you haven’t met the high school graduate requirements to enlist in the ANG. You may qualify under the high school equivalency requirements detailed below:

  • Test-based equivalency diploma graduate. You’ve earned a GED or other test-based high school equivalency certificate or diploma. Get complete details from your recruiter.
  • Certificate of attendance. This is an attendance-based certificate or diploma, referred to as certificates of competency or completion, based on course completion. Get complete details from your recruiter.
  • Alternative/continuation high school. If you do not meet the high school graduate criteria as described in the high school graduate requirements for alternative/continuation high school, you may meet the high school equivalency criteria. Get complete details from your recruiter.
  • Home study. You’ve earned a high school diploma or certificate of competency or completion at home. Get complete details from your recruiter.
  • Correspondence School diploma. You’ve obtained a high school diploma or certificate of competency or completion upon finishing correspondence school course work. Get complete details from your recruiter.
  • Occupational program certificate (vocational/technical school). If you have attended a vocational/technical or proprietary school for at least 675 clock hours and have earned a certificate of attendance or completion, you will have met the high school equivalency requirement. (Excludes correspondence schools offering vocational certificates.) Please note that the ANG highly encourages high school graduation. Less than 4 percent of ANG Personnel can enlist without high school diplomas.

Education: Non-High School Graduate

You are considered a non-high school graduate candidate if you are neither a high school graduate nor an alternative credential holder (high school equivalency). It is extremely rare to be accepted into the ANG if you have not met the high school graduate or high school equivalency requirements. To be admitted as a non-high school graduate, you must score markedly higher on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) than high school graduates and is subject to strict numerical controls. The ASVAB is taken by all ANG applicants and used to determine, among other things, which careers applicants qualify for based on aptitude to be trained for those careers. If you have questions, contact a recruiter.

Drug/Alcohol Policy

The ANG has a zero tolerance drug/alcohol policy. Early in the enlistment process, you will have to take two urinalysis tests, one while at the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) and again when reporting for Recruit Training. You’ll also be asked questions regarding prior drug and alcohol use. Answer all questions honestly. If you have questions, contact a recruiter.

Medical/Legal/Moral Standards

There are medical, legal, and character standards you must meet to join the ANG. These include traffic offense history, criminal history, citizenship status, and more. For more information, contact a recruiter.