Checked 24 October 2026. Eligibility rules and the hiring steps are as the FAA pages stated them on 24 Oct 2026 (the hiring page was last updated 21 Apr 2026, the qualifications page 27 Feb 2025, the NYC page 8 Aug 2025). The hiring page displayed an “ANNOUNCEMENT NOW CLOSED” banner and the NYC page describes an application window from 8 August to 15 August at 11:59pm ET, so check each announcement’s own dates on USAJOBS before you plan around one. Pay and training-length figures differ between FAA pages; both are shown.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) hires its air traffic controllers itself, through announcements on USAJOBS, and the rules that decide whether you can apply to an entry-level trainee announcement are short: US citizenship, under 31, some work or study behind you, a medical, a security check and the FAA’s aptitude test. This guide takes each rule from the FAA’s own pages, shows the page and its date against it, and points out the places where two FAA pages word the same thing differently, so read the wording of the announcement you are applying under before you rely on any summary, this one included (our advice).
ProSyllabus is an independent study site. It is not part of the FAA, the US Department of Transportation, Pearson VUE, NAV CANADA, NATS or EUROCONTROL, and their advice appears only where it is attributed to them by name; our own comments are marked as ours. Every rule, date and figure below is taken from the pages listed under Sources, each read on 24 October 2026. Where we noticed two pages of the same body giving different figures, the guide shows both.
FAA hiring page (updated 21 April 2026) and FAA qualifications page (updated 27 February 2025), read 24 Oct 2026.
The seven minimum qualifications
The FAA’s Air Traffic Controller Qualifications page lists what an applicant must meet to be eligible for an air traffic controller position. Here they are in the page’s order, with what each one means in practice according to the FAA’s other pages.
| # | Requirement (FAA wording) | What the FAA’s other pages add |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Be a United States citizen | The hiring page repeats it as “Must be a citizen of the United States.” USAJOBS announcements say applications are accepted from any U.S. citizen. |
| 2 | Be under the age of 31 | See the age table below: pages differ on whether the date is the date of application or the closing date. |
| 3 | Pass a medical examination | The qualifications page sets out standards for eyes, ears, heart, nervous system, muscles and bones, general health, psychiatric health and substance dependency (below). The NYC page lists drug testing, the MMPI-2 psychological evaluation, a medical exam and fingerprinting. |
| 4 | Pass a security investigation | The hiring page names fingerprinting and federal background checks as part of step three. |
| 5 | Pass the FAA air traffic pre-employment tests, including the Air Traffic Controller Specialists Skills Assessment Battery (ATSA) | The hiring page: “Well-Qualified required.” See the ATSA guide in this cluster. |
| 6 | Speak English clearly enough to be understood over communications equipment | The E-CTI USAJOBS announcement says “over radios, intercoms, and similar communications equipment.” |
| 7 | Have one year of progressively responsible work experience, or a Bachelor’s degree, or a combination of post-secondary education and work experience that totals one year | The NYC page, for its geographically limited campaign, words it as “either one year of full-time work experience or one year of higher education, or a combination of both”: one year of higher education alone, with no degree, is named there but not on the qualifications page. |
The same page adds: “Less than 10% of all applicants meet these requirements and are accepted into the training program.” That is a statement about all applicants and the whole route. It is not a pass rate for the ATSA or for any other single step, and the pages read give no such pass rate.
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Every FAA page read gives the same cut-off, 31, but not the same date to measure it on. If you turn 31 close to an announcement window, this is the table to read twice.
| FAA page | Wording | Date the age is measured |
|---|---|---|
| Air Traffic Controller Qualifications (updated 27 Feb 2025) | “Be under the age of 31” | Not stated on that line |
| Hiring page (updated 21 Apr 2026) | “Must be under 31 years of age at application.” | At application |
| Hiring Air Traffic Controllers in NYC (updated 8 Aug 2025) | “Be younger than 31 years old before the closing date of the application period” | Before the closing date of the application period |
| FAA news release, 23 Sep 2024 | “Be younger than 31-years-old before the closing date of the application period (with limited exceptions)” | Before the closing date; the release says there are limited exceptions and does not list them |
| USAJOBS control number 847388600 (Enhanced CTI) | “You must be under the age of 31 on the date of application submission.” It adds that a maximum age of 30 years is established for initial entry into air traffic control positions (2152 series) covered by Public Law 92-297. | Date of application submission |
Two things follow from the table, and both are ours. First, the pages do not give one common date to measure the age on, so read the age line of the particular announcement you are applying under, and apply while you are comfortably under 31. Second, the September 2024 release says “limited exceptions” apply and does not list them; a separate notice for experienced controllers, covered next, sets different age rules.
Applicants who already control live traffic
A separate USAJOBS “public notice for direct hiring authority” (control number 887464500) for experienced air traffic control specialists was accepting applications when read on 24 October 2026. It requires at least 52 consecutive weeks of air traffic control experience involving the full-time active separation of air traffic, after receipt of an ATC certification or facility rating within 5 years of application, at the kinds of facility the notice lists, with no educational substitute. For people maintaining that experience it sets the maximum age for an original appointment at 35, measured on or before the closing date, and asks for supporting personnel actions. It also says applicants who are prior Academy or field training failures may not be considered. That is a different route from the entry-level trainee announcements this guide describes.
- Spatial awareness: 35 timed questions on headings, bearings and angles
- Decision-making: 30 timed questions applying a rule card to traffic
- Working memory and multitasking drills, 5 levels each
- The FAA endorses no practice test and ATSA content is not public: our own items
- Your score by skill and the working behind every answer
- 4 questions free
The five hiring steps, as the FAA lists them
The hiring page calls it “a streamlined 5-step process.” The NYC page says the FAA changed “the previous 8-step hiring process to a 5-step process” and that the change “will accelerate the time-to-hire” by shaving “more than four months off the old process.” These are the five steps with what each asks of you.
| Step | What the FAA says you need | Where it can go wrong |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Apply on USAJobs | The hiring page lists a resume (“2 pages max”; “Include dates and hours/weeks worked”), transcripts and/or a CTI endorsement letter, and a DD Form 214 if claiming veterans’ preference. The NYC page sorts them by case: transcripts if applying on education; transcripts plus a recommendation letter or endorsement if applying on a CTI; for veterans’ preference, a DD Form 214 or an armed-forces document certifying that you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions within 120 days, and for 10-point preference also an SF-15 with supporting documents. | The NYC page says the documents that apply to you must be uploaded by the closing date or the application will be rejected. |
| 2. The aptitude exam | Pass the Air Traffic Skills Assessment: a 3.5-hour computer-based test taken in person at a Pearson VUE test centre. The hiring page marks it “Well-Qualified required.” | Only invited candidates may test; the FAA selects from the Well-Qualified category (see the ATSA guide). |
| 3. Medical and security clearance | Fingerprinting, a federal background check, drug testing, a psychological evaluation and a medical exam. | Some conditions are disqualifying (the medical table below). |
| 4. Academy training | Intensive training at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, “several months,” paid. | The hiring page gives no further conditions for this step. |
| 5. On-the-job experience | Graduates are placed at facilities across the country and gain on-the-job experience to become a Certified Professional Controller. | The length differs by page: see the next section. |
Where the FAA’s pages give different figures: training length and pay
Two numbers that applicants quote often, how long until you are certified and what a certified controller earns, are not the same on every FAA page. Each figure below is attributed to its page and date; the pages do not explain the differences, so plan on the more cautious figure.
| Figure | Page and date | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Time on the job after the Academy | Hiring page (21 Apr 2026) | “Gain 1-3 years of experience to become a Certified Professional Controller.” |
| Time on the job after the Academy | NYC page (8 Aug 2025) | Individuals “must gain 1-3 years on-the-job experience before becoming a certified professional controller.” |
| Additional training after the Academy (classroom and on the job) | Qualifications page (27 Feb 2025) | Individuals “must gain 2-3 years additional training, both classroom and on-the-job experience, before becoming a certified professional controller.” |
| Average certified controller earnings | Hiring page (21 Apr 2026) | “Average certified earnings exceed $155,000+ per year within 3 years of Academy graduation.” |
| Average certified controller earnings | NYC page (8 Aug 2025) | “Within three years of graduating the Academy, the average certified professional controller earns over $160,000 per year.” |
| Starting pay in the Academy | Hiring page and NYC page | $22.61 an hour. The NYC page says this is a rise of nearly 30% from $17.61 an hour, with health benefits, food and housing allowances at the Academy. |
Source: FAA, Hiring Air Traffic Controllers in NYC: “raising starting salaries by nearly 30% (from $17.61/hr to $22.61/hr) during paid Academy training.”
Retirement is the other figure the FAA puts up front: the NYC page says controllers “are able to retire at age 50 with at least 20 years of service or any age with at least 25 years,” and the hiring page says “Eligible to retire at age 50 with 20 years of service.”
The medical standards, in the FAA’s words
The qualifications page spends more words on the medical than on any other rule, and several lines deserve a careful read (our view). They are listed by area. They apply to “applicants for initial employment to Air Traffic Control Specialist positions”; the page says some limits of movement or missing digits may be accepted for particular positions and that this is noted for that position only. It also says the listed conditions are disqualifying because there are medical or management reasons to conclude the person cannot do the job without unacceptable risk, and it points to FAA Order 3930.3C for specific requirements.
| Area | What the FAA page says |
|---|---|
| Eye | Distant and near vision of 20/20 or better in each eye separately; bifocal contact lenses for near vision are unacceptable; normal color vision; free of glaucoma, cataracts, chronic eye disease or a history of eye surgeries. |
| Ear, nose, throat, mouth | No ear disease, acute or chronic; no unhealed eardrum perforation; no outer-ear deformity that would interfere with headphones; clearly understandable speech with no stuttering or stammering; no hearing loss in either ear of more than 25 decibels in the 500, 1000 or 2000 Hz ranges. |
| Cardiovascular | No medical history of any form of heart disease, shown by clinical examination and an electrocardiogram; no high or low blood pressure, measured against “appropriate values” the page does not specify; an applicant under treatment for any cardiovascular disease is disqualified. |
| Neurological | No history or clinical diagnosis of a convulsive disorder; no nervous-system disease that would be a hazard to safety; an applicant “under any form of treatment, including preventive treatment, of any disease of the nervous system” is disqualified. |
| General medical | No medical history or clinical diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, and no other disease, defect or limitation that indicates a potential hazard to safety. |
| Psychiatric | No established history or diagnosis of a psychosis, a neurosis, or any personality or mental disorder that clearly demonstrates a potential hazard; determinations rest on medical case history supported by clinical psychologists and board-certified psychiatrists, “including such psychological tests as may be required as part of medical evaluation.” |
| Substance dependency | A history, records review and clinical and laboratory examination are used to decide whether there is dependency on alcohol, narcotic or non-narcotic drugs. |
Controllers must also requalify with an annual medical examination, according to the same page. If a condition in the table may apply to you, the FAA’s page is the starting point and a conversation with an aviation medical examiner before you invest a year is cheaper than finding out at step three. That second sentence is our advice, not the FAA’s.
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4 questions to answer▶ Start nowThis one is free · no sign-in neededYour result shows how long each question took you.Routes: general public, CTI graduates, veterans, experienced controllers
The FAA does not run one door. The sources read on 24 October 2026 describe three, and they ask for different documents:
| Route | Who | Documents and test |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level trainee announcement | Anyone meeting the minimum qualifications | Resume, transcripts if applying on education, a DD-214 if claiming veterans’ preference. Qualified applicants are invited to take the ATSA at Pearson VUE; invited candidates are not charged. |
| Enhanced Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative (E-CTI) | E-CTI programme graduates, or E-CTI students within 12 months of graduation, at partner colleges and universities whose programmes the FAA says provide curriculum and training equivalent to the FAA Academy | Transcripts, an endorsement or pre-endorsement letter from the institution, and an ATSA result of best qualified or well qualified. The announcement (open 3 Oct 2025 to 2 Oct 2026) says successful graduates who meet all qualifications, including a well-qualified ATSA result, employment eligibilities and pre-employment requirements such as medical screening and security, are placed directly at air traffic facilities to begin on-the-job training, and that for the E-CTI route test administration costs and travel are at the applicant’s expense. Request the ATSA through your institution’s E-CTI point of contact. |
| Experienced controllers (direct hire public notice) | People with at least 52 consecutive weeks of certified live air traffic control experience within five years | Copies of certifications and work history showing hours per week; the age cap is 35 on or before the closing date for people maintaining that experience. |
Note the cost difference. The Pearson VUE page says invited candidates “are not charged” and that “the FAA covers the cost of the test,” while the E-CTI announcement puts test administration costs on the applicant. Which applies to you depends on your route, so read the announcement you apply under.
A year-long plan, built from what the FAA publishes
The pages read give no complete application-to-certification timetable, so this is our arrangement of the FAA’s facts, and every date in it comes from your own birthday and the announcement you target:
| When | Do this | Why (source) |
|---|---|---|
| As soon as you decide | Check your birthday against the age table. Create a USAJOBS account and build the resume the FAA describes: two pages maximum, with, in the hiring page’s words, “dates and hours/weeks worked.” | Hiring page: resume requirements; “You are strongly encouraged to apply early; waiting may result in the announcement closing before you’ve had the opportunity to submit your application.” |
| Before an announcement opens | Collect transcripts or the CTI endorsement letter, and your DD-214 if you claim veterans’ preference. Read the medical table above and book a medical conversation if any line may apply to you. | NYC page: documents must be uploaded by the closing date or the application will be rejected. |
| The day an announcement opens | Apply as early in the window as you can, after checking the age rule of that particular announcement against your birthday. | Hiring page and E-CTI announcement. |
| After you are found qualified | Watch your email for the Pearson VUE invitation, schedule the ATSA early, and know the 48-hour cancellation rule. | NYC page: “The longer you wait to schedule, the harder it may be to get a spot at your preferred location.” Pearson VUE page: cancel or reschedule at least 48 hours in advance. |
| After a Well-Qualified result | Expect medical, drug test, MMPI-2, fingerprinting and background checks, then Academy dates. | NYC page: Well-Qualified candidates are notified about next steps; hiring page steps three and four. |
Frequently asked questions
What is the age limit to become an FAA air traffic controller?
Every FAA page read says under 31. The qualifications page says “Be under the age of 31”; the hiring page says under 31 at application; the NYC page and the FAA’s September 2024 news release say before the closing date of the application period (the news release adds “with limited exceptions”); the Enhanced CTI announcement says under 31 on the date of application submission. A separate notice for experienced controllers sets a limit of 35 for people who maintain at least 52 consecutive weeks of certified, full-time live air traffic control experience as that notice describes.
Do I need a degree to be an air traffic controller?
Not necessarily. The FAA lists one year of progressively responsible work experience, or a Bachelor’s degree, or a combination of post-secondary education and work experience that totals one year.
Can a non-US citizen apply?
The FAA lists US citizenship as a minimum qualification and USAJOBS announcements say applications are accepted from any U.S. citizen.
Does the FAA charge for the aptitude test?
Pearson VUE’s FAA page says invited candidates are not charged and that the FAA covers the cost of the test, that cancellations need at least 48 hours’ notice, and that the FAA does not pay or reimburse travel. The Enhanced CTI announcement says travel to and from testing locations and test administration costs are at the expense of the applicant for that route.
How long is the FAA Academy?
The FAA pages say “several months” at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, paid, and the pages read give no number of weeks.
Is the announcement open now?
When read on 24 October 2026 the FAA hiring page (last updated 21 April 2026) displayed an “ANNOUNCEMENT NOW CLOSED” banner, the Enhanced CTI announcement showed a closed date of 2 October 2026, and the public notice for experienced controllers was shown as accepting applications. Check USAJOBS directly for current announcements and their dates.
What does an air traffic controller earn?
The FAA pages give $22.61 an hour during Academy training and say the average certified controller earns over $155,000 a year within 3 years of graduating (hiring page) or over $160,000 (NYC page). The USAJOBS notice for experienced controllers shows a salary range of $47,026 to $177,543 a year across its positions.
Is ProSyllabus part of the FAA?
No. ProSyllabus is independent and not affiliated with the FAA, the Department of Transportation or Pearson VUE.
Sources
- official — FAA: Air Traffic Controller Qualifications (minimum qualifications and medical requirements; page last updated 27 February 2025)
- official — FAA: We’re Hiring Air Traffic Controllers (requirements, five-step process, Academy pay; page last updated 21 April 2026)
- official — FAA: Hiring Air Traffic Controllers in NYC (eligibility, application process, ATSA, pay; page last updated 8 August 2025)
- official — FAA news release: FAA Hits Air Traffic Controller Hiring Goal (23 September 2024)
- official — Pearson VUE: FAA Certification Examinations, Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) page (eligibility, length, cost, previous results, FAQs; page last updated 20 July 2026)
- official — USAJOBS: Enhanced CTI (E-CTI) public notice, control number 847388600 (open date 10/03/2025, closed date 10/02/2026)
- official — USAJOBS: Public Notice for Air Traffic Control Specialist (Direct Hire) control number 887464500 (certified controller experience; age 35 or below rule)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
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