If your Sailor is a woman heading to boot camp, the short answer is: she's going through the same nine weeks, at the same base, under the same standards as every other Navy recruit. Here's what's actually different, and what isn't.
Quick Answer
- Same location: RTC Great Lakes, IL — the Navy's only boot camp for all recruits since 1994.
- Same curriculum: Every recruit in a division follows the identical 9-week training schedule.
- Mixed-gender divisions are the norm: Men and women typically train together in the same division, though they're housed in separate single-sex compartments.
Division makeup can vary by class and RTC's current policy. Confirm your recruit's specific division setup with them directly.
One Boot Camp, Not Two
Unlike some branches that historically ran separate training tracks, the Navy has trained men and women at a single location — RTC Great Lakes — since 1994. There's no separate "women's boot camp" to research or apply to. If your Sailor is a woman, she's headed to the exact same base, working through the exact same 9-week curriculum described on our boot camp length page, as every other recruit in her division.
Training Together, Housed Separately
Most divisions at RTC Great Lakes are gender-integrated, meaning men and women recruits are assigned to the same division of roughly 80 people and go through training, drill, and inspections together. Sleeping quarters are a different matter: within an integrated division, male and female recruits are housed in separate single-sex compartments, often paired across the hall from one another, so day-to-day training is shared but living spaces are not.
Same Standards, Same Qualifications
Every recruit in a division, regardless of gender, works through the same required milestones: 3rd Class Swim Qualification, firefighting fundamentals, weapons familiarization, and the Battle Stations 21 capstone event in the final week. Physical fitness is scored against the Navy's standard age- and gender-specific tables — the same system used fleet-wide for active-duty Sailors, not a boot-camp-only standard.
What to Send & What to Expect
Packing lists, mail rules, and the general week-by-week rhythm of boot camp are the same regardless of gender. See our packing list and mailing address guide for the specifics families ask about most.
Related Pages
How Long Is Boot Camp?
The full 9-week, week-by-week breakdown.
What Is Boot Camp Like?
A day-in-the-life look at RTC training.
Mailing Address
How to write your recruit, ship by ship.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do women go to a different Navy boot camp than men?
No. Recruit Training Command (RTC) Great Lakes, Illinois has been the Navy's single boot camp location for all recruits, men and women, since 1994. There is no separate women's boot camp.
Do men and women train together at Navy boot camp?
Yes, in most cases. Recruits are typically assigned to gender-integrated divisions of roughly 80 recruits who train, drill, and complete the curriculum together. All-male or all-female divisions are formed occasionally but are not the norm.
Do women and men have the same training standards?
The curriculum, schedule, and required qualifications — swim quals, weapons familiarization, firefighting, Battle Stations 21 — are the same for every recruit in a division regardless of gender. Physical fitness scoring uses Navy-wide, age- and gender-specific standards, the same system used fleet-wide.
Do women and men live in the same barracks?
No. In an integrated division, male and female recruits sleep, shower, and dress in separate single-sex compartments, typically across the hall from each other, even though they train together during the day.