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Start Your Military Career With a Financial Boost

Our Career Kickoff Loans could help you set up your new household, pay for uniforms or cover other expenses.

Loan Features

  • Low Interest Rates

    Our Career Kickoff Loans offer low rates of 1.25% APRFootnote 1 or 2.99% APR,Footnote 2 depending on the type of training program or institution you’re enrolled in.

  • Deferred Payments

    With a deferred payment, you don’t have to worry about making a payment until after graduation or commissioning.Footnote 3

  • No Prepayment Penalty

    There are no penalties for repaying the loan ahead of schedule.

Who's Eligible?

If you're in your junior or senior year at a U.S. military service academy, you can apply for the Career Kickoff Loan for Academy.Footnote 1

These institutions include:

  • U.S. Military Academy
  • U.S. Naval Academy
  • U.S. Air Force Academy
  • U.S. Coast Guard Academy
  • U.S. Merchant Marine Academy

Or, if you attend/attended any of the officer-training programs listed below and meet the commissioning requirements, you can apply for the Career Kickoff Loan for ROTC/OCS/OTS.Footnote 2

  • Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) — eligibility starts 12 months before commissioning through 12 months after commissioning. 
  • Officer Candidate School (OCS) — applicants must be within 4 months before commissioning or have been commissioned within the last 12 months. 
  • Officer Training School (OTS) — applicants must be within 4 months before commissioning or have been commissioned within the last 12 months.

You can also apply for the Career Kickoff Loan if you're completing your training as a:

  • Navy Select Limited Duty Officer (LDO) — applicants must be within 4 months before commissioning or have been commissioned within the last 12 months.
  • Appointed Warrant Officer (WO-1) — applicants must be within 4 months before appointment or have been appointed within the last 12 months.

Ways to Use a Career Kickoff Loan

  • Pay for uniforms and other essential items
  • Furnish your living space
  • Consolidate debt and reduce your monthly payments
  • Purchase a car

Applying Is Easy

You can apply for our Career Kickoff Loan in any of the following ways:

  • Over the phone at 1-888-842-6328
  • In person at one of our branches
  • Online via our document portal, as follows:
  1. Fill out an application for either an Academy loan or a ROTC/OCS/OTS loan.
  2. Please also complete a Duty Status Verification if ROTC or have a signed letter from command if at an Academy or OCS/OTS, a LDO or a WO-1.
  3. Upload all files into our Document Upload Portal using Career Kickoff Documents as the file type.

Military Life Resources

Disclosures

1

Credit subject to approval. Loan available to juniors and seniors enrolled in U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, U.S. Military Academy or U.S. Naval Academy.  Maximum loan amount of $32,000 at 1.25% APR; maximum term of 60 months. Repayment may be deferred until 90 days after graduation. Interest accrues from the date the loan is disbursed. Applicant must establish and maintain a Navy Federal checking account with direct deposit of pay within 90 days of the loan date and throughout the term of the loan. If direct deposit is not maintained, or if the member separates from the academy early, the interest rate on the loan will convert to the applicable credit tier’s prevailing personal loan rate. Payments on the loan begin immediately upon early separation from the academy. See loan agreement for additional terms and conditions. Example: The maximum loan amount after a 3-month period deferment would be $32,799. A loan of $32,799 for 60 months at 1.25% APR would have a monthly payment of $564.97. 

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2

Credit subject to approval. Loan available to Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) members within 12 months before commissioning or up to 12 months after commissioning, and to Officer Candidate School (OCS), Officer Training School (OTS), select Warrant Officer (WO), and select Limited Duty Officer (LDO) members within 4 months before commissioning or within 12 months after commissioning. Maximum loan amount of $25,000 at 2.99% APR; maximum term of 60 months. Repayment may be deferred until 180 days after the applicant commissions, or if the loan originates after commissioning, until 45 days after the loan origination date. Interest accrues from the date the loan is disbursed. Applicant must establish and maintain a Navy Federal checking account with direct deposit of pay within 90 days of the loan date and throughout the term of the loan. If direct deposit is not maintained, the interest rate on the loan will convert to the applicable credit tier’s prevailing personal loan rate. See loan agreement for additional terms and conditions. Example: Recently commissioned member takes out a $25,000 loan for 60 months at 2.99% APR. Loan repayment starts 45 days after loan origination and monthly payment is $449.67. 

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3

Members enrolled in a military academy can defer loan payments for up to 90 days after graduation.  Members enrolled in certain other officer-training programs (Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC)/Officer Candidate School (OCS)/Officer Training School (OTS)/select Warrant Officer (WO)/select Limited Duty Officer (LDO)) can defer loan payments for up to 180 days after commissioning or for up to 45 days after the loan origination date if already commissioned when the loan is taken out.

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