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CONVENING OF ACADEMIC YEAR 2026-2027 COLLEGE OF DISTANCE  EDUCATION AND TRAINING COMMAND AND STAFF COLLEGE AND EXPEDITIONARY  WARFARE SCHOOL BLENDED SEMINAR PROGRAM SELECTION BOARD FOR RESERVE  OFFICERS

MARADMIN 159/26 · April 7, 2026 · Source

Want to Attend EWS or Command and Staff College — Without Going Full Residency?

A funded, blended-format PME program just opened applications for Reserve officers.

Here is what it is, who qualifies, and what you need to do before the deadline.

Reference: MARADMIN 159/26, signed 6 April 2026. Underlying authorities include MCO 1553.4B (Professional Military Education) and MCO P1900.16 CH2 (Separation and Retirement Manual).

The old problem

Reserve officers who needed EWS or Command and Staff College credit faced a hard choice.

Full residency is a major life disruption. Most Reserve Marines cannot just disappear for months.

The Blended Seminar Program exists to solve that. But the application process, eligibility rules, and post-graduation obligations were scattered across older MARADMINs and not easy to find in one place.

This MARADMIN consolidates it all for AY 2026-2027 and opens the selection board.

The new rule (in one line)

Reserve officers can now apply for funded, blended-format EWS or Command and Staff College seats for Academic Year 2026-2027. The deadline is 1 May 2026.

Core content

What is the Blended Seminar Program?

It is a funded PME program run by the College of Distance Education and Training (CDET).

It mixes resident periods at a regional campus with an online middle phase.

You are not sitting in Quantico for six months straight.

There are two programs:

✦ Expeditionary Warfare School BSP (EWSBSP) — for company-grade officers ✦ Command and Staff College BSP (CSCBSP) — for field-grade officers

Both are offered at three campuses: Camp Pendleton, Camp Lejeune, and Quantico.

Who is eligible for EWS BSP?

Priority order:

  1. O-3 (unrestricted and LDO)
  2. O-3 select and CWO3
  3. O-2
  4. CWO2 (requires a waiver)

Who is eligible for Command and Staff College BSP?

Priority order:

  1. O-4 (unrestricted and LDO)
  2. CWO4
  3. O-3 with a completed Captains Level School and at least 24 months time in grade
  4. CWO3 (requires a waiver)

Who is NOT eligible?

You cannot apply if any of the following apply to you:

✦ You are in the above-zone on the next scheduled promotion board ✦ You already completed an equivalent Formal Level School or Distance Education Program ✦ You have an approved retirement, resignation, or pending conditional release ✦ Your mandatory removal date is 1 October 2028 or earlier ✦ You have more than 18 years of creditable service toward a Reserve retirement

(If you are close to any of these lines, check with your S-1 before applying.)

How the programs are structured

EWS Blended Seminar Program:

  1. Stage one: 29-day resident period
  2. Stage two: 12-week online period
  3. Stage three: 6-week resident period

Command and Staff College Blended Seminar Program:

  1. Stage one: 4-week resident period
  2. Stage two: 28-week online period
  3. Stage three: 6-week resident period

EWS class dates

| Class / Location | First Resident Period | Second Resident Period | |---|---|---| | 701-702 / Camp Lejeune | 6 Jul 26 | 25 Oct 26 | | 703-704 / Camp Pendleton | 6 Jul 26 | 25 Oct 26 | | 717-718 / Quantico | 6 Jul 26 | 25 Oct 26 | | 705-706 / Quantico | 4 Jan 27 | 25 Apr 27 | | 707-708 / Camp Lejeune | 4 Jan 27 | 25 Apr 27 | | 709-710 / Camp Pendleton | 4 Jan 27 | 25 Apr 27 |

Command and Staff College class dates

| Class / Location | First Resident Period | Second Resident Period | |---|---|---| | 701-702 / Quantico | 12 Jul 26 | 21 Apr 27 | | 703-704 / Camp Lejeune | 26 Jul 26 | 6 Apr 27 | | 705-706 / Camp Pendleton | 26 Jul 26 | 6 Apr 27 | | 707-708 / Camp Lejeune | 24 Jan 27 | 14 Sep 27 | | 709-710 / Camp Pendleton | 24 Jan 27 | 14 Sep 27 |

The obligation you are signing up for

This is funded PME. The Marine Corps is paying for it.

In exchange, you owe 24 continuous months of SELRES drilling affiliation after you graduate.

That means:

✦ You will sign a Statement of Understanding (SOU) before or at the time of selection ✦ Within 90 days of graduation, you must be joined to an SMCR drilling unit or an IMA billet matching your grade and MOS ✦ Failure to affiliate after graduation will be handled under the terms of that SOU

(This is not a soft suggestion. The SOU is a contractual agreement.)

SMCR Marines who want to avoid a break in drilling affiliation while enrolled in the nonresident phase can request transfer to an excess BIC within their unit.

The prerequisite for EWS

Before you can apply to the EWS BSP, you must complete the 8670 prerequisite course.

Enroll through MarineNet. Course code: EWSDEPPREQ.

Do not wait on this. It needs to be done before your application is considered.

Why this is a big deal

Reserve officer PME completion rates have long been a problem.

Full-residency programs are hard to attend when you have a civilian career, family obligations, and limited leave.

The BSP format changes that math. You do most of the coursework online, with two defined resident periods you can actually plan around.

Getting EWS or Command and Staff College credit matters for promotion and command selection. If you are an O-3 or O-4 in the Reserve, this program may be the most realistic path you have to check that box.

The application window closes 1 May 2026. That is soon.

A smaller note for active-duty Marines

Active Reserve (AR) program members are covered by this MARADMIN but cannot apply through the M&RA portal. AR Marines must apply directly through the CDET Reserve Liaison Officer. Contact CAPT David Ables at 703-784-3015 or mcu_cdet_rlo@usmcu.edu.

The bottom line

The AY 2026-2027 EWS and Command and Staff College Blended Seminar Program selection board is open.

Applications are due 1 May 2026.

If you are a Reserve officer in the right grade window and you have not already completed an equivalent school, this is worth your attention right now.

What to do with this

If you are an O-2 or O-3 (or CWO2/CWO3) considering EWS:

  1. Confirm you do not fall into any ineligibility category above
  2. Enroll in the 8670 prerequisite on MarineNet now. Course code: EWSDEPPREQ
  3. Create or log into your M&RA portal account at https://www.manpower.usmc.mil/application_noncac/
  4. Click "RPME-C" and complete the application
  5. Upload your signed RQS (NAVMC 10476, Rev. Sep 2016)
  6. Submit before 1 May 2026, 2359 Eastern

If you are an O-4 (or CWO4 or eligible O-3) considering Command and Staff College:

  1. Same process as above. Same deadline.
  2. Confirm your time-in-grade and CLS completion if you are an O-3 applying

If you need to update your OMPF first:

Send any supporting documents (not fitness reports) to HQMC MMRP-20 at smb.manpower.mmsb-20@usmc.mil by 30 April 2026, 2359 Eastern. Put "AY 26-27 RPME-C selection process" in the body of the email. Send as a single black and white PDF. Include your full name and EDIPI.

If you need a waiver or cannot access the portal:

Contact the CDET Reserve Liaison Officer directly.

✦ CAPT David Ables ✦ Phone: 703-784-3015 ✦ Email: mcu_cdet_rlo@usmcu.edu

If you are an SMCR unit S-1 or XO:

Check which of your officers fall in the eligible grade windows. This is worth flagging to them directly. The deadline is close.

This is written by a reservist, for reservists. It is not an official publication of HQMC or MARFORRES. Always verify guidance with your command or unit S-1 before acting on any article or summary.

Need a shorter version of this for a quick brief or a unit newsletter blurb? Or a longer breakdown of the SOU obligation language? Let me know and I can pull that together.

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CONVENING OF ACADEMIC YEAR 2026-2027 COLLEGE OF DISTANCE  EDUCATION AND TRAINING COMMAND AND STAFF COLLEGE AND EXPEDITIONARY  WARFARE SCHOOL BLENDED SEMINAR PROGRAM SELECTION BOARD FOR RESERVE  OFFICERS — Reservable