This part provides guidance for implementing policy, assigns responsibilities, and prescribes under 10 U.S.C. 12205 for identifying criteria for determining educational institutions that award baccalaureate degrees which satisfy the educational requirement for appointment of officers to a grade above First Lieutenant in the Army Reserve, Air Force Reserve, and Marine Corps Reserve, or Lieutenant (Junior Grade) in the Naval Reserve, or for officers to be federally recognized in a grade level above First Lieutenant as a member of the Army National Guard or Air National Guard.

This part applies to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the Military Departments; the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and the Defense Agencies referred to collectively in this part as the “DoD Components”). The term “Military Departments,” as used in this part, refers to the Departments of the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. The term “Secretary concerned” refers to the Secretaries of the Military Departments. The term “Military Services” refers to the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Marine Corps. The term “Reserve components” refers to the Army Reserve, Army National Guard of the United States, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard of the United States, Naval Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve.

Accredited educational institution. An educational institution accredited by an agency recognized by the Secretary of Education.

Qualifying educational institution. An educational institution that is accredited, or an unaccredited educational institution that the Secretary of Defense designates pursuant to § 67.6(a) and § 67.6(b).

Unaccredited educational institution. An educational institution not accredited by an agency recognized by the Secretary of Education.

(a) It is DoD policy under 10 U.S.C. 12205 to require Reserve component officers to have at least a baccalaureate degree from a qualifying educational institution before appointment to a grade above First Lieutenant in the Army Reserve, Air Force Reserve or Marine Corps Reserve, or Lieutenant (Junior Grade) in the Naval Reserve, or for officers to be federally recognized in a grade above First Lieutenant as a member of the Army National Guard or Air National Guard.

(b) Exempt from this policy is any officer who was:

(1) Appointed to or recognized in a higher grade for service in a health profession for which a baccalaureate degree is not a condition of original appointment or assignment.

(2) Appointed in the Naval Reserve or Marine Corps Reserve as a limited duty officer.

(3) Appointed in the Naval Reserve for service under the Naval Aviation Cadet (NAVCAD) program or the Seaman to Admiral program.

(4) Appointed to or recognized in a higher grade if appointed to, or federally recognized in, the grade of captain or, in the case of the Navy, lieutenant before October 1, 1995.

(5) Recognized in the grade of captain or major in the Alaska Army National Guard, who resides permanently at a location in Alaska that is more than 50 miles from each of the cities of Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau, Alaska, by paved road, and who is serving in a Scout unit or a Scout support unit.

(c) The Department of Defense will designate an unaccredited educational institution as a qualifying educational institution for the purpose of meeting this educational requirement if that institution meets the criteria established in this part.

(a) The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, under the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, shall:

(1) Establish procedures by which an unaccredited educational institution can apply for DoD designation as a qualifying educational institution.

(2) Publish in the Federal Register DoD requirements and procedures for an unaccredited educational institution to apply for designation as a qualifying education institution.

(3) Annually, provide to the Secretaries of the Military Departments a list of those unaccredited educational institutions that have been approved by the Department of Defense as a qualifying educational institution. This list shall include the year or years for which unaccredited educational institutions are designed as qualifying educational institutions.

(b) The Secretaries of the Military Departments shall establish procedures to ensure that after September 30, 1995, those Reserve component officers selected for appointment to a grade above First Lieutenant in the Army Reserve, Air Force Reserve, or Marine Corps Reserve, or Lieutenant (Junior Grade) in the Naval Reserve, or for officers to be federally recognized in a grade above First Lieutenant as a member of the Army National Guard or Air National Guard, who are required to hold a baccalaureate degree, were awarded a baccalaureate degree from a qualifying educational institution before appointment to the next higher grade. For a degree from an unaccredited educational institution that has been recognized as qualifying educational institution by the Department of Defense to satisfy the educational requirements of 10 U.S.C. 12205,the,or,in,Army,Air,Air,or,or.

(a) An unaccredited educational institution may obtain designation as a qualifying educational institution for a specific Reserve component officer who graduated from that educational institution by providing certification from registrars at three accredited educational institutions that maintain ROTC programs that their educational institutions would accept at least 90 percent of the credit hours earned by that officer at the unaccredited educational institution, as of the year of graduation.

(b) For an unaccredited educational institution to be designated as a qualifying educational institution for a specific year, that educational institution must provide the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs certification from the registrars at three different accredited educational institutions that maintain ROTC programs listing the major field(s) of study in which that educational institution would accept at least 90 percent of the credit hours earned by a student who was awarded a baccalaureate degree in that major field of study at the unaccredited educational institution.

(c) For an unaccredited educational institution to be considered for designation as a qualifying educational institution, the unaccredited educational institution must submit the required documentation no later than January 1 of the year for which the unaccredited educational institution seeks to be designated a qualifying educational institution.

(d) The required documentation must be sent to the following address: Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, Attn: DASD (M&P), 1500 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-1500.

(e) Applications containing the required documentation may also be submitted at any time from unaccredited educational institutions requesting designation as a qualifying educational institution for prior school years.