1. How do I get into Officer Candidate School?
2. What is a designator/ Which designators go through OCS?
3. What references on OCS are there for Navy enlisteds?
4. What do I need to bring?
5. What am I not allowed to bring?
6. What is my mailing address going to be?
7. How can my family contact me in case of an emergency?
8. Where do I need to go to check in?
9. How often do OCS classes start?
10. Will I get any time off at Christmas?
11. Will I have to get my haircut?

Check-in

Check-in will occur at the Naval Aviation Schools Command Quarterdeck, Bldg. 633.   Base Security personnel at the Front Gate will give you directions if needed. Check-in wearing appropriate civilian clothes at the time and date specified on your orders.  This includes those with prior military service.

If you drove, you will need to have your driver's license, vehicle registration, proof of insurance, and if you are not the owner you will need a notarized copy of permission to drive the vehicle.  These are required to obtain a vehicle pass.  Vehicle passes are issued by OCS Administration staff upon arrival.  Designated parking is provided, but you won't be allowed to use your car for at LEAST four weeks.

 

Pay and Benefits

You will be considered on active duty from the day you leave home.  You will receive the pay of an E-5, or your current paygrade if higher. If you are married and/or have children, the Navy will add a tax-free Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) to your E-5 base pay. Depending on your individual situation, you may be eligible for Family Separation Allowance (FSA) if your dependents don't live in the Pensacola area.

Candidate Leave Policy

Officer Candidates will only be granted leave only in case of an emergency. Officer Candidate School is a relatively short program, the training is intense and the days have been scheduled as tightly as possible. Plan around this fact. Give yourself about a four week buffer following your scheduled graduation date just in case some unanticipated circumstance prevents you from graduating on time.
Christmas is an exception to this policy.
HOLIDAY LEAVE DATES FOR 2003/2004 LEAVE PERIOD:
Candidates leaving the Pensacola area via air travel may depart the base at 1600 on Thursday, 18 DEC (it takes approximately 1/2 hour to get to the airport, ensure you allow enough time in your scheduling to make your flight). Personnel driving will be authorized to leave Friday, 19 December at 0730. All candidates will return no later than 2000 on Saturday, 03 Jan 2003.
You have an opportunity to take 16 days of leave, however, you will only earn 7.5 days of leave while at Officer Candidate School. You may plan to start or stop your leave at any point during the 16 day period to avoid a negative leave balance. Negative leave balances must be settled by payment prior to commissioning.

Personal Mail

While at OCS, you may receive and send mail freely. The following will be your address while at OCS. Please note the only variable in the address will be your name and class number.

OC (Your Name)
Officer Candidate School
Class XX-XX
Officer Training Command Pensacola
150 Chambers Avenue, Suite C
NAS Pensacola, FL 32508-5267

Family-Related Emergencies

In case of emergencies while you are in training, family members and next of kin can contact you at the following telephone numbers: (850) 452-3141 (850) 452-2680 (850) 452-4142

NOTE: Collect or general phone calls will not be accepted on these lines. The person calling you must state that you are assigned to Officer Candidate School, and the nature is an EMERGENCY. In the event of a medical emergency or death in your immediate family the Department of Defense requires the party attempting to contact you to do so through their local Red Cross chapter.

Class Start Dates

In general an OCS Class will be starting every other week.  Due to an expected increase in Candidate throughput, there may be some periods when a class will start every week.

Haircuts

The question of do I have to get a haircut comes up with every class. YES, every Officer Candidate will receive haircut within the first few days of check-in.

 

Enlisted References

OPNAVINST 1420.1A gives program information, eligibility requirements, application submission procedures and deadlines, information and guidance for commanding officers and applicant interviews, medical examination information, and admin information for service members interested in officer commissioning programs (Officer Candidate School is in Chapter 7)
You can download OPNAVINST 1420.1A here

How do I get into OCS?

The best source of information concerning entry into Officer Candidate School would be a local Navy Officer Recruiter.   You can find a recruiter by either calling 1 800 USA NAVY or checking out the Navy recruiting homepage.

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DISCLAIMER: The information provided on this page is to be used only to assist Student Naval, Marine, Coast Guard Aviators and U.S. Air Force Student Pilots. It is by no means meant to replace or supercede the knowledge presented in NATOPS, OPNAV 3710.7T, Flight Training Instructions, FLIPS, or any other official Navy, Marine, Coast Guard or U.S. Air Force publication. Knowledge of these documents is considered paramount to flight safety. Any unauthorized use of the information on this page in an actual flight (without reference to the official publication) is strictly prohibited. Viewing web pages listed above constitutes acceptance of all responsibility for flight safety by you, the user. The author of this page assumes no responsibility for the completeness of these documents or their use in Aviation training.

If you find discrepencies in the information here, please contact me. This is NOT an official Navy web site. All opinions and statements are exclusively those of the authors and do not reflect the views of the Department of Defense, The United States Navy, The United States Marine Corps, The United States Coast Guard or the The United States Air Force.