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Enlisted Education
Explore these opportunities if you have or will have a high school diploma or GED:
Learn More About Education
For more information on this subject, you can chat with one of our online advisers or click here to contact us and get in touch with your local recruiter.
For Air Force members, tattoos and/or brands anywhere on the body that are obscene or advocate sexual, racial, ethnic, or religious discrimination are prohibited in and out of uniform. Any tattoos and/or brand prejudicial to good order and discipline or of a nature that tends to bring discredit upon the Air Force are prohibited in and out of uniform. An Air Force member is not allowed to display excessive tattoos that would detract from an appropriate professional image while in uniform. Excessive tattoos are tattoos which cover over 25% of the body part.
For more information on this subject, you can chat with one of our online advisers or click here to contact us and get in touch with your local recruiter.
Every career field does in fact require more than just an overall ASVAB qualifying score, which is a 36 if you are a high school senior or have already graduated from High School, and a 65 if you have a GED. The ASVAB is broken down into four main categories (Mechanical, Administrative, General and Electronic), and all enlisted career fields have a minimum score requirement that fall under one or more of these categories. These scores, along with the results of your physical examination, will be reviewed when you undergo job counseling during the enlistment process at the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS).
Besides the four main categories, the ASVAB is divided into eight parts (for the high school version) or nine parts (for the production version). The high school version is structured as follows:
| Order | Subtest | Number of Questions | Time Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test 1 | General Science (GS) | 25 | 11 mins. |
| Test 2 | Arithmetic Reasoning (AR) | 30 | 36 mins. |
| Test 3 | Word Knowledge (WK) | 35 | 11 mins. |
| Test 4 | Paragraph Comprehension (PC) | 15 | 13 mins. |
| Test 5 | Mathematics Knowledge (MK) | 25 | 24 mins. |
| Test 6 | Electronics Information (EI) | 20 | 9 mins. |
| Test 7 | Auto & Shop Information (AS) | 25 | 11 mins. |
| Test 8 | Mechanical Comprehension (MC) | 25 | 19 mins. |
The production version now includes a subtest called "Assembling Objects." This 20 question, 20 minute subtest tests your ability to choose how an object (shown flat) will look once assembled. For example: Imagine a cardboard box unfolded and then put together.
Where is the ASVAB Administered?
The ASVAB is offered at many high schools across the nation. If it is not offered at your school, ask your guidance counselor for alternatives.
Military recruiters also offer the ASVAB. Your recruiter will set you up to take the ASVAB at either the local Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) or at a satellite test site known as a MET Site. The ASVAB given at the MET Site is in the paper version (as is the high school version). The version at the MEPS, however, is a computer version. This version has a disadvantage because the tester cannot skip questions and return later to answer them.
ASVAB Tips and Practice Tests: http://www.military.com/ASVAB
Minimum scores by Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC): http://www.military.com/ASVAB/0,,ASVAB_MOS_USAF.html
For more information on this subject, you can chat with one of our online advisers or click here to contact us and get in touch with your local recruiter.
Non-prior service applicants must be at least 17 to apply and in Basic Military Training before their 40th birthday.
Officer Training School (OTS) applicants must be at least 17 to apply and commissioned before their 35th birthday.
Physician, Nurse and Allied Health applicants need to contact a recruiter, as the age criteria may vary by profession.
Note: Prior service applicants should contact their local recruiter for age cut-offs.
For more information on this subject, you can chat with one of our online advisers or click here to contact us and get in touch with your local recruiter.
A 36 AFQT (overall score) is the minimum qualifying score for a high school senior or high school graduate, and a 65 is required for a GED to enlist in the Air Force. The ASVAB is not required for a commission.
For more information on this subject, you can chat with one of our online advisers or click here to contact us and get in touch with your local recruiter.
You can have an eye refraction level of no worse than + or - 8.0. When applying for enlistment or commission, your vision will be fully evaluated when getting your pre-entry qualification physical. Individual jobs have stricter vision requirements in many cases. (See Pilot section of the FAQ.)
For more information on this subject, you can chat with one of our online advisers or click here to contact us and get in touch with your local recruiter.
The Air Force does not offer a weight-reduction program. Currently, all applicants must meet a weight requirement based on their height. For a copy of the height and weight chart click on the link below.
Height & Weight Chart
For more information on this subject, you can chat with one of our online advisers or click here to contact us and get in touch with your local recruiter.
The answer is yes. However, there are many additional criteria for enlisting with a GED as opposed to enlisting with a traditional High School diploma.
These are:
For more information on this subject, you can chat with one of our online advisers or click here to contact us and get in touch with your local recruiter.
Your local Air Force recruiter has a general guideline of medical conditions that can render someone ineligible for entrance into the Air Force. The doctor at the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) is the source for making a determination on the condition. If you are interested in joining and are otherwise eligible, your local recruiter can have the medical records for your condition prescreened by the doctor at the MEPS for you to find a preliminary ruling in your particular situation.
For more information on this subject, you can chat with one of our online advisers or click here to contact us and get in touch with your local recruiter.
Note: To become a Pilot/Combat Systems Officer (CSO) in the Air Force you must have or be within 365 days of receiving a baccalaureate degree (BA or BS) awarded in any major.
To apply for the Pilot/CSO Officer program you must have a GPA of at least 2.5 and take the AFOQT.
If you have prior flight time, this is a major plus in being selected for a pilot or CSO slot. An applicant must apply and meet the selection board prior to age 28. There are strict vision and other physical requirements that an applicant must meet for selection as a pilot or CSO.
For more information on this subject, you can chat with one of our online advisers or click here to contact us and get in touch with your local recruiter.
An excessive number of traffic-related law violations within a 365-day period could impact your enlistment qualifications. It is best that you contact your local Air Force recruiter who is qualified to answer questions on your specific situation.
For more information on this subject, you can chat with one of our online advisers or click here to contact us and get in touch with your local recruiter.
Law violations have an impact on qualifying for Air Force enlistment. It is best that you contact your local Air Force recruiter who is qualified to answer questions on your specific situation.
For more information on this subject, you can chat with one of our online advisers or click here to contact us and get in touch with your local recruiter.
In most cases, substance abuse is disqualifying. Your specific circumstances should be discussed with your recruiter for an accurate determination to be made.
For more information on this subject, you can chat with one of our online advisers or click here to contact us and get in touch with your local recruiter.
Enlistment into the U.S. Air Force by citizens of countries other than the United States is limited to those foreign nationals who are legally residing in the United States and possess an Immigrations and Naturalization Service Alien Registration Card (INS Form I-151/551, commonly known as a "Green Card"). Applicants must be between 17 and 39; meet the mental, moral and physical standards for enlistment; and must speak, read and write English fluently.
Note: The U.S. military branches cannot assist foreign nationals in obtaining admittance into the United States. Questions concerning immigration to the United States should be asked of the U.S. Embassy. Only after immigration procedures are completed and an applicant is legally residing in the United States may an application for enlistment be accepted. Furthermore, in order to be commissioned an Officer in the U.S. Air Force, one must be a native-born or naturalized United States citizen.
For more information on this subject, you can chat with one of our online advisers or click here to contact us and get in touch with your local recruiter.
The Air Force is currently recruiting certain legal, non-citizens into active duty who have critical language and cultural skills in one of seven strategic languages. In addition to their language and cultural skills, applicants must be between 17 and 39; meet the mental, moral and physical standards for enlistment; speak, read and write English fluently; and have a valid and unexpired visa issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service.
For more information on this subject, you can chat with one of our online advisers or click here to contact us and get in touch with your local recruiter.
Yes. While applicants are not asked or required to reveal their sexual orientation, statements about sexual orientation will not be a bar to military service or admission to service academies, ROTC, or any other accession program. Openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual applicants will be evaluated according to the same criteria and requirements applicable to all others seeking entry into the military.
The Air Force recognizes that some individuals, for personal reasons, have given up custody of a child or children. Transferring custody of family members for the purpose of entering the Air Force is prohibited and renders the enlisted program applicant "permanently disqualified". It is not the intent or desire of the Air Force to require any person to relinquish custody of his/her children to qualify for enlistment.
Single member parent applicants who, at the time of initial processing for enlistment, indicate he/she has a child or children in the custody of the other parent or another adult will be advised and required to acknowledge by certification that his/her intent at the time of enlistment was not to enter the Air Force with the express intention of regaining custody after enlistment. These applicants must execute an Air Education and Training Command Form 1328, Statement of Understanding for Single Member Parent Having Dependents in the Custody of Another.
If you are applying for a commission (as an Air Force officer) you must have a four-year degree as a minimum. No college is required for enlistment. However, you may be qualified for advanced rank with 20 or more semester hours of credit from a degree granting college or university.
For more information on this subject, you can chat with one of our online advisers or click here to contact us and get in touch with your local recruiter.
Part of the screening process to join the Air Force asks "Are you now or have you ever been a conscientious objector? (That is do you have or have you ever had a firm, fixed and sincere objection to participation in war in any form or to the bearing of arms because of religious belief or training?) A requirement for all Air Force personnel is to be able to bear arms in defense of our country.
For more information on this subject, you can chat with one of our online advisers or click here to contact us and get in touch with your local recruiter.
In these cases, the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) medical section must evaluate. You will need to provide all medical documents pertaining to the injury to your recruiter and they will forward them for the first stage of the evaluation process.
For more information on this subject, you can chat with one of our online advisers or click here to contact us and get in touch with your local recruiter.
