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

1. This Marine Administrative Message (MARADMIN) 
announces the convening of the Academic Year (AY) 2026-2027 Command 
and Staff College (CSC) and Expeditionary Warfare School (EWS) 
funded Blended Seminar Program (BSP) selection board for reserve 
officers. The intent of this MARADMIN is to solicit applications 
from reserve officers desiring to attend the funded BSP Distance 
Education Program (DEP) and to detail the application process.
1.b. The College of Distance Education and Training (CDET) 
EWSBSPs and CSCBSPs are located at the following MCU regional 
campuses: Camp Pendleton, California (CPCA); Camp Lejeune, North 
Carolina (CLNC) and Quantico, Virginia (QUAN). 
2. Application
2.a. All applicants must submit their application via the 
Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) and Manpower and Reserve Affairs 
website. Officers who are board-selected for a BSP will be 
registered in the Marine Corps Training Information Management 
System by the College of Distance Education and Training (CDET) 
Reserve Liaison Officer (RLO). Officers who meet any of the 
following criteria are ineligible to apply for the funded BSP:
2.b. Officers who are in the above zone on the next scheduled 
promotion board.
2.c. Officers that have completed an equivalent Formal Level School 
(FLS) or DEP.
2.d. Officers with approved retirements, resignations, or pending 
conditional release.
2.e. Officers applying for FLS who have a mandatory removal date of 
1 October 2028 or earlier.
2.f. Officers who have more than 18 years of creditable service 
towards a reserve retirement.
3. Requirements
3.a. Reserve officers participating in any funded Professional 
Military Education (PME) program of study (excluding two-week staff 
training courses) will incur a selected reserve (SELRES) drilling 
affiliation obligation for 24 continuous months following the 
completion of the program of study. This requirement is to ensure 
that the reserve component effectively realizes a return on the 
investment made in funding the education of officers through these 
programs. To more effectively enforce this requirement, the 
following applies:
3.a.1. SMCR/IMA/IRR officers selected for any funded PME program of
study will be required to sign a Statement of Understanding (SOU). 
A SOU is a contractual agreement between the Marine Corps and a 
non-mandatory participant which obligates the Marine to participate 
in Reserve training in the Selected Reserve (SelRes).
3.a.2. Ninety days following graduation, officers must be joined to 
either a Selected Marine Corps Reserve (SMCR) drilling unit or an 
Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) Billet Identification Code 
(BIC) that matches his or her grade and military occupational 
specialty.
3.b. Subsequent failure to affiliate following graduation will be 
handled in accordance with the SOU signed at the time of 
graduation.
3.c. The following personnel are eligible to participate in EWSBSP 
(in order of priority). 
3.c.1.  Marine O3 (unrestricted and Limited Duty Officers (LDO)) 
3.c.2.  Marine O3 select and Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) 3 
3.c.3.  Marine O2 
3.c.4.  Marine CWO2 (requires waiver for enrollment) 
3.d.  Interested students who require a waiver should contact their 
closest CDET Regional Point of Contact (POC) listed in paragraph 6 
to obtain more information on the waiver process. 
3.e.  Students must complete the 8670 prerequisite course described 
in reference (c) prior to attending the EWSBSP. 
3.f.  The following personnel are eligible to participate in CSCBSP 
(in order of priority). 
3.f.1.  Marine O4 (unrestricted and LDO) 
3.f.2.  CWO4 
3.f.3.  CLS-complete O3 with 24 months time in grade (TIG) 
3.f.4.  Marine CWO3 (requires waiver for enrollment) 
3.g.  Interested students who require a waiver should contact their 
closest CDET Regional POC listed in paragraph 6 to obtain more 
information on the waiver process. 
4. Format
4.a. EWSBSP is designed for delivery in three stages:  
stage one is a 29-day resident period, stage two is a 12-week online 
period, and stage three is a 6-week resident period.
4.b. EWSBSP class dates (read in three columns):
Class Number/Location   Report 1st             Report 2nd
                        Resident Period        Resident Period
701-702/CLNC            6 Jul 26(701)          25 Oct 26(702)
703-704/CPCA            6 Jul 26(703)          25 Oct 26(704)
717-718/QUAN            6 Jul 26(717)          25 Oct 26(718)
705-706/QUAN            4 Jan 27(705)          25 Apr 27(706)
707-708/CLNC            4 Jan 27(707)          25 Apr 27(708)
709-710/CPCA            4 Jan 27(709)          25 Apr 27(710)
5. Course prerequisites.  Prospective students must complete the 
8670 prerequisite described in reference (d) prior to applying to the 
EWSBSP.  Students will submit enrollment requests for the 8670 
prerequisite through MARINENET, Course Code:  EWSDEPPREQ.
6.Format
6.a. CSCBSP is designed for delivery in three stages:  
stage one is a 4-week resident period, stage two is a 28-week online 
period, and stage three is a 6-week resident period.
6.b. CSC BSP class dates (read in three columns):
Class Number/Location   Report 1st              Report 2nd
                        Resident Period         Resident Period
701-702/QUAN            12 Jul 26(701)          21 Apr 27(702)
703-704/CLNC            26 Jul 26(703)          6 Apr 27(704)
705-706/CPCA            26 Jul 26(705)          6 Apr 27(706)
707-708/CLNC            24 Jan 27(707)          14 Sep 27(708)
709-710/CPCA            24 Jan 27(709)          14 Sep 27(710)
7. Application process
8.a. The deadline for submitting the application and updated 
material for the BSPs is 1 May 2026, 2359 Eastern Daylight Time(EDT).
The online website for submission of all applications and materials 
is https:(slant)(slant)www.manpower.usmc.mil/application_noncac/.  
Officers with a Manpower and Reserve Affairs portal account will 
proceed to the login process. Officers who do not have a Manpower 
and Reserve Affairs portal account will receive a 404 access error.  
Within the error message are instructions on how to register for a 
Manpower and Reserve Affairs portal account. Any active or reserve 
component Marines requesting a portal account will be automatically 
approved.  Upon login, the system will validate the application for 
which the officer is qualified.  Click "RPME-C" and complete the 
Reserve Professional Military Education (RPME) application for the 
desired program. Officers are strongly advised to read the 
instructions in their entirety before completing the application 
form. The web-based application allows for the attachment of 
documents and offers RPME preference options via drop-down boxes.  
Ensure upload of documents into the proper document type (e.g., 
Reserve Qualification Summary (RQS) documents upload into RQS file 
type). Officers must complete, sign (digitally or physically), and 
attach their RQS NAVMC 10476 (Rev. Sep 2016), which is the current 
version located on the online application and on the Reserve Affairs 
Management-3 webpage in order for their application to be considered.
Once submitted, officers will receive a confirmation email that their
application has been received.  Hard copy applications will not be
accepted. All submitted material will be destroyed upon completion
of the selection process. If unable to access the portal, 
email the CDET RLO at mcu_cdet_rlo@usmcu.edu. 
Active Reserve program members will not submit applications through 
the M&RA portal and must apply via the CDET RLO.
8.b. Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) material. Any documents 
that an officer feels should be part of his or her OMPF, other than 
fitness reports, must be forwarded to HQMC (MMRP-20) by 30 April 
2026, 2359 EDT. Email is the preferred and fastest way to update the 
OMPF. Email updated material to smb.manpower.mmsb-20@usmc.mil. In the 
text of the email, indicate AY 26-27 RPME-C selection process as the 
program being considered for. A single black and white multi-page 
attachment in Adobe Portable Document Format will expedite filing.  
Ensure all materials contain full name and electronic data 
interchange personal identifier (EDIPI).  Personally identifiable 
information privacy is the responsibility of the sender.
9. Administration
9.a. Ensure email addresses and telephone numbers are current and 
are provided on the application.  Update any changes to point of 
contact information promptly.
9.b. Excess BIC. To avoid a break in SELRES affiliation while 
enrolled in nonresident PME, SMCR Marines may elect to request 
transfer to an excess BIC within their unit in accordance with 
reference (e).
9. Notification of selection. The selection panel will select a 
number of officers as primaries equal to the number of school seats
available. The selection panel will also select a sufficient number 
of officers as alternates to meet quota requirements when officers 
decline or otherwise cannot accept. Once the results are approved by 
CDET, primary selectees for the BSP will be notified via email. The 
email will provide administrative guidance for orders processing and 
issuance.
10. Withdrawal from course. Officers withdrawing from a course for 
which they were selected must do so 60 days prior to the commencement 
of the course. Withdrawal within 60 days of the commencement of the 
course will be documented in the officer's OMPF with a non-punitive 
page 11 entry.
11. This MARADMIN is applicable to the Marine Corps Reserve (AR, SMCR, 
IMA, and IRR) and has been coordinated with Marine Forces Reserve.   
12. Release authorized by Brigadier General M. W. Tracy, 
President, Marine Corps University.