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APPLICATION PROCESS FOR RESERVE OFFICERS APPLYING TO THE COLLEGE OF DISTANCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING COMMAND AND STAFF COLLEGE AND  EXPEDITIONARY WARFARE SCHOOL FUNDED WEEKEND SEMINAR PROGRAM WITH  START DATES IN ACADEMIC YEAR 2027

MARADMIN 174/26 · April 17, 2026 · Source

Want funded PME orders for EWS or CSC? Here's exactly how to apply for AY 2027.

The Marine Corps just published the application guidance for Reserve officers who want funded seats in the Expeditionary Warfare School or Command and Staff College Weekend Seminar Programs.

The deadline is coming faster than you think.

If you are a Reserve officer at or near the right grade for intermediate or senior-level PME, this one is for you.

Reference: MARADMIN 174/26, signed 15 April 2026. Underlying authority includes MCO 1553.4B on Professional Military Education.

The old problem

Reserve officers who wanted funded PME seats had to track down guidance scattered across multiple older MARADMINs.

Eligibility rules, prerequisites, and the obligation you incur by accepting funded orders were not always spelled out together in one place.

This MARADMIN cleans that up for the AY 2027 cycle.

The new rule in one line

Reserve officers (SMCR, IMA, and IRR) can apply now for funded EWS or CSC Weekend Seminar seats starting in Academic Year 2027, on a first-come, first-served basis, with a hard cutoff of 1 July 2026.

Who is eligible. And who is not.

Expeditionary Warfare School Weekend Seminar Program (EWSWSP)

This is the intermediate-level school. One weekend per month for two academic years.

Eligible officers, in priority order:

  1. O-3 (unrestricted and limited duty)
  2. O-3 selects and CWO3s
  3. O-2s
  4. CWO2s (requires a waiver)

Command and Staff College Weekend Seminar Program (CSCWSP)

This is the senior-level school. Also one weekend per month, two academic years. First year runs October to May, second year the following October to May.

Eligible officers, in priority order:

  1. O-4 (unrestricted and limited duty)
  2. O-4 selects
  3. CWO4s
  4. Captains who have completed PME for grade and have 24 months time in grade
  5. CWO3s (requires a waiver)

Who cannot apply. Full stop.

You are ineligible for funded WSP orders if any of the following apply to you:

✦ You are in the above-zone on the next scheduled promotion board.

✦ You are already above grade for the PME level you are applying for. (Lieutenant colonels cannot apply for funded CSC, for example.)

✦ You have already completed an equivalent school or distance education program.

✦ You have an approved retirement, resignation, or pending conditional release.

✦ Your mandatory removal date falls within four years of your application date.

✦ You have more than 18 years of creditable service toward a Reserve retirement.

If any of those describe you, stop here. You are not eligible.

The obligation you are signing up for

This part matters. A lot.

If you accept funded PME orders, you incur a 24-month continuous Selected Reserve drilling obligation after you graduate.

Here is how that plays out:

  1. Before you start: You sign a Statement of Understanding (SOU). This is a binding contractual agreement with the Marine Corps.
  2. Within 90 days of graduation: You must be joined to either an SMCR drilling unit or an IMA billet that matches your grade and MOS.
  3. If you fail to affiliate after graduating: The SOU governs what happens next. It will not be informal.

The Marine Corps is funding your education. They want 24 months of drilling in return.

(Yes, it is that straightforward.)

Prerequisites before you start

EWS Weekend Seminar: You must complete the 8670 prerequisite course before your first seminar. Find it on MarineNet. Course code: EWSDEPPREQ.

CSC Weekend Seminar: No prerequisites required.

How to apply

The application window is open right now.

Deadline: 1 July 2026. First-come, first-served while funded seats last.

Here is what you do:

  1. Go to the CDET website and download the application package.
  2. Complete the CDET WSP student application.
  3. Complete the SWAT form. You initial and sign it. A commissioned officer witnesses it.
  4. Convert everything to PDF.
  5. Email the complete package to: MCU_CDET_RLO@usmcu.edu

Make sure your email address and phone number are current on the application. If they change after you submit, update the CDET Reserve Liaison Officer immediately at that same email or at (703) 784-3015.

Applications are screened monthly. Selections are first-come, first-served. In September, selected applicants receive orders-processing guidance by email.

Your seminar location will be assigned by CDET based on their current business practices. You do not get to pick it.

Why this is a big deal

Funded PME orders for Reserve officers are not unlimited.

The number of seats each year is set by Marine Forces Reserve. When seats are gone, they are gone.

This MARADMIN also makes the post-graduation drilling obligation more enforceable than it has been in the past. The SOU requirement puts teeth on what was previously harder to track. If you take the funded seat and then disappear from the drilling rolls, there are now documented consequences.

The Marine Corps is trying to ensure that Reserve Component PME investment actually produces officers who stay connected to their units.

That is a reasonable trade. But you need to understand what you are agreeing to before you sign.

A smaller note for active-duty Marines

This MARADMIN is written specifically for Reserve component officers: SMCR, IMA, and IRR. If you are active duty and interested in EWS or CSC options through CDET, this is not your application process. Check with your S-1 or career monitor for the appropriate pathway.

The bottom line

Reserve officers eligible for EWS or CSC have a funded seat opportunity for AY 2027.

Apply before 1 July 2026.

Do it early. Seats fill on a first-come, first-served basis.

Know the 24-month drilling obligation before you accept.

What to do with this

If you are an eligible Reserve officer: Go to the CDET site now, download the package, and get it submitted. Do not wait until June.

If you are an SMCR unit commander or S-3: Identify officers in your unit who are at the right grade for EWS or CSC. Send them this article. Remind them of the deadline.

If you are an IMA or IRR officer: You are eligible. The process works the same for you. Email the CDET RLO if you have questions about affiliation requirements given your current status.

If you are unsure whether you qualify: Do not guess. Contact the CDET Reserve Liaison Officer directly: David Ables, CAPT, at david.ables@usmcu.edu or (703) 784-3015.

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 unit brief or a longer breakdown of the SOU obligation and what it means for IRR officers? Let me know and I can put either together.

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APPLICATION PROCESS FOR RESERVE OFFICERS APPLYING TO THE COLLEGE OF DISTANCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING COMMAND AND STAFF COLLEGE AND  EXPEDITIONARY WARFARE SCHOOL FUNDED WEEKEND SEMINAR PROGRAM WITH  START DATES IN ACADEMIC YEAR 2027 — Reservable