---
type: "LegalText"
title: "22 U.S.C. § 3947"
description: "Entry levels for Foreign Service officer candidates"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 22
title_name: "FOREIGN RELATIONS AND INTERCOURSE"
chapter_number: "52"
chapter_name: "FOREIGN SERVICE"
section: "3947"
citation: "22 U.S.C. § 3947"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc22@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t22/s3947"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-22/usc22.xml"
source_hash: "3f10c5e04890b79862d6fbe857ab425a988dfcfd3241b20c95230e111b68625a"
raw_snapshot_hash: "b9c63ede722f5e0bf8eabfe9029e06e312ab9bcfd95c4d1424ed515baff1df83"
text_hash: "9fce00507e89975690647f208711b5f3b0016dc423ac82a0ce0857e92a160f49"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 22 U.S.C. § 3947 - Entry levels for Foreign Service officer candidates

## Text

A career candidate for appointment as a Foreign Service officer may not be initially assigned under section 3964 of this title to a salary class higher than class 4 in the Foreign Service Schedule unless—

(1) the Secretary determines in an individual case that assignment to a higher salary class is warranted because of the qualifications (including foreign language competence) and experience of the candidate and the needs of the Service; or

(2) at the time such initial assignment is made, the candidate is serving under a career appointment in the Service and is receiving a salary at a rate equal to or higher than the minimum rate payable for class 4 in the Foreign Service Schedule.

(Pub. L. 96–465, title I, § 307, Oct. 17, 1980, 94 Stat. 2086.)