Navy Removes Diploma Requirement From Enlistment

The U.S. Navy has lowered its enlistment standards, removing the high school diploma or GED requirement.

“The decision follows a move in December 2022 to bring in a larger number of recruits who score very low on the Armed Services Qualification Test. Both are fairly rare steps that the other military services largely avoid or limit, even though they are all finding it increasingly difficult to attract the dwindling number of young people who can meet the military’s physical, mental and moral standards,” Military.com reports.

“Under the new plan, Navy recruits without an education credential will be able to join as long as they score 50 or above on the qualification test, which is out of 99. The last time the service took individuals without education credentials was in 2000.”

Vice Adm. Rick Cheeseman, the Navy’s chief of personnel, said over 2,400 interested people were allegedly turned away last year for not meeting the education standards.

“We get thousands of people into our recruiting stations every year that want to join the Navy but do not have an education credential. And we just turn them away,” Cheeseman said.

“I’m hoping all my recruiters have called all 2,442 of them in the last 72 hours, and we’ll see how it goes … We’ll try to get some test takers this weekend,” he continued.