If you know a young person thinking about the prestigious U.S. Service Academies in their future, there is a lot to know. The candidate processes at Westpoint, the Air Force Academy, the Naval Academy, & the Coast Guard Academy are unlike traditional college applications.
Here are three things to know now if you are curious about these opportunities:
Preparation begins now:
While each service academy has its own expectations and profiles of their ideal admitted candidates, know that admissions is as competitive as the most highly selective colleges in the country. All of the academies are looking for students who are both excellent students and committed, accomplished athletes. They expect to see students taking rigorous courses and earning strong grades throughout high school, particularly in math and science. They look for students to compete in one or more sports as varsity athletes throughout high school. Prospective students will also need to complete health evaluations and prepare physically to score well on the Candidate Fitness Assessment.
Importantly, they expect strong applicants to have had a long-term record of leadership in various roles, a track record of taking initiative, and deep community involvement through service and volunteerism. The best way to prepare as a candidate is to consider each semester and every summer of high school as an opportunity to build that track record of excellence.
Service academy admissions typically begin with a preliminary application or pre-candidate qualification process. These applications open to prospective applicants in the winter of 11th grade. Students should be well-prepared ahead of time to research the process and complete these applications early.
Prospective applicants will also want to have SAT or ACT scores in advance of that preliminary application. So, interested students should plan to take the SAT or ACT exam by December of 11th grade.
Nominations are an essential part of the candidate process:
As applicants move forward in the process, there is one essential step at three of the four academies: the candidate nomination. To attend the Air Force Academy, Naval Academy or Westpoint, a student must secure a highly competitive and limited nomination.
While there are nominations put forward by the Vice President of the U.S. and special nominations reserved for military-affiliated applicants, the most accessible nominations come from the U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives in the state where the applicant lives.
Your Senators and congressional representatives’ offices will have specific processes for these. It is important to look into these processes early at the offices of both of your Senators and U.S. Representative. You will need recommendations, essays, resumes, and other steps. Qualified candidates can also expect to complete an interview. You may begin preparing in 11th grade, and complete this process in the fall of 12th grade. Without securing this nomination by January 31st of 12th grade, a candidate’s application cannot proceed.
Learn more through a summer experience:
Each of the academies offers a summer experience, usually for the summer between 11th and 12th grade. Some even offer programs for younger high school students. The application process for these programs is highly competitive, but they are a powerful way for a prospective student to experience academy life firsthand to determine if they wish to proceed with the application. In addition, the summer program application can serve as the student’s preliminary application in most cases. While the academies indicate that acceptance or denial from the summer program is not predictive of admissions outcomes, an acceptance does provide a prospective applicant an early indicator that they are on the right track.
You can learn more about these programs here:
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