• Active tenure
• Scout spirit
• Any remaining merit badges
• Positions of responsibility
• Planning, developing, and providing leadership to others in a service project
• The Scoutmaster conference

2. Using the Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook, the candidate must select his Eagle service project and have the project concept approved by his unit leader, the unit committee (which is composed of a minimum of three members and a maximum of six members, age 21 or older), the benefactor of the project, and reviewed and approved by the council or district advancement committee.

3. All requirements for the Eagle Scout rank (except the board of review) must be completed prior to the candidate's 18th birthday. When all requirements for the rank of Eagle (except the board of review) have been completed, an Eagle Scout Rank Application must be filled out and promptly sent to the council service center.

4. The application should be signed by the unit leader. The unit committee reviews and approves the record of the Eagle candidate before the application is submitted to the local council. If a unit leader or unit committee fails to sign or otherwise approve an application, the Eagle candidate may still be granted a board of review. The failure of a unit leader or unit committee to sign an application may be considered by the board of review in determining the qualifications of the Eagle candidate.

5. The Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook, properly filled out, must be submitted with the application.

6. When the completed application is received at the council service center, its contents will be verified and the references contacted. The Scout shall have listed six references (five if there is no employer, and a parent if there is no organized religious association). The council youth development committee or its designee contacts the references listed on the Eagle Scout Rank Application, either by letter, form, or telephone checklist. (The council determines the method or methods to be used.) If desired by the council, the candidate may be asked to deliver a blank reference form and envelopes to the listed references. However, the candidates should not be involved personally in transmitting any correspondence between people listed as references and the council service center or advancement committee. If the initial reference letter or form is not returned to the council in a timely manner, the council youth development committee must make direct contact with the reference in question (listed on the Eagle Scout Rank Application) by a follow-up letter, phone contact, or other methods it chooses. The candidate shall not make any follow-up contact with the reference or submit other reference names.

7. After the contents of an application have been verified and appropriately signed, the application, Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook, and references will be returned from the council service center to the chair of the Eagle board of review so that a board of review may be scheduled. Under no circumstances should a board of review be scheduled until the application is returned to the chair of the Eagle board of review. Reference checks that are forwarded with the application are confidential, and their contents are not to be disclosed to any person who is not a member of the board of review.

8. The board of review for an Eagle candidate is composed of at least three but not more than six members, 21 years of age or older. It is not required that these persons be members of the advancement committee or be registered in Scouting; however, they must have an understanding of the importance and purpose of the Eagle Scout board of review. Unit leaders, assistant unit leaders, relatives, or guardians may not serve as members of a Scout's board of review. The Scout may have no input into the selection of the board of review members. At least one district or council advancement representative must be a member of the Eagle board of review if the board of review is conducted at a unit level. A council or district may designate more than one person to serve as a member of Eagle boards of review when requested to do so by the unit. The chair will schedule the board of review location, date and time in coordination with the unit leader and the Eagle Scout candidate. The board of review members should convene at least 30 minutes before the candidate appears in order to review the application, reference checks, and service project report.

9. The candidate's unit introduces him to the members of the board of review. The unit leader may remain in the room at his or her own discretion to observe only and may not participate in the board of review unless called upon to clarify a point in question. In no case should a relative or guardian of the candidate attend the review, even as a unit leader. There is no set of questions that an Eagle candidate should be asked. However, the board should be assured of the candidate's participation in the program. This is the highest award that a Scout may achieve and, consequently, a thorough discussion of his successes and experiences in Scouting should be considered.

After the review, the candidate and his unit leader leave the room while the board members discuss the acceptability of the candidate as an Eagle Scout. Because of the importance of the Eagle Scout Award, a unanimous decision in favor of awarding the Eagle badge must be reached. If the candidate meets the requirements, he is asked to return and is informed that he will receive the board's recommendation for the Eagle Scout rank. If the candidate does not meet the requirements, he is asked to return to the room and told the reasons for his failure to qualify. If the candidate does not meet the requirements and a positive, unanimous decision is not reached, then only two possibilities exist.

1. If the Scout's 18th birthday is not imminent and the board of review feels the Scout needs to improve in certain areas within a defined time frame, the board of review may adjourn and then reconvene at a later date and continue the review of the scout. A reasonable attempt should be made to reassemble the members of the first board when the board of review is reconvened.
2. If the vote was negative and final, the Scout must be informed of his options for appealing the decision and the proper procedures for an appeal.

The board must elect either 1 or 2 above and after doing so, asks the Eagle candidate to return to the room and he is then told the reasons for his failure to qualify. If the board elects option 1, then a discussion should be held with him as to how he may meet the requirements within a given period.

Should the applicant disagree with the decision, the appeal procedures should be explained to him. A follow-up letter must be sent to the Scout confirming the agreements reached on the action(s) necessary for the advancement. If the Scout chooses to appeal, provide the name and address of the person he is to contact.

10. Immediately after the board of review and after the application has been appropriately signed, the application, the service project report, references, and a properly completed Advancement Report are returned to the council service center.

11. When the application arrives at the council service center, the Scout executive signs it to certify that the proper procedure has been followed and that the board of review has recommended the candidate for the Eagle Scout rank. The Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook and references are retained by the council. The Workbook may be returned to the Scout after council approval. The council then forwards this paperwork to the national Youth Development office.

12. Upon receiving the council submitted Eagle application, the national Youth Development office, Eagle processing, will screen the application to ascertain correctness of information (proper signatures, positions of responsibility, tenure between ranks, age of the candidate, and so on).

After the council's Eagle Scout processor verifies and certifies that the application is correct, it should be submitted to the national office electronically. Submitting the application electronically is efficient and expeditious. Any errors that occur during the verification process can be corrected to insure an error-free application before submitting. Normal processing, when done manually, will take from four to eight weeks. Electronic submission may reduce the time to approximately two weeks.

Any item not meeting national standards will cause the application to be returned for more information. If the application is in order, the Scout is then certified as an Eagle Scout by the Youth Development office on behalf of the National Council. Notice of approval is given by sending the Eagle Scout certificate to the local council. The date used on the certificate will be the date of the board of review. The Eagle Award must not be sold or given to any unit until after the certificate is received by the council service center. The Eagle Scout court of honor should not be scheduled until the local council receives the Eagle Scout rank credentials.

After earning the Eagle Scout Award, a Scout may work to earn Eagle Palms. An Eagle Palm or Palms must be earned before the Scout's 18th birthday. Palms must be earned one at a time, in the order of Bronze, Gold, and then Silver. Each Palm level can only be earned after a three-month tenure since his effective Eagle date or since earning the last Palm.