What Are the Requirements to Become a Marine?

To enlist in the Marine Corps, you have to meet the requirements to become a Marine across seven areas: you must be 17 to 28 years old, a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, hold a high school diploma (or a GED with a higher test score), score at least 31 on the Armed Forces Qualification Test, pass the Initial Strength Test, clear a full medical exam and drug test at a Military Entrance Processing Station, and pass a background check that reaches further than most applicants expect.¹² The Marine Corps sets the lowest age ceiling of any branch, and it screens harder on fitness than most applicants anticipate.

Age and Citizenship

The enlistment window runs from 17 to 28.¹ Seventeen-year-olds need written consent from a parent or legal guardian.³ Age waivers exist but are rare, and typically go to applicants with prior military service or hard-to-fill skills.

You must be a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident with a Green Card. Non-citizens who serve can apply for expedited naturalization under the Immigration and Nationality Act, and during designated periods of hostility even some non-permanent residents who were physically present in the U.S. at the time of enlistment may qualify.⁴ Officers are held to a stricter rule: they must be U.S. citizens.²

Education and ASVAB

The standard is a high school diploma. If you hold a GED instead, you can still enlist, but you need a minimum Armed Forces Qualification Test score of 50, compared to 31 for diploma graduates.² Some GED applicants may also need completed college credits, though the Marines’ official requirements page doesn’t specify a number.

The ASVAB itself is a multiple-choice test covering arithmetic reasoning, word knowledge, electronics, mechanical comprehension, and other areas. Your composite scores on different sections decide which military occupational specialties you’re eligible for, so a score well above the minimum expands your job options. You take the test at a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS), and you can retake it after a waiting period if your first attempt falls short.

The Initial Strength Test

Before you ship to recruit training, you have to pass the Initial Strength Test (IST). It is a lower bar than the fitness tests active-duty Marines take, but it is the proof that you can survive the first days of boot camp.

The minimums are:⁵

Male: 3 pull-ups or 34 push-ups within a 2-minute time limit; 1.5-mile run in 13:30 or faster
Female: 1 pull-up or 15 push-ups within a 2-minute time limit; 1.5-mile run in 15:00 or faster
Plank hold of 40 seconds (same for both)

These are floors, not goals. Recruits who barely clear the IST tend to struggle once training starts, and recruiters push applicants to train well past these numbers during the months before shipping.

Body Composition

Starting January 1, 2026, the Marine Corps replaced its old height-and-weight tables with a waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) standard. The limit is a WHtR of 0.52 or lower, and it applies equally to all Marines regardless of sex.⁶ If you exceed that ratio, you’ll go through a body fat evaluation using tape measurements or a bioelectrical impedance device.⁷ At the enlistment stage, expect your recruiter and MEPS staff to check body composition before you ship.

Medical Screening

Every applicant takes a full medical exam at MEPS.⁸ The Department of Defense maintains a long list of potentially disqualifying conditions under DoD Instruction 6130.03. The ones that most often trip up applicants:

A history of asthma or reactive airway disease after age 13
Distant or near visual acuity that doesn’t correct to at least 20/40, or refractive error beyond specified diopter limits
Hearing threshold levels above specified decibel limits at key frequencies
Prior orthopedic surgeries, joint instability, or conditions that limit mobility
Certain mental health diagnoses, depending on severity and treatment history

A disqualifying condition doesn’t always end things. Medical waivers are possible for many issues, and your recruiter can tell you whether yours is potentially waivable. Be honest about your history. MEPS physicians have access to records, and concealing a condition that surfaces later can result in a fraudulent enlistment charge.

Background Check and Moral Standards

The Marine Corps runs a thorough background check on every applicant. Felony convictions are generally disqualifying, and certain serious offenses can’t be waived at all. Minor misdemeanors are sometimes waivable, but that requires extra paperwork and approval from the recruiting command, and approval isn’t guaranteed.

One rule catches applicants off guard: federal regulations require you to disclose your entire criminal history, including juvenile offenses and records that have been sealed or expunged under state law. State law may treat those records as if they don’t exist; the military does not follow that convention. Failing to disclose is itself a federal offense. The regulation is 32 CFR 571.3, which requires applicants to reveal all prior adjudications regardless of how the state has classified them.

Drug Testing

Every applicant is drug-tested at MEPS under direct observation, and you must test negative for all substances on the DoD testing panel before entering active duty.⁹ The consequences step up fast:

First positive test: ineligible for 90 days from the collection date. On the 91st day, you may return for retesting at the service’s discretion, and a medical provider may refer you for a substance-use-disorder evaluation.
Second positive test: permanent disqualification from all military service.
Positive for both alcohol and drugs on a single specimen, followed by a later drug positive: permanent disqualification.

On prior marijuana use, the broader military has relaxed some policies. A single past conviction for marijuana or paraphernalia possession no longer automatically requires a waiver in some branches. A pattern of drug-related convictions still does. The Marine Corps can set stricter standards than the DoD baseline, so raise any prior drug history with your recruiter early rather than hoping it won’t come up.⁹

Tattoos

The Marine Corps updated its tattoo policy in 2024, and the current rules are more permissive than they used to be. Sleeve tattoos are allowed, and most locations on the body are open. Three zones remain restricted:

Head: no tattoos above the first cervical vertebra, including inside or around the mouth.
Neck: no tattoos above the collarbone in front or above the seventh cervical vertebra in back.
Hands: no tattoos from the wrist bone to the fingertips. The single exception is one band tattoo no wider than 3/8 of an inch on one finger per hand.

Content matters separately from location. Tattoos that are extremist, gang-related, drug-related, obscene, sexist, or racist are prohibited anywhere on the body. If a recruiter flags a tattoo during screening, you’ll need to submit photos for review before your application moves forward.

If You Want to Commission as an Officer

The requirements above are the enlisted path. Officer applicants face a different set of standards: a bachelor’s degree, U.S. citizenship, and a higher academic bar of an AFQT score of 74, an ACT composite of 22, or a combined SAT math and evidence-based reading score of 1,000.¹⁰ You can apply at 18, but you must not have reached your 28th birthday at the time of commissioning, with waivers possible in some cases. Commissioning routes include the Platoon Leaders Class for undergraduates, Officer Candidates School for seniors and graduates, NROTC, and the U.S. Naval Academy.

How the Enlistment Process Works

Meeting the requirements is one thing. Getting from civilian to recruit runs through four stages.

Meeting a Recruiter

Everything starts with a Marine Corps recruiter, who screens your age, education, criminal history, and medical background to see whether you’re likely to qualify. Bring your birth certificate, Social Security card, high school diploma or transcripts, and a valid ID to that first meeting. If you have legal records, medical documentation for prior conditions, or a Green Card, bring those too.

MEPS

Once the recruiter clears you as a viable candidate, you’ll visit a Military Entrance Processing Station. MEPS handles the ASVAB (if you haven’t already taken it), the full medical examination, and the drug test.⁸ The process usually takes two days, with food and lodging provided. If you pass everything, you’ll select your military occupational specialty and take the Oath of Enlistment.

Delayed Entry Program

Most new enlistees don’t ship immediately. The Delayed Entry Program (DEP) is a holding period, often several months long, where you prepare physically and mentally for recruit training. You’ll train regularly with your recruiter and other future recruits, retake the IST to track progress, and attend family nights and informational sessions.¹¹ Use this window to push your fitness well above IST minimums, because boot camp starts at a pace that assumes you’ve been training.

Recruit Training

Marine recruit training runs 13 weeks and ends with the Crucible, a final evaluation that precedes earning the title of Marine.¹²

1
USAGov. Requirements to Join the U.S. Military
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U.S. Marine Corps. General Requirements
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 505 – Regular Components: Qualifications, Term, Grade
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Naturalization Through Military Service
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Marines. Physical Requirements
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United States Marine Corps. Change 1 to the Advance Notification of Changes to the Marine Corps Physical Fitness and Body Composition Programs
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USMC Fitness. Body Composition Program Standards
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U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command. A Day at the MEPS
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Department of Defense. DoD Instruction 1010.16 – Technical Procedures for the Military Personnel Drug Abuse Testing Program
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Marines. Become a Marine Corps Officer
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Marines. Delayed Entry Program
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Marines. Recruit Training – Marine Corps Boot Camp