rank : star

The official BSA document for attaining the rank of Star is the ruling source for requirements.

1. Be active in your troop for at least four months as a First Class Scout.

2. As a First Class Scout, demonstrate Scout spirit by living the Scout Oath and Scout Law. Tell how you have done your duty to God and how you have lived the Scout Oath and Scout Law in your everyday life.

3. Earn six merit badges, including any four from the required list for Eagle.  You may choose any of the merit badges on the required list for Eagle to fulfill this requirement.

4. While a First Class Scout, participate in six hours of service through one or more service projects approved by your Scoutmaster.

5. While a First Class Scout, serve actively in your troop for four months in one or more of the following positions of responsibility (or carry out a Scoutmaster assigned leadership project to help the troop):

• Patrol leader,

• assistant senior patrol leader,

• senior patrol leader,

• troop guide,

• Order of the Arrow troop representative,

• den chief,

• scribe,

• librarian,

• historian,

• quartermaster,

• bugler,

• junior assistant Scoutmaster,

• chaplain aide,

• instructor,

• webmaster, or

• outdoor ethics guide 1

6. With your parent or guardian, complete the exercises in the pamphlet "How to Protect Your Children from Child Abuse: A Parents Guide" and view the Personal Safety Awareness videos ( with your parent or guardian's permission). 2

7. While a First Class Scout, participate in a Scoutmaster conference.

8. Successfully complete your board of review for the Star rank. 3

Notes:

1 Assistant patrol leader is not an approved position of responsibility for the Star, Life, or Eagle rank.

2 If your family does not have internet access at home AND you do not have ready internet access at school or another public place or via a mobile device, the view the Personal Safety Awareness videos portion of the requirement may be waived by your Scoutmaster in consultation with your parent or guardian.

3 If the board of review does not approve the Scout's advancement, the decision may be appealed in accordance with Guide to Advancement topic 8.0.4.0.

NOTE: As a footnote to Requirement 3, a Scout can use both Lifesaving AND Emergency Preparedness, Environmental Science AND Sustainability, and/or Swimming, Hiking, AND Cycling toward the requirement of 4 from the required list for Eagle when working toward Star Scout.) Also note that the asterisks are specifically placed on the lines marked "(Eagle required )" signifying that the note applies to these badges. The Guide to Advancement explicitly states this:

7.0.4.5 Earning Eagle-Required Merit Badges for Star or Life Rank
Candidates for Star or Life, in the selection of “any four” or “any three,” respectively, of the merit badges required for Eagle, may choose from all those listed, including where alternatives are available: Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving; Cycling OR Hiking OR Swimming; and Environmental Science OR Sustainability. For example, if a Scout earns Cycling, Hiking, and Swimming, all three of them count as Eagle required for Life rank. Only one, however, would serve toward the required merit badges for the Eagle Scout rank. The other two would count toward the optional merit badges required to make up the total of 21 merit badges.

Note that Star and Life requirements each allow two non-Eagle-required merit badges. It is the Scout’s decision, however, to earn more—or all—of his Star and Life badges from the Eagle-required list.

Also note that Requirement 8 - (Successfully complete your board of review for Star rank.) MAY be done AFTER the Scout has reached age 18. All other requirements must be completed BEFORE the Scout's 18th Birthday.