Navy Seaman to Admiral (STA-21) Program

STA-21 History

When sailors today hear the term "Seaman to Admiral" no doubt former Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Boorda comes to mind. As a product of an enlisted-to-officer commissioning program in the early 1960's, Admiral Boorda was the first CNO to have risen from the enlisted ranks. The Integration Program, as it was then known, was designed to provide an opportunity for enlisted personnel who possessed outstanding qualifications and motivation for a naval career to obtain a commission. Upon assuming the duties of CNO, Admiral Boorda immediately reestablished the historic program, Seaman to Admiral, for young Sailors to earn their commission and become naval officers. The admiral believed "people should have the opportunity to excel, and be all they can be, even if they don't get a perfect or traditional start."

Since its rebirth in 1994, the Navy Seaman to Admiral (STA) Program has undergone several changes to meet the needs of the Navy and Sailors, but the spirit embodied by Admiral Boorda remains intact. STA-21 has always been a commissioning program in which participants maintain the pay, benefits, and privileges they enjoy as active duty Sailors and receive a scholarship to attend a top-notch university. Each of these Sailors goes on to rewarding careers as naval officers.

Current Commissioning Programs

In the past, there were over a dozen different paths for Sailors to become commissioned officers, Seaman to Admiral being just one of them. This wide array of programs lacked uniformity in benefits, selection procedures, educational opportunities, and program requirements. This created a very confusing web of program applications, deadlines, and choices for fleet applicants and, quite frankly, is very cumbersome for the Navy to manage and administer. Consequently, there were countless Sailors in the fleet who would make outstanding commissioned officers, but due to program restrictions, educational background, or financial concerns, they did not apply.

For all of these reasons and more, the Navy combined most of these current commissioning paths into one consolidated program that preserves the Seaman to Admiral name made popular by Admiral Boorda: Seaman to Admiral (STA-21). The STA-21 Commissioning Program is designed to meet the goals of the Navy in the 21st Century, while at the same time creating a fair and equitable system for outstanding active duty Sailors to receive a top-notch college education and become commissioned officers in the Unrestricted Line (URL), i.e, Surface, Submarines, Aviation and Restricted Line (RL), i.e. Special Duty Officer (Intelligence), Special Duty Officer (Information Warfare - formerly Cryptologic), Nurse Corps (NC), Supply Corps (SC), or Civil Engineer Corps (CEC)./p>

STA-21 Program

The following fleet commissioning programs were combined to create the STA-21 Program:

• Seaman to Admiral (STA-21)
• Enlisted Commissioning Program (ECP)
• Aviation Enlisted Commissioning Program (AECP)
• Nuclear Enlisted Commissioning Program (NECP)
• Civil Engineer Corps Enlisted Commissioning Program (CECECP)
• Fleet Accession to Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC)
  • (Includes Nurse Option)
• Broadened Opportunity for Officer Selection and Training (BOOST)*

* Although no longer a direct commissioning path, the BOOST Program was significantly modified and became a part of the new STA-21 Program. No longer will Sailors be able to apply directly for acceptance into BOOST. Instead, selectees to the STA-21 BOOST Program will participate in a comprehensive college based academic enhancement program that emphasizes mathematics, physical science and the communication skills of reading and writing. Students will be placed in either a 3 or 6 month BOOST program depending on their individual needs.

What makes the STA-21 Program so different from most of the other commissioning programs is its fairness to the Sailor. Some of the previous enlisted commissioning programs required Sailors to pay their college tuition by themselves. Others removed the student from active duty status, thus taking away any source of income. The STA-21 Program will keep all participants on active duty at their current enlisted pay grade. This means they will receive all the pay, allowances, benefits, and privileges they currently enjoy and will still be eligible for enlisted advancement while in the program. In addition, the Sailors will receive up to $10,000 per year to cover tuition, books, and fees. The Sailor will pay any costs above $10,000 per year. Participants attending inexpensive universities that do not require use of the entire $10,000 for any year will not be able to keep the difference.

Although the applicant's history of fleet performance will receive consideration during the selection process, emphasis will be placed on the identification of those applicants who possess the academic and leadership potential necessary to become outstanding Naval officers.

To apply or learn more about the Navy Seaman to Admiral (STA-21) Commissioning Program visit the following links:

• STA-21 Application
• STA-21 Program Options
• STA-21 Eligibility Requirements
• STA-21 Physical Qualifications Standards (PDF, 36K)