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EDITED and UPDATED.First, let’s discuss the white elephant in the room:A. While it is possible for an officer of Marines to then become an enlisted Marine, the methods for this to occur are almost legendary, stories of myth from days long past.It is NOT realistic to expect to become an officer of Marines, and then serve later as an enlisted Marine. HOWEVER, it IS possible, under current law and regulations:1. Someone might be appointed as a temporary officer, and “revert” to either a preexisting enlisted status, or be directly appointed as an enlisted Marine.2. Any officer may request, through a formal board process convened at Headquarters US Marine Corps by the Commandant, to “revert” (if previously enlisted), or be directly appointed to an enlisted status.3. A Limited Duty Officer or Warrant Officer, both of whom are known as “restricted officers” under current USMC regulations and must have served already a significant amount of USMC enlisted service, might be involuntarily “reverted” to an appropriate enlisted rank (not lower than their last held enlisted grade, and possibly higher based on how long they served as a restricted officer and the needs of the Corps). Or as part of a draw-down of manpower or an occupational field restructuring, their MOS might become obsolete or the need for them as an officer might be obsolete, and they might be given a formal choice to voluntary “reenlist” or “revert” as an enlisted Marine in lieu of retirement or separation. (This last happened in large numbers in the mid-1990’s when several occupational fields were merged, deleted, etc., and quite a few restricted officers were given the choice to: retire at their current grade, or continue to serve but at reduced grade as either a warrant officer (if previously a commissioned limited duty officer) or enlisted (if they were already a warrant officer or if there was no longer any need for warrant officers in their specialty). Most retired…but some reverted and served until they later retired.)4. A warrant officer-1 (WO-1), as a probationary officer, might fail to meet the USMC standards for whatever reason, and be offered the choice (or ordered…) to “revert” to their previously held enlisted grade. Such a situation might just as easily result in a complete separation from the USMC (even the reserves), as a result of a Board action if the need for the revocation of the “warrant” of appointment was due to an honor code violation, cheating, or a commission (or conviction) of a serious offense (actually, ANY offense).5. There are a few other ways that a serving officer in the USMC might “revert” or “enlist” as an enlisted Marine…none of them are common, most are essentially impossible in this day and age of tight manpower management, regulations, and laws such as DOPMA, ROPMA, and WOPMA that govern how the Services manage their officers.B. Next, let’s discuss how one might become an enlisted Marine, and then become an officer:1. Clearly, enlisting means completing the basic training cycle, known as “boot camp” followed by Marine Combat Training followed by an MOS school (or more than one), and whatever other entry level training is required to prepare an enlisted Marine to serve in their MOS.2. Once an enlisted Marine has met these initial requirements, and they are serving successfully in “the Fleet Marine Force” among other Marines (whether active or reserve duty), they MAY become eligible for a variety of “officer” or “commissioning” programs (not always the same thing). One would always have to check the current year’s regulations and requirements for each officer program to ensure they meet that year’s standards (because they DO change every year, and some things might be waiverable, or not, in any given year). See: Marine Corps Order 1040.43B of 2015, at — http://www.marines.mil/Portals/5.... — Programs include:Warrant officer - appointment as a WO-1 requires technical expertise, and typically at least 8 years of active (or reserve) service and a minimum grade of Sergeant (E-5). Only certain enlisted MOS’s are eligible to feed to a warrant officer MOS, and there are differences between active and reserve qualifications (and MOS’s available), and reserve service typically is not qualifying for active warrant officer appointments, while extensive active duty AND reserve service might make an exceptionally qualified candidate for reserve warrant officer. WOs are careerists, and their appointment to WO is expected to be permanent until their retirement, broken only by appointment to higher grades of Chief Warrant Officer 2, 3, 4, or perhaps 5 (in some MOS’s only), OR the possibility of Board selection as a LDO and appointment to a higher grade (see below).Marine Gunner (Infantry Weapons Officer) - appointment as a CWO-2, with a minimum of 16 years of active service in the infantry field, be a Gunnery Sergeant (E-7) minimum, and a MAXIMUM amount of technical expertise and leadership. There are no reserve Gunners, and reservists cannot be appointed as Gunners. Gunners are long-serving careerists, and their appointment to Gunner is expected to be permanent until their retirement.Limited Duty Officers (LDOs) - in certain warrant officer fields, there is also a current requirement for another layer of technical expertise while holding higher grades than warrant officers; these few fields have LDOs, who typically are appointed to Captain (O-3) from their warrant officer grade, and then may be promoted up to LtCol (O-5) if their field and performance allow it. USMC LDOs must serve a significant amount of time as USMC warrant officers first, and that is after serving as USMC enlisted…typically it is 8 years of warrant officer service after 8 years of enlisted service. There are today very few LDO MOS’s left (there once were many more…until the 1990’s restructuring…). There are no reserve LDOs, and reservists cannot be appointed as LDOs. LDOs are long-serving careerists, and their appointment to LDO is expected to be permanent until their retirement.Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program (MECEP) - requires a minimum of 3+ years of Active duty and a minimum grade of Sergeant (E-5). A very hard Board to win selection, but selectees are ordered to attend a NROTC participating school, to include cross-town affiliates and consortiums, with a Naval ROTC unit (because the MECEP Marine remains on active duty and thus has additional duties as “adjunct faculty” within the ROTC unit, participating in all unit functions, training, inspecting etc.). They are expected to pay for their own college, using their GI Bill or other personal funds or financial aid, but remain on active duty, drawing active duty pay and allowances, housing, and credit toward retirement. Usually results in a minimum 4 years active duty service obligation. Certain Active Reservists (AR), serving on active duty pursuant to 10 USC 12310, may also be eligible. See: FISCAL YEAR 2018 (FY18) MECEP, ECP, RECP AND MCP-R SELECTION BOARDSEnlisted Commissioning Program (ECP) - for those active duty enlisted Marines who already have a bachelor’s degree, and are otherwise completely qualified for appointment as a lieutenant of Marines, they must be Board selected, and then complete the brutal OCS, and then are offered a commission as an officer. Minimum amount of active service and grade vary from year to year, and may be waiverable; typically at least one year of active duty and be at least Lance Corporal (E-3). Usually results in a 4-year active duty service obligation. Certain Active Reservists (AR), serving on active duty pursuant to 10 USC 12310, may also be eligible. See: FISCAL YEAR 2018 (FY18) MECEP, ECP, RECP AND MCP-R SELECTION BOARDSReserve Enlisted Commissioning Program (RECP) - reserve and active enlisted Marines, with at least 3 years of service, in minimum grade Corporal (E-4), with a bachelors degree and are otherwise qualified for a commission, otherwise, similar to ECP except the commission is in the Marine Corps Reserves, typically to serve a minimum of 4 years in a reserve unit, i.e., after the officer’s initial obligated training cycle is completed (OCS, TBS, MOS school(s)), they will be released from active duty to return to/join their reserve units to serve the remainder of their obligated service. See: FISCAL YEAR 2018 (FY18) MECEP, ECP, RECP AND MCP-R SELECTION BOARDSService Academy (specifically, the Naval Academy) - The Secretary of the Navy may appoint 170 enlisted members of the Regular and Reserve Navy and Marine Corps to the Naval Academy each year. These quotas often go unfilled due to lack of qualified applicants; thus, qualified enlisted Marines are typically appointed to enter the Naval Academy for 4 years, during which the prior-enlisted Marine will remain in the Marine Corps, and continue serving their prior enlisted contract in the background, but their official USMC status will be in an inactive status in the Individual Ready Reserve category-Trained of the USMCR…but they will not be active duty Marines. They will have signed a new service contract into the USNR as a Midshipman until graduation and commissioning as an officer. Midshipman are considered by law to be serving on active duty, and swear the Oath of Office like any other officer, and are under the Uniform Code of Military Justice as any other officer, including General Court-Martial jurisdiction and the possibility of “dismissal” as an officer’s punitive discharge (equivalent to an enlisted “dishonorable discharge”). (Time served at any Service Academy does NOT count toward seniority for pay or retirement credit, however, unless the Midshipman refuses their commission or otherwise is enlisted to serve their Service obligation in lieu of a commission, in which case, their Midshipman service DOES count toward pay and retirement, just like any other enlisted person.) A certain percentage of each graduating class (1/6th of each class) may be commissioned into the USMC rather than the USN, but this is competitive, so there is no guarantee (even for a former enlisted Marine) to be commissioned into the USMC. Service academy graduates have a minimum 5-year active duty service obligation after their appointment by the President as commissioned officers. Both active and reserve enlisted Marines may apply if otherwise qualified. United States Naval Academy - WikipediaMeritorious Commissioning Program-Reserve (MCP-R) - permits a small number of exceptionally well-qualified enlisted reserve or active Marines, who do not already have a bachelor’s degree but have at least 75 college credits or an Associate’s degree, with at least 3 years of active or reserve service, in minimum grade Corporal (E-4), to complete OCS, and be commissioned directly as a lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserve, to serve a minimum of 4 years in reserve units similar to the RECP program, except that officers commissioned through MCP-R must complete their bachelor’s degree before they are competitive for O-3 (Captain). (After the officer’s initial obligated training cycle is completed (OCS, TBS, MOS school(s)), they will be released from active duty to return to/join their reserve units to serve the remainder of their obligated service.) See: http://www.marines.mil/Portals/5...Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) - permits a small number of exceptionally well-qualified enlisted reserve or active Marines, who do not already have a bachelor’s degree, to join a NROTC unit to complete a prescribed course of study in various naval topics (basic military, mostly navy-oriented but with some USMC flavoring thrown in), either through:an unsubsidized (no stipend or financial assistance) NROTC-Basic program (covering essentially the first two years of college and the NROTC curriculum), ORAccepting either the College Program (Advanced Standing) stipend (with a service contract and obligation) per academic month of $350 for the junior year and $400 for the senior year, ORA full NROTC Scholarship with a $750 annual book stipend, and monthly stipends ranging from $250/month as a freshmen, $300/month as a sophomore, $350/month as a junior, and $400/month as a senior.Both active and reserve enlisted Marines may apply for the scholarship, and if selected, will be transferred to an inactive reserve status in the IRR of the USMCR until they are commissioned, and then serve a minimum of 4 years obligated active duty service.Currently serving reserve enlisted Marines may also participate in the NROTC-Basic program (first two years) while remaining in their reserve units, to increase their chances of winning a scholarship, but if they accept any financial assistance from the NROTC, i.e., contract under the NROTC College Program Advanced Standing, they will be transferred to the inactive reserve status as above.Time served in subsidized NROTC (College Program stipend or full scholarship) does NOT count toward pay or retirement credit, UNLESS the servicemember is not commissioned and then serves more enlisted time.Unlike Service Academy Midshipmen, NROTC Midshipmen are not appointed by the President. However, they DO swear the Oath of Office. They are appointed as Midshipmen by the Secretary of the Navy until they are commissioned -- when they are appointed as officers by the President and swear the Oath of Office.Further they are generally not subject to the UCMJ, and do not serve on active duty (again, unlike the Service Academy, who are considered by law to be on active duty at all times and thus subject to the UCMJ in the same manner as every other serving officer). See: http://www.marines.mil/Portals/5..., and http://www.nrotc.navy.mil/scholarships.html and https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/2107Platoon Leaders Course (PLC) - This is the most common source of USMC officers. Those who are accepted will continue at their college until they graduate and are commissioned; they must complete OCS at the first opportunity during the PLC period.A voluntary, i.e., not all PLC candidates will accept or qualify for, PLC Marine Corps Tuition Assistance Program (MCTAP) reimburses for tuition and other required fees semi-annually after each academic semester, after the candidate has completed their first OCS session. This stipend is not more than $5,200/year for each year until graduation (maximum of 3 years of MCTAP reimbursement payments). See: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/16401 and http://www.mcrc.marines.mil/Portals/95/Officer%20Prograhttp://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Publications/MCO%201560.33.pdf?ver=2012-10-11-163613-320ms/References/MCRCO%207220.1A%20FAP.PDF?ver=2016-07-19-103214-390PLC candidates may also apply for the Marine Corps Financial Assistance Program (MCFAP), after they complete their first OCS session. MCFAP provides up to $3,150 annually (semi-annual installments after each academic semester), for up to 3 years. This can be combined with MCTAP. See: http://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Publications/MCO%201560.33.pdf?ver=2012-10-11-163613-320Reserve enlisted Marines, either currently serving in a reserve unit or in the IRR, may apply. Selected Marine Corps Reserve (SMCR) unit Marines may continue to serve in their SMCR units and retain all standard reserve benefits (pay/allowances/bonuses/promotions/leadership experience/various MOS and other enhancing schools and training/etc.) until their graduation and commissioning.Those civilians (non-prior service) accepted into PLC are enlisted as Privates (E-1) (but are called “Candidates” or “Poolees” instead) into the USMC Reserve (the Individual Ready Reserve, in an untrained, inactive status), swear the Oath of Enlistment, and are not generally subject to the UCMJ or serve on active or inactive duty (except for the required OCS active duty).Any PLC candidates who have not completed USMC boot camp must enlist separately and complete the standard reserve enlisted training pipeline if they wish to serve as an enlisted Marine in a unit with other Marines prior to their commissioning; this is voluntary and is not part of the PLC program, but can be complementary with PLC.Prior-service PLC candidates retain their existing Pay Entry Base Date (PEBD) for longevity pay purposes.Non-prior service PLC candidates begin to accumulate longevity for pay purposes (establish a PEBD) on the first day they ship to OCS, if they choose not to accept any financial aid stipends.All PLC candidates (prior service AND non-prior service) will be paid basic pay and allowances at the pay grade Sergeant (E-5) while on active duty attending OCS and actively training (as opposed to being held in a medical or legal non-training status at OCS, when they will be paid at the pay grade they held prior to arriving at OCS); if they are prior enlisted Marines with a grade higher than E-5, they will be paid at the higher rate. This temporary pay grade is NOT an appointment to the grade of Sergeant (E-5) at any time while serving in PLC; it is a fixed rate of pay without any authority or benefits accorded to those who have earned the rank of Sergeant (E-5) in the Marine Corps, e.g., no powers of apprehension under the UCMJ.Those non-prior service PLC candidates who choose to accept the MCTAP (up to $5,200/academic year) will have their PEBD set as the date of commissioning. See: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/16401 and http://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Publications/MCO%201560.33.pdf?ver=2012-10-11-163613-320Commissioning through PLC incurs a minimum 3-year active duty service obligation beginning after the completion of the entry level training pipeline (6 months of TBS followed by MOS school(s)), unless financial assistance was obtained through the MCTAP, in which case there is a 5-year active duty service obligation. Acceptance of MCFAP financial assistance adds an additional 6 months of obligated active duty service, on top of any other requirements. See: http://officer.marines.com/docs/oso/ocs/plc.pdf and http://www.mcrc.marines.mil/Portals/95/Officer%20Programs/References/MCRCO%207220.1A%20FAP.PDF?ver=2016-07-19-103214-390 and https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/37/209#c3. Upon commissioning, any prior enlisted service contracts are voided, and (most) new officers sign an 8-year contract (the Military Service Obligation or MSO), of which any part not served on active duty must be served in some category of the reserves. The specific proportion of active to reserve duty during the MSO is largely based on the source of commission and contractual obligations, as well as personal desires, but is subject to the needs of the Marine Corps, laws, and various regulations.4. Upon commissioning, new officers swear the Oath of Office. By law, officers are only required to swear the Oath of Office once in their career, if their service remains unbroken, i.e., they remain commissioned continuously after swearing their Oath.C. Bottom line:1. It is quite possible to become an enlisted Marine, and then serve as an officer, but each part must be done through a series of difficult screenings and training.2. With the exception of the Marine Corps Band (the President’s Own stationed only in Washington, D.C.), all enlisted Marines MUST complete boot camp.3. With the very rare exception of an interservice transfer in a critically short skill such as certain pilots, ALL unrestricted line officers (lieutenants and above) must complete Marine Corps OCS before they can be commissioned.4. Newly appointed warrants officers (including Gunners and LDOs), do not attend OCS — their long service and their Commanders’ endorsements are sufficient screening — before they are appointed.5. It is essentially impossible to be a Marine officer first, and the “revert” to an enlisted status. At least voluntarily. Thus, it’s not a choice that should ever be made in advance or relied upon as an option, either now or in the future.6. In the sense that Marine-Option NROTC Scholarship Midshipmen, and PLC candidates, are in fact members of the USMC Reserve through their service contracts, although they haven’t completed boot camp, since they are not yet officers they must be enlisted…if you really like twisting around logic and going down rabbit holes, you could apply for and be selected, from civilian life, for either NROTC Scholarship Marine Option, or PLC, execute the service obligation and swear the oath of enlistment, and join the Marine Corps Reserve (in the IRR category, Untrained), and thus legitimately (but very, very legalistically!) claim you were enlisted and then became an officer. Good luck with that claim…7. If you truly want to experience being an enlisted Marine, and then become a Marine officer, you have one simple choice: enlist, and go to boot camp, and serve as an enlisted Marine! Whether active or reserve. Then, if you are qualified, and still wish to do so, apply for one or more of the many enlisted to officer programs above.Good luck, and Semper fi, WKB