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To become a Navy SEAL, you must be an active-duty member of the U.S. Navy and a U.S. citizen who can read, write and speak English fluently. You must also usually be under the age of 28, although waivers are sometimes allowed for candidates who are 29 to 30 years old.
Entering training to become a Navy SEAL is voluntary. Anyone can volunteer, and officers and enlisted servicepeople train side by side. (Women are now allowed to join but as of 2021, none have successfully finished SEAL training.) In order to enter SEAL training, however, they do have to meet certain requirements.
Do you become a SEAL after buds?
BUDS doesn’t make you a Navy Seal. BUDS is quite literally just a check in the box that allows you to go to SQT which is actual SEAL training.
The path to get to BUD/S from another branch of service is not as smooth as the civilian to BUD/S path. There are specific programs to get candidates and recruits to SEAL training from both the street (civilians) and the Fleet (active duty Navy).
In fact, latest numbers for SEAL officer candidates were about 1 in 8 get accepted to attend SEAL training after OCS. Applying to Officer Candidate School and wanting to become a Navy SEAL means you will actually be selected to go to BUDS immediately after you complete OCS.
Can you join the Marines and then go to BUD/S?
There is no such thing as joining the Marine Corps, then going to the BUD/S program. You can join the Marines, but you have to get out of the Marines and join the Navy to go to BUD/S. See the Navy SEAL and SWCC official site for more information. USNA to SEAL: First you have to get into the Naval Academy.
Options #4: Navy SEAL Officer Programs: Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Going to college under a Navy ROTC program is another route to get to BUD/s. Navy ROTC graduates have the opportunity to attend BUD/S after graduation. ROTC gets typically 15-25 officer slots a year for SEAL training.