Male Cadet Hair Regulations

Maintaining the proper grooming standards while a Cadet in our NJROTC program is very important. Once a week Cadets wear a Navy uniform, and directly represent the U.S. Navy when they do so. The U.S. Navy expects and deserves to have NJROTC Cadet appearance in uniform match the high standards that are expected in the Navy. While in uniform, a Cadet is a direct representation to the public of what the U.S. Navy stands for. Sloppy uniforms and poor grooming standards bring discredit upon the U.S. Navy, and therefore we keep our standards of grooming and uniform appearance as high as possible.

Haircut standards for male Cadets continue to be the subject of questions from parents/guardians. We review the standards frequently with our Cadets during the first two weeks of school, and it becomes a weekly graded item starting the third week of school, for the remainder of the school year. Cadets are shown presentations that have pictures showing proper hair length and haircut styles. A classroom text that they use each day has a section that goes over the specific standards with pictures. A copy of those pages is provided to every Cadet to take home if they still have excessive hair length after the first two weeks. Additionally, a copy of the 4-pages of the reference manual that cover hair length is available for download below.

NJROTC does not require a "buzz cut". If you look at the haircut regulations in the document attached to this page, you will find that it says at the very beginning:

"Neat, clean, trimmed and presents a well-groomed appearance. Above the ears and around the neck: must be tapered upwards 3/4-inch and outwards not greater than 3/4-inch. Much not touch the collar. No longer than 4 inches and the bulk shall not exceed 2 inches. (In no case shall the bulk or length of your hair interfere with the proper wearing of your cap. Bulk is defined as the distance that the mass of the hair protrudes from the scalp."

Pictures are provided on the following pages to give visual examples of proper haircuts.

If after reading the attached document you have any questions regarding hair length regulations, please use the contact form on this website to communicate with our instructors. Uniform wear and inspection makes up 30% of the NJROTC grade, and a Cadet will not be issued a uniform until their grooming standards conform to NJROTC standards. Poor grooming also adversely affects the instructor evaluation portion of a Cadet's overall grade. This means, in effect, that consistently refuses to conform to proper grooming standards will not be able to pass NJROTC. It is very important, therefore, that parents and Cadets become familiar with our expected grooming standards.