This guide gives useful info about the Navy Chaplain Candidate Program for Fiscal Year 2025.
This program is for those called to serve as a Navy Chaplain—supporting service members and protecting their right to worship, whatever their faith.
To do this, you must be:
- Open to a diverse military environment
- Respectful of all religious beliefs
- Committed to protecting freedom of faith while staying true to your own
It’s a unique role—guiding without imposing, supporting without judgment. And by law, Navy Chaplains are noncombatants. No weapons. No exceptions.
Now, let’s get into the details.
What is the Navy Chaplain Candidate Program?
Pursuing or finished a graduate theology degree? Thinking about becoming a Navy Chaplain? The Navy Chaplain Candidate Program (CCP) might be your path.
As a Chaplain Candidate Program Officer (CCPO) (Navy designator 1945), you’ll be commissioned as a Navy Officer while still in seminary. No tuition coverage, but you’ll get full pay and benefits like any Naval Officer.
What You’ll Do:
- Get hands-on training under a seasoned Navy Chaplain
- See religious support in action across the Fleet, Marine Corps, and hospitals
- Shadow Chaplains aboard ships, at Walter Reed, or Naval Base San Diego
- Experience the challenges and rewards of faith-based leadership in military settings
After meeting all requirements, you’ll interview with a recruiter and the Chaplain Candidate Program Manager. A Selection Board will then decide if you meet the standards to join the Navy Chaplain Corps (Active or Reserve).
Completion of CCP means bigger salary increases when you go active duty. If you’re serious about this path, talk to a Navy Officer Recruiter to learn more.
Chaplain Corps Ranks
| Pay Grade | Navy Rank | Abbreviation |
| O-1 | Ensign | ENS |
| O-2 | Lieutenant Junior Grade | LTJG |
| O-3 | Lieutenant | LT |
| O-4 | Lieutenant Commander | LCDR |
| O-5 | Commander | CDR |
| O-6 | Captain | CAPT |
| O-7 | Rear Admiral (Lower Half) | RDML |
| O-8 | Rear Admiral (Upper Half) | RADM |
| O-9 | Vice Admiral | VADM |
| O-10 | Admiral | ADM |
How It Breaks Down:
- O-1 to O-3: Brand-new officers start at Ensign (O-1). By Lieutenant (O-3), they’re leading teams, running divisions.
- O-4 to O-6: Lieutenant Commanders (O-4) take on bigger roles. Commanders (O-5) lead departments. Captains (O-6) run ships, major shore units.
- O-7 to O-10: Rear Admirals (O-7, O-8) call the shots on strike groups and big operations. Vice Admirals (O-9) and full Admirals (O-10) run entire fleets.
This is Navy-specific. The other branches do it differently.
Salary and Benefits
2025 U.S. Navy Officer Pay Chart (First Six Years)
| Pay Grade | <2 Years | Over 2 Years | Over 3 Years | Over 4 Years | Over 6 Years |
| O-1 | $3,998.40 | $4,161.90 | $5,031.30 | $5,031.30 | $5,031.30 |
| O-2 | $4,606.80 | $5,246.70 | $6,042.90 | $6,247.20 | $6,375.30 |
| O-3 | $5,331.60 | $6,044.10 | $6,522.60 | $7,112.40 | $7,453.80 |
| O-4 | $6,064.20 | $7,019.70 | $7,488.90 | $7,592.40 | $8,027.10 |
| O-5 | $7,028.40 | $7,917.30 | $8,465.40 | $8,568.60 | $8,910.90 |
Notes:
- A 4.5% pay raise is effective January 1, 2025.
- Officers with 4+ years of prior enlisted or warrant officer service (O-1E, O-2E, O-3E) earn more. Example: O-1E (4+ years) makes $5,031.30 monthly.
- Future pay changes depend on legislation. Check DFAS.mil for updates.
Additional Pays and Allowances
- Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH): Covers housing costs for those living off-base. Amount depends on rank, location, and dependents.
- Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS): Helps cover meal costs. 2025 officer rate: $323.87/month.
- Hazardous Duty Incentive Pay (HDIP): Extra pay for dangerous jobs—flight decks, EOD, etc. $150–$250/month.
- Career Sea Pay: For shipboard or deployed sailors. $50–$750/month, based on rank and time at sea.
- Special & Incentive Pays: Extra cash for specific skills (e.g., air traffic control, language proficiency). Ranges from a few hundred to several thousand dollars annually.
- Overseas Cost of Living Allowance (COLA): Extra pay to offset higher living costs in foreign duty stations. Varies by location, rank, and dependents.
Benefits
- Healthcare: Free medical and dental for active duty. Low-cost TRICARE options for families.
- Housing: On-base housing or tax-free BAH for off-base living.
- Food: BAS provides a monthly food stipend.
- Blended Retirement System (BRS): Pension + Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) contributions. Retirement pay kicks in at 20 years.
- Education: Tuition assistance, Post-9/11 GI Bill, and Navy College Program support higher education.
- Life Insurance: SGLI covers up to $500,000.
- Vacation: 30 days of paid leave per year, plus federal holidays.
All rates and benefits are subject to change with future legislation.
Navy Chaplain Candidate Program Requirements
To be eligible for the Navy Chaplain Candidate Program, applicants must be American citizens, between 21 to 38 years of age, and are currently enrolled in a graduate-level religious studies program.
The eligibility requirements listed below are current as of June 2019, per the Navy Personnel Command. No updates have been issued so far.
Basic Eligibility Requirements
| Citizenship | Applicants must be United States citizens. |
| Gender | Open to both men and women. |
| Age | At the time of CCPO commissioning, applicants must be at least 21 years old and under 38 years old. CCPOs must be eligible for and accept a superseding appointment as a Navy Chaplain (designator 4100) before the age of 58. |
| Education | Undergraduate: Baccalaureate degree from an accredited university with a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Graduate: Currently enrolled in a religious studies graduate degree program. Such programs and institutions must conform with the DoD Instruction 1304.28 standards for certifying Religious Ministry Professional generating educational institutions. |
| Physical | In accordance with Chapter 15 of the Manual of the Medical Department. |
| Marital Status | No restrictions. |
Additional Requirements
- The application must be accompanied by a curriculum plan, including the course prerequisites and the expected completion date. In addition, the CNRC CCP PM must receive official transcripts (COMNAVRCRUITCOMINST 1131.2G). Non-disclosure of entire academic transcripts or any sign of tampering will cause expulsion.
- The CNRC CCP PM shall supervise the CCPOs’ educational advancement. Participants must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a scale of 4.0; failure to do so may cause probation or expulsion from the program.
- Ecclesiastical Approval: Applicants must possess an approved DD FORM 2088 from a recognized Religious Organization (RO), as stated in DoD Instruction 1304.28, attesting that the applicant is a Chaplain Candidate. If permission is lost or revoked, the CCPO must get fresh approval within 30 days from a RO. Within 30 days, the RO must submit this updated permission to the CHC Force Structure Division (OPNAV N0971) through the CNRC CCP PM. Failure to keep ecclesiastical permission will cause dis-enrollment.
Application Waivers
If the candidate does not fulfill all requirements but has an excellent record or demonstrated expertise that the Navy requires, a few waivers may be granted.
Age exemptions are only available to individuals with previous military experience. The waiver authority is CNRC.
Waivers cannot be delegated below the flag level, and the CNRC will keep documented reasons for every waiver issued.
What to Expect Upon Commissioning?
- Selected personnel must complete all required accession training within one year of commissioning.
- Chaplain applicants must finish the Chaplain Candidate Orientation Course at the Naval Chaplaincy School and Center within 24 months or before their first ADT/on-the-job training (OJT).
- Upon completion of CCPO Indoctrination, CCPOs will enroll in Navy e-Learning courses and take advantage of ADT/OJT possibilities. For direct appointment as a Navy Chaplain, a minimum of one OJT, issued by CCP PM, is necessary (AC or RC). During times of active duty spent in a military facility, uniforms must be worn.
- Candidates will be commissioned as Ensigns, designator 1945, in the Staff Corps of the United States Navy.
Service Obligation
Accept, upon satisfying the conditions of PA 110 and OPNAVINST 1120.9A, a direct assignment to active duty or Selected Reserve, if offered.
CCPOs who are neither offered nor accept a direct appointment will be terminated from the program.
More Information
If you are interested in the Navy Chaplain Candidate program, the next logical step is to contact your local Navy Officer recruiter.
They will help you with all the requirements so you can submit a competitive application package.
You might also be interested in reading this guide: The Navy Chaplain Program Guide
Hope this is helpful to your career and educational planning.
