Enlisted to Officer Programs

[USMCRET6391]

Yes it does lead to a degree. The applicant accepted is effectively put on "temporary assignment" to got to school full time. Here is a link to the Program at North Carolina State University, it should help answer some of your questions. I checked out several University web sites and they all contain pretty much the same info.

NCSU MECEP Program

[cincymarsdad]

Excellent - thanks much. Chris is a pfc now - scheduled for LCpl in June, and is 19. He talked about working on getting his cut scores as high as possible when he was able. He did very well on the SAT/ASVAB and is a very motivated Marine. I guess he has a reasonable chance of making E4 at age 20 whereupon he would be qualified for MECEP application as I understand it. I read also that this is waivable with college credit, which he should have starting next year.

He is really interested in the PLC-Aviation option if he can get his one eye 20-30 corrected acceptably. Right now, he has other things on his mind of course. He should be back late October and I will make sure he is aware of this program and gets whatever information he needs to consider it. I realize he has other assets besides my asking questions on this web site, but this may be of interest to others as well. Thanks again.

[Vulture6]

Okay, there’s some confusion here… PLC and MECEP are two different, mutually exclusive programs.

MECEP is specifically for active duty Marines and Marines of the Active Reserve. From what I understand, your son is a member of the Select Marine Corps Reserve (SMCR) whose unit has been activated. If this is the case, he is not eligible for MECEP. If he isn't SMCR, let me know and we can look to figure something out. At any rate, like you said, school is for when he gets back.

To address your previous question, like Top said, once a Marine is selected for MECEP, his primary duty is “College Student”. The Corps does not pay his tuition, and he cannot use his military tuition assistance (though he can use his GI Bill). However, he continues to get paid and receives full benefits. Since his primary duty is “College Student”, count on going to school year round.

PLC – or Platoon Leader’s Course is open to civilians and SMCR Marines. This is the program that you go in to as a college student. Your son would go to PLC/OCS during the summer break for one or two years, depending on where he was in school when he signed up.

[cincymarsdad]

Thanks - terminology is tripping me up again. What is the "active reserve", pardoning my ignorance in advance. This seems counterintuitive ... He's on a 6-year Reserve Optional Enlistment Program (as I recall the terms). He had been looking PLC all the way - this seemed like an alternative. I imagine he has all this locked and loaded and knows what's what. He wanted to go active duty after graduation and commissioning.

[Vulture6]

Active Reserve or AR, is a program by which IRR (Individual Ready Reserve – non drilling reserve, where everyone goes once their commitments are completed) or SMCR (Select Marine Corps Reserve – drilling reserve), can go on active duty to fill a billet needed in support of the reserve mission… such as the RSU or Reserve Support Unit on the base or in the MEF HQ. Other billets exist at Division and sometimes regimental staff. While you are getting paid as active duty with full benefits, you are on a much shorter contract. It is all a bunch of accounting “smoke and mirrors”. Congress sets an authorized strength for the Marine Corps, and will only fund that amount. AR Marines are paid with different funds and are not counted against active duty strength numbers.

When you son finishes his SMCR commitment, or wishes to leave his reserve unit to go active – AR is one of the programs he could do. However, he wouldn’t find himself in a rifle company, he’d be in a position that somehow supports the reserve mission – my experience with AR was either RSU or Division G-3 or G-4.