How Long Is Marine Boot Camp? 13 Weeks, Week by Week (2026)
Marine boot camp lasts about 13 weeks: a receiving week of three to five days of processing, then 12 weeks of training. It is the longest basic training of any U.S. armed service, and it happens at one of two places, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina or Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego in California. On Parris Island's published 2026 schedule, most companies graduate on a Friday 87 days after they ship.
Here is what happens each week, how the Crucible works, the fitness standards you need to ship and to graduate, and how to show up ready.
Parris Island or San Diego?
Your depot is generally decided by where in the U.S. you enlist. Recruits from the Western Recruiting Region, roughly west of the Mississippi, go to San Diego, and recruits from the Eastern Recruiting Region go to Parris Island. Since 2024, women have been assigned the same way as men, so both depots now train women. Training companies are integrated, but platoons are still single-gender, according to Military Times.
Marine boot camp timeline, week by week
Training runs in four phases: Foundation, Immersion, Transformation and Transition. This timeline follows San Diego's published 2026 training matrix. Parris Island covers the same events in a slightly different order.
| Week | Phase | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Receiving | Phase 1 | Three to five days of processing. One scripted phone call home the night you arrive. The Initial Strength Test on pickup day. |
| Weeks 1 to 3 | Phase 1 | Drill, classes, Marine Corps Martial Arts, conditioning hikes and the obstacle course. |
| Week 4 | Phase 2 | Swim week: combat water survival. Passing Water Survival Basic is required to graduate. |
| Week 5 | Phase 2 | Team week, including interior guard duty. |
| Week 6 | Phase 2 | First PFT, pugil sticks, written exam and the martial arts test (San Diego order; Parris Island runs grass week and its first PFT here). |
| Weeks 7 to 9 | Phase 3 | Marksmanship: grass week, rifle qualification and Basic Warrior Training, including land navigation, the gas chamber and rappelling. |
| Week 10 | Phase 3 | The Crucible, then the Eagle, Globe and Anchor ceremony. |
| Week 11 | Phase 4 | Recruits are now Marines. Company commander's inspection, field meet and base liberty. |
| Week 12 | Phase 4 | Battalion commander's inspection, Family Day on Thursday and graduation on Friday. |
Over those weeks recruits also sit about 75 hours of classroom instruction and three written exams, and hike distances that build from a few kilometers to the 15K hike that closes the Crucible.
The Crucible
The Crucible is the 54-hour final test of Marine recruit training, first run in December 1996. Recruits work through team events and obstacles with little food and little sleep. Marines.com puts the total at 45 miles of marching, and Parris Island's official history says about 40 miles on foot, so expect somewhere in that range. Older Marine Corps and news accounts describe two to two and a half MREs for the whole event.
It ends with a final hike. At Parris Island that hike leads to the Iwo Jima statue at Peatross Parade Deck, where recruits are awarded the Eagle, Globe and Anchor. San Diego runs its Crucible at Camp Pendleton, and the last portion climbs a steep hill known as the Reaper. Either way, the recruits who finish are no longer recruits. They are Marines.
The fitness test you need to pass to ship
To begin recruit training you must pass the Initial Strength Test (IST). You take it with your recruiter before you ship, and again on pickup day at the depot. The current Marines.com minimums:
| Event | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Upper body | 3 pull-ups or 34 push-ups in 2:00 | 1 pull-up or 15 push-ups in 2:00 |
| Core | 40-second plank | 40-second plank |
| 1.5-mile run | 13:30 or faster | 15:00 or faster |
Marines.com recommends reporting with scores well above these minimums. For the full breakdown, read our IST guide.
Fitness at boot camp
Recruits take the Physical Fitness Test and the Combat Fitness Test during training, with an initial and a final round of each. The PFT is pull-ups or push-ups, a plank and a 3-mile run. Since January 1, 2023, the plank has replaced crunches. The CFT is an 880-yard sprint, repeated lifts of a 30-pound ammo can overhead, and a 300-yard maneuver course with crawls, drags, carries and grenade throws. Under the most recent published rule we found (MARADMIN 670/16), recruits need at least 120 points on both the PFT and the CFT to graduate, scored in the 17 to 20 age group whatever their age.
Graduation also requires passing swim qualification, rifle qualification, the martial arts tan belt, academics, the Crucible and the battalion commander's inspection.
What if you fail the fitness standards?
Recruits who cannot meet the minimum fitness or body composition standards go to the Physical Conditioning Platoon, at Parris Island for three weeks, and return to training once they pass a physical fitness test and meet body composition standards. Injured recruits go to a rehabilitation platoon first. Either way, you join a new company and graduate later, and your family gets a phone call with the new graduation date.
How to prepare for Marine boot camp
Train the IST events now, then build toward the PFT. Score yourself with our USMC PFT and CFT calculator and follow the free USMC PFT and CFT training program. For the specific events, read how to go from 6 to 20 pull-ups and 3-mile run training. Two things recruits often neglect: swimming, since water survival is a graduation requirement, and walking under load, since the hikes build to 15K. Our ruck march guide covers how to start.
Calls, mail and visits
Recruits make one scripted call home the night they arrive, to say they made it. Letters follow in the first few weeks, and your recruit's first letter carries the address details you need to write back. New Marines can call and use the internet during on-base liberty, starting the Sunday after the Crucible. Families cannot visit until Family Day, the day before graduation.
Graduation and what comes next
Family Day is Thursday, with on-base liberty, and graduation is a formal ceremony on Friday. New Marines then get one day of travel and ten days of leave. Next is the School of Infantry at Camp Geiger, North Carolina or Camp Pendleton, California: non-infantry Marines take the 29-day Marine Combat Training course, and infantry Marines go through infantry training.
Comparing branches? See Navy boot camp (9 weeks), Army basic training (10 weeks) and Air Force basic training (7.5 weeks).
Sources: Marines.com, Recruit Training; Marines.com, FAQ for Parents; Marines.com, Requirements; MCRD Parris Island, Graduation Requirements; MCRD Parris Island, Graduation Schedule; MCRD Parris Island, Support Battalion; MCRD San Diego, Training Information; MCRD San Diego, The Crucible; Marine Corps Fitness, PFT and CFT standards; Military Times, November 20, 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is Marine boot camp in 2026?
About 13 weeks: a receiving week of three to five days of processing, then 12 weeks of training. On Parris Island's published 2026 schedule, most companies graduate on a Friday 87 days after they ship.
Is Marine boot camp the longest basic training?
Yes. The Marine Corps calls its 13-week recruit training the longest basic training of any U.S. armed service. Navy boot camp, for comparison, is nine weeks.
Where is Marine boot camp?
Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina or Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego in California. Your depot is generally decided by where in the U.S. you enlist.
What is the Crucible in Marine boot camp?
The 54-hour final test of recruit training, in week 10. Recruits work through team events with little food and sleep and cover roughly 40 to 45 miles on foot, then earn the Eagle, Globe and Anchor that makes them Marines.
What do you need to pass the Marine Initial Strength Test?
Men need 3 pull-ups or 34 push-ups in two minutes, a 40-second plank and a 1.5-mile run in 13:30. Women need 1 pull-up or 15 push-ups, a 40-second plank and a 15:00 run.
Can you call home during Marine boot camp?
Recruits make one scripted call the night they arrive. After that, new Marines can make calls during on-base liberty, starting the Sunday after the Crucible.
What happens after Marine boot camp?
One day of travel and ten days of leave, then the School of Infantry at Camp Geiger, North Carolina or Camp Pendleton, California. Non-infantry Marines go through the 29-day Marine Combat Training course; infantry Marines go through infantry training.
