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Achievement Transfer from Scouts BSA to Trail Life

Many people have asked about the transfer system for transferring various ranks and achievements from Scouts BSA over to Trail Life USA. This description is designed to provide an overview of that process.

How will the transfer happen?

1. A youth or adult will be able to access a software module where they can enter all of a boys Scouts BSA achievements including earned rank advancement requirements, ranks, merit badges, Totin’ Chip, Firem’n Chit, service hours, religious awards, nights of camping, etc.
2. The software will generate a printout that will list:
   • All of his Scouts BSA achievements
   • The corresponding Trail Life USA achievements for which credit will be given
   • The documentation required to substantiate the Scouts BSA achievements
3. The boy can then go to the Trail Life USA Troop leader that handles advancement tracking for the troop, who will then populate the boy’s advancement record under Trail Life USA.

What are some tips for making the process smoother?

Both youth and adults should get a printout of their full advancement and training record from the Scouts BSA myscouting.net official record as soon as possible, and before the end of the charter year when those records may no longer be accessible.
Troops that are transferring from Scouts BSA as an entire troop should print out all member documentation as soon as possible. Adult leaders should not forget to print out their training record.

How do the ranks actually compare?

The chart above provides a general idea of how the ranks compare between Scouts BSA and Trail Life USA. There is not a simple exchange of a Scouts BSA rank for a corresponding rank in Trail Life USA. Why not? Because the only way that we could provide an even exchange like that would be if we exactly copied the Scouts BSA rank requirements into our program so that we would do the exact same thing at each level as they do for the equivalent rank in Scouts BSA. There were several reasons why that was not an optimal thing to do.

So when the program was designed, we set aside what we knew of the Scouts BSA and instead set out to build the best outdoor training program that we could from scratch. Doing so resulted in a totally different way of training and tracking progress.

For example, in the back of the Scouts BSA Handbook, there are rank requirements for Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class ranks. On our side, similar work is completed in teachable modules that we call Trail Badges. For example, our “Ropework” Trail Badge includes tying knots, whipping and fusing, and lashing skills. It is taught as a training module to boys in middle school. So a boy that has earned First Class Rank in Scouts BSA or has completed all of the trail to first class requirements for knots and lashings will automatically be credited with completing our Trail Life USA required Trail Badge “Ropework.” And a BSA Scout that has completed parts of these skills as rank requirements will receive a partial Ropework Trail Badge.

To earn our Ready Trailman Rank, a Scout basically has to learn the requisite outdoor skills to be effective in an outdoor program, much as a First Class Scout. And in addition, the Ready Trailman award has some extra Trail Badge requirements too, like the types of Merit Badges that Scouts often earn first towards their Star Rank. Lastly, there is a Faith-Building Activity required for Ready Trailman that can be met by prior completion of a middle school religious emblem or by completing the Worthy Life Award in the Trail Life USA program.

The point is that most everything that you have done in Scouts BSA will check off a similar requirement in Trail Life USA, so your work will not have been in vain. However, depending on exactly which Scouts BSA Merit Badges you have earned along the way, you may or may not fit neatly into the next rank or award in Trail Life USA. But in the end, every Trailman will be responsible for completing the same requirements, whether they complete them at Trail Life USA, or whether they transfer those requirements in from Scouts BSA.

What is the best thing to focus on now for Scout advancement to prepare for the transfer?

• Complete Tenderfoot, if you have not done so. Complete any other rank for which you are close to completion.
• For those in the primary ranks (TF, SC, FC), be sure to earn your Firem’n Chit and Totin’ Chip Cards.
• Complete partial merit badges.
• Complete as many of the following Trail to First Class Requirements as you can – Tenderfoot: 2-6, 9, and 11-12; 2nd Class: 1-4, 7-8; 1st Class: 1-4 and 7-9.
• Document participation in 8-16 Troop Activities outside of regular troop meetings in middle school, or in high school if you’re a high school student. A good place to track these activities is in your camping log in your handbook. Even track day events here – just write them down as zero nights overnight.
• Log your nights camping – any nights camping so long as it was in a tent or under the stars (i.e. all summer camps count). You want 15 total for Camping Trail Badge and 40 total for Outdoor Life Trail Badge.
• Log your service hours in the service log starting in June of this year.
• The most useful Eagle required merit badges are: Swimming, First Aid, Emergency Preparedness or Lifesaving, Personal Management, and Family Life. Those are worth completing if you’re close.
• Also, useful is completing one of the following: Personal Fitness, Cycling, Hiking, or Swimming AND Mile Swim BSA.
• Next, consider completing all 3 Citizenships or Communication and 2 Citizenships; Camping or Environmental Science.
• Cooking and Sustainability will transfer as electives and are not recommended.

What are some examples of qualifying to transfer in at a Trail Life USA Rank?

Example: The following is an example of a combination that would qualify a Scout to transfer into Navigators as an Able Trailman:

• Tenderfoot Rank
• Completed towards 2nd Class: 2, 3cdefg
• Completed towards 1st Class: 3, 4, 7, 8a
• Completed Cards:
  • Firm’n Chit
  • Totin’ Chip
• Completed any 3 Scouts BSA merit badges

Example: The following is an example of a combination that would qualify a Scout to transfer into Navigators as a Ready Trailman:

• Star Rank
• Completed the following Eagle required merit badges: Swimming, First Aid, Communication, Camping
• Completed any 5 additional Scouts BSA merit badges
• 16 Troop activities other than regular meetings
• Middle School Religious Recognition (e.g. God and Church)
• 6 months leadership since earning 1st Class

What about Transferring in to Trail Life USA as an Eagle Scout?

The Eagle Scout Rank is advantageous to have when transferring to the Trail Life USA program. Many of your accomplishments will be credited to you in Trail Life USA. Your rank will allow you to directly transfer into the Trail Life USA program having earned the Journey Award and having most of the requirements met for both the Horizon and the Freedom Awards within Trail Life USA.

To earn the Horizon Award, a Trailman in the program is required to have completed all 15 Required Trail Badges, twenty hours of service for each Adventurer year, participated in at least eight Troop Activities, and demonstrated leadership in defined ways.

Eagle Scouts can transfer into our program up to 12 of the 15 Required Trail Badges. The Eagle Scout would need to complete the Trail Life USA versions of the Citizenship, Family Man, and Personal Resources Trail Badges. He would also need to demonstrate to the Trail Life USA Troop Leadership a working knowledge of the skills learned in the other 12 Trail Badges to the satisfaction of the local Troop leaders.

To earn the Trail Life USA Freedom Award (our top award), a Trailman in the program is required to complete his Horizon Award and then complete his Freedom Servant Leadership Project, a high school faith requirement, and four real-life hands-on “Freedom Experiences” in our Majors and Minors Program. These are experiences in active citizenry that help prepare a boy for the real majors and minors program at college or life in the world as an active Christian man.

Eagle Scouts are grandfathered into our program with credit for 3 of these 4 required “Freedom Experiences,” so here is what a transferring Eagle Scout would need to do in order to then earn our top award, the Freedom Award:

1. Maintain active participation in the troop to the satisfaction of the Adventurers Advisor.
2. Complete a High School Faith Building Activity Option (unless if this was already completed in Scouts BSA)
3. Complete a single Freedom Experience, which will determine the major that the Trailman will have associated with his Freedom Award.

What about an Adult Eagle Scout? Can he also earn the Freedom Award?

Possibly. If the Eagle Scout Rank was earned prior to January 1, 2019, then yes. The adult Eagle Scout will need to complete the following three steps to qualify to earn the Freedom Award as an Adult.

1. Enroll as an adult leader and adhere to and abide by our Statement of Faith and Values.
2. Complete training required for your adult position (some training will transfer from Scouts BSA)
3. Complete a mentoring activity such as starting a new Troop, serving as an effective Area Point Man, etc. (A list of approved Mentoring Activities is located in the Adult Eagle Scout Freedom Award Procedure Guide.

If the Eagle Scout Rank was earned after January 1, 2019, then no.

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