Army Ranger School: Requirements, Phases, Length & How to Prepare

Army Ranger School is the Army’s premier small-unit leadership course: a roughly 62-day, three-phase course run by the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade out of Fort Benning, Georgia. Students lead patrols through Georgia woodland, mountains, and Florida swamps on little food and sleep, and fewer than half of a class usually earns the tab. If you want the physical side programmed for you, our military fitness programs build selection prep into a structured plan.

Below are the quick facts, then what the official pages leave out: how to train so the physical gates never send you home.

Key Takeaways:

• Ranger School runs about 62 days across three phases: Benning (Camp Rogers and Camp Darby), Mountain (Camp Merrill near Dahlonega, Georgia), and Florida (Camp Rudder on Eglin Air Force Base).

• The installation is Fort Benning again (it was Fort Moore from 2023 to 2025).

• Day 1 now opens with the Ranger Combat Fitness Assessment: a 12:30 tactical circuit, a 4-mile run in 32 minutes, and 6 chin-ups. Push-ups and sit-ups are gone.

• Graduation rates sit roughly between 40 and 50 percent, and RAP week has historically produced the majority of drops.

• The course is open to qualified soldiers of any gender and to other services. It is not RASP, the 75th Ranger Regiment’s selection.

What Is Army Ranger School?

Army Ranger School, formally the Ranger Course, is a combat leadership course that teaches small-unit tactics by making students plan and lead patrols under sustained physical and mental stress. Graduates earn the Ranger tab. The course falls under the Army Infantry School, not the 75th Ranger Regiment.

That point trips up many people searching “what is ranger school in the army.” The tab is a qualification any eligible soldier can earn and take back to any unit. Joining the 75th Ranger Regiment is a separate path through RASP, the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program.

What is Army Ranger School like day to day? You are graded mainly on patrols: you get a leadership position, plan, brief, and execute while instructors and peers evaluate you. The tactics are learnable. The difficulty is running them on a calorie deficit and little sleep, under a heavy ruck, for two months.

Where Is Army Ranger School Located?

Army Ranger School is headquartered at Fort Benning, Georgia, near Columbus. The Benning Phase runs at Camp Rogers and Camp Darby on post, the Mountain Phase at Camp Frank D. Merrill near Dahlonega, Georgia, and the Florida Phase at Camp James E. Rudder on Eglin Air Force Base.

The name history confuses searches. The post became Fort Moore in May 2023, then on March 3, 2025, the Secretary of Defense restored the Fort Benning name, now honoring Cpl. Fred G. Benning, a World War I Distinguished Service Cross recipient. Older pages that say Fort Moore mean the same installation.

Students report to Camp Rogers in the Harmony Church area. The 4th, 5th, and 6th Ranger Training Battalions run the Benning, Mountain, and Florida phases.

How Long Is Ranger School, and What Are the Three Phases?

Army Ranger School takes about 62 days, roughly nine weeks, if you pass every phase on the first attempt. Army sources list 61 or 62 days depending on the class.

Recycling is common. Army data has long shown that more than a third of graduates repeat at least one phase, and a 2026 study in the Journal of Applied Physiology found recycled students averaged 94 days to graduate. Plan your career timeline around the realistic case.

What does Army Ranger School consist of? Three phases, built on a crawl, walk, run progression:

1. Benning Phase. Opens with RAP week (Ranger Assessment Phase), the four-day physical and skills gate. Airborne-qualified students then jump onto Fryar Drop Zone, and the class moves to Camp Darby for squad-level ambush and reconnaissance patrols.

2. Mountain Phase. At Camp Merrill, students learn knots, belays, rappelling, and climbing, then run platoon-level patrols across steep terrain. Load, elevation, and winter cold make it the phase many graduates call hardest.

3. Florida Phase. At Camp Rudder, students run platoon operations in coastal swamps, with small boat movements, rope bridges, and stream crossings, ending in a final field exercise.

How Hard Is Army Ranger School? Attrition and Pass Rate

Army Ranger School graduates roughly 40 to 50 percent of the students who start, and RAP week has historically accounted for about 60 percent of all drops. Most failures in the first four days are physical or fieldcraft: the fitness assessment, land navigation, and the 12-mile foot march.

Fiscal year 2022 brigade data showed a 44.8 percent graduation rate, with the fitness assessment as the single largest drop category. A peer-reviewed analysis of 670 candidates from 2015 and 2016 found a 40.3 percent graduation rate. Class 01-26, which graduated in December 2025, started 360 students, lost 51 percent in RAP week, and graduated 121.

What is the failure rate for Army Ranger School once you clear RAP? Much lower. Roughly 70 to 75 percent of students who pass RAP week go on to graduate, though many recycle. RAP filters hard because the standards are published in advance: failing one tells the cadre you arrived unprepared.

After RAP, the course wears you down. Research on the eight-week course found students lost about 13 percent of body mass, including roughly half their fat mass and 6 percent of fat-free mass, while running a daily energy deficit near 1,000 calories. Maximal strength and power both dropped about 20 percent, which is why we want candidates to arrive with a strength buffer.

Ranger School Requirements: Who Can Attend?

Ranger School requirements include volunteering, meeting Army medical standards, passing the Day 1 fitness assessment, and arriving with a complete packet, haircut, and packing list. The course is open to qualified soldiers of any gender, officers and enlisted, across the active Army, Reserve, and National Guard, plus members of other services.

Who can go, in practice:

• Officers and enlisted soldiers. Many infantry lieutenants attend after their basic officer course; junior enlisted soldiers have historically needed a waiver, so check current unit guidance.

• Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers. The Guard runs its own pre-Ranger course at Fort Benning, the Ranger Training Assessment Course (RTAC).

• Other branches. Marines attend through a Marine Corps detachment at Fort Benning, and Air Force security forces airmen also attend and earn the tab.

• Women. Capt. Kristen Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver became the first female graduates in August 2015, and the Army opened every future class to all qualified soldiers the following month.

Is there an age limit for Army Ranger School? We found no published maximum age. The standard is age-blind: the legacy test held everyone to the youngest bracket’s 70 percent standard, and the RCFA applies one time standard to all.

Most divisions also run a pre-Ranger program covering the fitness assessment, combat water survival, land navigation (one division standard is 4 of 5 points in 5 hours), and the 12-mile march. Your unit fitness test score matters in that screen, so know where you stand against the ACFT score cards & standards before you ask for a slot.

How to Physically Prepare for Ranger School

To physically prepare for Ranger School, train for the exact Day 1 assessment with margin, build a 12-mile ruck at a 15-minute-per-mile pace under roughly 47 pounds, and arrive strong enough to absorb two months of weight loss. Barely passing on day one will not hold up.

The Ranger Combat Fitness Assessment (Day 1)

Ranger School physical standards changed in 2025. The legacy test of 49 push-ups, 59 sit-ups, a 5-mile run in 40 minutes, and 6 chin-ups was replaced in April 2025, and the brigade refined the new format into the Ranger Combat Fitness Assessment (RCFA) that June. In ACU trousers and boots, inside 12 minutes and 30 seconds, you complete:

1. An 800-meter run.

2. A 6-foot wall climb without side beams, cleared within the first 8 minutes.

3. Individual movement techniques: 3-to-5-second rushes between sandbag positions, going prone at each.

4. Two 5-gallon water cans, about 40 pounds each, carried to a platform and back.

5. Sixteen 40-pound sandbags lifted onto a platform.

6. A 160-pound sled drag simulating a casualty.

7. A second 800-meter run.

After a 25-minute break, you change into the PT uniform and run 4 miles in 32 minutes or less, reaching the 2-mile turnaround in 17 minutes or less. The assessment ends with 6 chin-ups from a dead hang, palms toward you, with one retest after a 10-minute rest.

The Rest of RAP Week

You also complete the Combat Water Survival Assessment at Victory Pond, day and night land navigation, Ranger tactical tasks, and a 12-mile foot march carrying an average load around 47 pounds, inside three hours.

How to Train for Army Ranger School

Our approach, in order of priority:

1. Build the ruck first. Twelve miles in three hours is a 15-minute mile under load. Add distance and weight gradually over months; feet, hips, and connective tissue adapt slower than your aerobic system.

2. Run the 4-miler with margin. An 8-minute pace is the floor, and you run it 25 minutes after a maximal circuit. Train until a 7:00 to 7:15 pace feels controlled.

3. Train the circuit as work capacity. Sandbag lifts, carries, sled drags, and 800-meter repeats on short rest train the exact quality the RCFA measures.

4. Own the pull. Six chin-ups after a 4-mile run is harder than six fresh, so build to 15 or more fresh.

5. Arrive with a buffer. Given the strength and power losses documented during the course, solid functional strength for military performance is protection, not vanity.

6. Rehearse the skills that drop fit people. Practice map-and-compass navigation and swim in uniform and boots.

Start at least 12 to 16 weeks out. Our upcoming guide to the army ranger workout program will lay out a week-by-week plan. If you are comparing options in the meantime, our guide to choosing a strength & endurance program covers what separates a real selection plan from a generic one.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

What is Army Ranger School?

Army Ranger School is the Army’s premier small-unit leadership course. Over about 62 days, students lead patrols in three environments while short on food and sleep, and graduates earn the Ranger tab. It is separate from the 75th Ranger Regiment, which selects soldiers through RASP.

Where is Army Ranger School located?

Army Ranger School is headquartered at Fort Benning, Georgia (called Fort Moore from 2023 to 2025). The Mountain Phase runs at Camp Merrill near Dahlonega, Georgia, and the Florida Phase at Camp Rudder on Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

How long is Army Ranger School?

Army Ranger School is about 62 days, or roughly nine weeks, with no recycles (Army sources list 61 or 62). Students who repeat a phase take longer; one 2026 study found recycled students averaged 94 days to graduate.

What is the pass rate for Ranger School?

The Ranger School pass rate has historically run between about 40 and 50 percent. Fiscal year 2022 data showed 44.8 percent, and a December 2025 class graduated 121 of 360 starters. Roughly 60 percent of drops happen during RAP week, mostly on the fitness assessment, land navigation, and the 12-mile march.

Can officers, reservists, or other branches go to Ranger School?

Yes. Ranger School is open to qualified officers and enlisted soldiers of any gender across the active Army, Reserve, and National Guard, and Marines and airmen also attend. Every student must volunteer, meet medical standards, pass the Day 1 fitness assessment, and arrive with a complete packet.

How do you physically prepare for Ranger School?

Prepare for Ranger School by training the RCFA with margin: work-capacity circuits, a sub-32-minute 4-mile run after hard effort, and 15 or more strict chin-ups. Build a 12-mile ruck under about 47 pounds well inside three hours, practice land navigation, and arrive strong enough to absorb weight loss.

Army Ranger School is a leadership course, but the physical gates decide who gets the chance to lead. Most drops happen in the first four days, for reasons training can prevent. Pass the RCFA and the 12-mile march with room to spare, and the cadre will evaluate your leadership instead of your conditioning. Start your prep now and train for margin, not minimums.

References:

Snyder, S. (2026, May 21). RCFA prioritizes student assessment and safety. U.S. Army.

Association of the United States Army. (2025). Army unveils new fitness assessment for Ranger students.

Olay, M. (2025, March 5). Hegseth restores Fort Moore to Fort Benning in honor of WWI Soldier. DOD News via U.S. Army.

Snyder, S. (2025, December 5). Driscoll highlights readiness, talent at Ranger graduation. U.S. Army.

Eglin Air Force Base. 6th Ranger Training Battalion fact sheet.

U.S. Marine Corps, School of Infantry East. Ranger School (Marine Corps Detachment, Maneuver Center of Excellence).

Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade. Ranger Course information briefing, FY22 graduation data (hosted by Rutgers Army ROTC).

Fivecoat, D., Cunningham, R., & Rieger, S. (2016). Properly preparing for the rigors of Ranger School. Infantry Magazine.

Nindl, B. C., et al. (2007). Physiological consequences of U.S. Army Ranger training. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 39(8), 1380 to 1387.

U.S. Army. (2010). Ranger School seeks to fortify NCO numbers.

U.S. Army. (2015). First women graduate Ranger School.

U.S. Army. (2015). Ranger School hangs out “all Soldiers welcome” sign.

U.S. Army. (2015). Gender barrier removed on future Army Ranger Courses.

U.S. Army. Army National Guard pre-Ranger course (RTAC) at Fort Benning.

Fort Carson, 4th Infantry Division. Pre-Ranger Program overview.

U.S. Army. (2010). Calling all Soldiers: Instructors, junior NCOs in demand at Ranger Training Brigade.

U.S. Air Force Academy. Security forces Airmen get Ranger “gut-check.”

U.S. Army. (2010). Stressful conditions set tone for Ranger School.

GoArmy. Army Rangers: your questions about serving (RASP).

Disclaimer: This article is for general educational purposes and is not medical advice or an official Army publication. Ranger Course standards, schedules, and prerequisites are set by the U.S. Army and can change between classes. Confirm current requirements with your chain of command and the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade before you train for or apply to the course. Consult a qualified medical professional before starting any demanding training program.