Cadet Eligibility Requirements

General Requirements

Age Requirement:  Applicants must be at least 20 years of age on or before the date the application is completed.  Applicants must be at least 21 years of age and cannot have reached their 40th birthday prior to or on the date of appointment as a State Police Cadet.

Residency and Citizenship Requirement:  Applicants must possess a valid driver's license from any state upon appointment as a Pennsylvania State Police Cadet.  Applicants must be a resident of Pennsylvania and possess a valid Pennsylvania driver’s license at the time of graduation.  Applicants must be a United States citizen at the time of initial application.

Educational Requirement: Applicants must possess a high school diploma or a G.E.D. Certificate.

Automatic Disqualification Factors

Applicants are advised that the Pennsylvania State Police will automatically disqualify any applicant who does not meet the general requirements as detailed above.  In addition, the following information is provided regarding our criteria for automatic disqualification:

• Falsification, omission, or misrepresentation of any information during the completion of the Polygraph Screening Booklet, Polygraph Examination, the Formal Application for Employment, and any other documents/processes associated with the Cadet Selection Procedures.
• Substance abuse/use within a prescribed time frame and/or that is beyond what is considered experimental by the Pennsylvania State Police.
• Criminal arrests/behavior which would not reflect well on the Pennsylvania State Police.

The core purpose of the Pennsylvania State Police is to seek justice, preserve peace, and improve the quality of life for all. As such, the Department has established the core values of Honor, Service, Integrity, Respect, Trust, Courage, and Duty, and is seeking applicants who possess these traits and conduct themselves accordingly. Certain issues within a person’s background have been identified which will result in automatic disqualification, including but not limited to: criminal conduct (actual arrest and/or admission of behavior whether or not arrested) and substance abuse. The automatic disqualification factors are confidential and will not be released to applicants.

NOTE: The eligibility requirements are subject to change at any time. Questions regarding the Cadet Selection Procedures may be forwarded to the Pennsylvania State Police at: ra-spcadetprocess@pa.gov.

Additional Information: www.patrooper.com