The Marine Corps has announced the Top Level School (TLS) selection board for Academic Year (AY) 2027-2028. TLS is the premier PME opportunity for lieutenant colonels, covering resident senior service colleges, foreign PME programs, and CMC fellowships. The board convenes 3 August 2026, and the window to submit your questionnaire is open now.
Bottom line: If you are a lieutenant colonel or lieutenant colonel (select) who meets the eligibility criteria, your questionnaire and any remove-by requests are due by 3 July 2026.
Who it affects
This board is for active component lieutenant colonels and lieutenant colonels (select) who meet one of these criteria:
- Will have completed a minimum 24 months time-on-station (TOS) by 31 July 2027, have completed 24 months in a Standard Joint Duty Assignment billet, or are scheduled to complete their prescribed tour control factor in FY27.
- Are currently in command of an organization under the Command Screening Program and are scheduled to complete their command tour in FY27.
- Are currently in command and on the CY26/FY28 O-6 Promotion Screening Board but were not previously eligible for TLS. These officers may elect to screen regardless of selection status by contacting their monitor.
Who is not eligible:
- Lieutenant colonels above zone for promotion or on the CY26/FY28 O-6 Promotion Screening Board (with the exception noted above).
- Majors selected to lieutenant colonel on the CY26/FY28 Lieutenant Colonel Promotion Selection Board.
- Officers with a mandatory retirement date before 1 June 2030.
- Limited duty officers.
- Officers attending or selected for Intermediate Level School (ILS) or Advanced ILS programs that require a follow-on utilization tour.
- Officers with an approved voluntary separation or retirement date.
Check the eligibility roster at the MMOA-3 TLS page. Contact your PMOS monitor with eligibility questions.
What you need to do
- Check the eligibility roster to confirm you are in the eligible population.
- Complete the online TLS questionnaire (CAC required):
https://www2.manpower.usmc.mil/application_cac/edu/ViewBoardServlet.action?boardID=5585 - List your program preferences in order. Note any personal or family circumstances you want the board to consider. You may be selected for any program for which you are eligible, regardless of your stated preferences.
- Submit any additional correspondence (letters to the board, documents not in your OMPF) by email to:
smb_mmoa_planso@usmc.mil - Submit a remove-by request (RBR) if applicable, also by 3 July 2026.
Officers interested in foreign, non-English-speaking programs must have a Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB) score or an established Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) score on record for the target language.
Key dates
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Questionnaire opens | Now (upon release of this message) |
| Questionnaire due | 3 July 2026, 2359 EST |
| Remove-by requests due | 3 July 2026 |
| Additional correspondence deadline | 3 July 2026 |
| TLS Board convenes | 3 August 2026 |
| Most SSC programs convene | July or August 2027 |
| Most SSC programs graduate | May or June 2028 |
School allocations at a glance
Senior Service Colleges (SSC, confers JPME Phase II credit)
| School | Location | Quota | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air War College (AWC) | Montgomery, AL | 7 | Aviation PMOS prioritized |
| Army War College (USAWC) | Carlisle, PA | 15 | 2 slots are blended/distance |
| College of Naval Warfare (CNW) | Newport, RI | 15 | |
| College of Information and Cyberspace (CIC) | Washington, DC | 3 | Info PMOS prioritized (02XX/06XX/17XX) |
| College of International Security Affairs (CISA) | Washington, DC | 1 | |
| Eisenhower School | Washington, DC | 12 | 2 slots for acquisition PMOS (8059/8061); CSS PMOS prioritized |
| Joint Advanced Warfighting School (JAWS) | Norfolk, VA | 3 | Mandatory follow-on joint duty assignment |
| Marine Corps War College (MCWAR) | Quantico, VA | 10 | |
| National War College (NWC) | Washington, DC | 14 | |
| Space Force Resident, Johns Hopkins | Washington, DC | 1 |
SSC completion incurs a 24-month service obligation.
Foreign PME (TLS PME credit only; language requirements apply for most)
| School | Quota | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Centre des Hautes Etudes Militaires (France) | 1 | Language required |
| Inter-American Defense College (Washington, DC) | 1 | Language required |
| India National Defense College | 1 | Language required |
| NATO Defense College, Senior Course (Rome) | 4 (2 sessions) | No language required |
| UK Higher Command and Staff Course | 1 | No language required |
Language training may push your start date to a later academic year. EDCOM coordinates language training with DLI for selected officers who need it.
CMC Fellowships (TLS PME credit only; most are master's programs)
| Fellowship | Location | Quota | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Strategic Leadership Studies Program (ASLSP) | Fort Leavenworth, KS | 1 | Mandatory 1-yr follow-on as seminar leader; must be junior to or in zone on CY29/FY31 O-6 board |
| Dept of Homeland Security | Washington, DC | 1 | |
| Dept of State | Washington, DC | 1 | |
| Hoover Institution, Stanford | Stanford, CA | 1 | |
| Logistics Fellowship, Penn State | State College, PA | 1 | PMOS 0402 and 3002 only |
| School of Advanced International Studies | Washington, DC | 1 | |
| SECWAR Strategic Thinkers Program, Arizona State | Washington, DC | 3 | |
| Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership, USNA | Annapolis, MD | 1 | Mandatory 2-yr follow-on; must be junior to or in zone on CY29/FY31 O-6 board |
Fellowship completion incurs a service obligation equal to three times the length of the fellowship.
The official version
This is announced in MARADMIN 239/26. The governing references are MCO 1524.1 (Marine Corps Graduate Education Program), MCO 1300.8 CH-2 (Personnel Assignment Policy), MCO 1553.4B (PME), and DODI 1322.06 (fellowships and training-with-industry). POC is Maj J. Schulze, MMOA-3, at joseph.schulze1@usmc.mil or (703) 784-9983.
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.