Merit Badges Required for Rank Advancements:

It's good to start working on Merit Badges early in Scouting and they all count the same against later rank requirements regardless of when you earn them.

You should select Merit Badges to work on based on your hobbies & interests and areas you'd like to develop in as well as on the Rank Advancement requirements. Consider those Merit Badges you will ultimately require for Eagle Rank. Upper intermediate ranks (Star & Life) have progressive portions of the Eagle Requirements.

For Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class rank advancements there are no specific merit badge requirements.

Star Scout:

This is the first rank advancement that requires Merit Badge completions.

You must complete a total of 6 Merit badges - at least 4 of which must be part of the Eagle Scout Required badges.

You can count any Merit Badges you have already earned as a Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class or First Class Scout.

You can count any of the Eagle Badges you have earned - even multiples of the Alternate Eagle Requirement badges - e.g. you can count any/all of Emergency Preparedness/ Lifesaving/ Swimming/ Hiking/ Cycling. 

 Life Scout:

You must have earned at least 11 badges in total (5 more than for Star), including a total of at least 7 Eagle Scout required Badges.

You can count any Merit Badges you have already earned as a Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class or Star Scout.

You can count any of the Eagle Badges you have earned - even multiples of the alternate requirement badges - e.g. you can count any/all of Emergency Preparedness/ Lifesaving/ Swimming/ Hiking/ Cycling. 

Eagle Scout:

You must have earned at least 21 Merit badges in total (10 more than for Life), including a total of all 12 Eagle required badges (counting just one from each of the 12 listed categories a. -  l.) and 9 more badges of any type and combination.

You can count any Merit Badges you have already earned as a Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star and Life Scout.

The 12 Eagle Required Merit Badges:

1. First Aid

2. Citizenship in the Community

3. Citizenship in the Nation

4. Citizenship in the World

5. Communications

6. Personal Fitness

7. Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving *(can only count 1)

8. Environmental Science

9. Personal Management

10. Swimming OR Hiking OR Cycling  *(can only count 1)

11. Camping

12. Family Life

Plus you must earn another 9 merit badges of any type* for a total of 21 badges

*Any alternate Eagle required badges (Emergency Preparedness/ Lifesaving & Swimming/ Hiking/ Cycling) that you have earned beyond the 12 defined as required for Eagle can still be counted in your remaining 9 additional badges to make 21 total. 

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