Complete preliminary application available on an academy's web site.
Academies
Consider attending an academy summer program or visiting the campus.Applications for the summer seminars are available on the academy web sites. The summer programs offer students an academy experience and offer the academies an opportunity to meet interested students. Information about visiting the academies is also available on line.
SAT/ACT tests are an important part of the application. Make sure that students take these tests early – spring of the Junior year or as a rising Senior in the summer or early fall.
If the student has a particular talent that might give the student applicant an edge in the admissions process, this is the time to contact the coach, instructor or officer at the academy who would be interested in knowing about the student’s interest in attending the academy.
Academies will review the preliminary application to determine if the applicant is competitive for admission. If so, the student will be sent a formal application for admission.
Completing the formal application and returning it to the academy as soon as possible will allow the academy to offer outstanding students a “Letter of Assurance” (LOA). An LOA is a conditional acceptance requiring a nomination.
Once nominated, the academy will send an “Offer of Appointment” letter to those applicants they wish to admit. Once this offer is accepted by the applicant, the process is complete.
Nomination from an authorized source:
Authorized sources include your U.S. Senators, U.S. Representative, and the Vice President of the United States.
Students able to offer documentation verifying that they are a member in good standing of ROTC or JROTC, a member of the armed forces or the child of a military retiree, deceased or disabled veteran, prisoner of war or service member missing in action or Medal of Honor winner can also seek a nomination through the academy.
You are only required to have one nomination for the service academy to which you have applied. However, the more authorized sources you pursue for a nomination, the better your chances of receiving a nomination as all nominating sources are restricted as to the number of nominations they can give.
Visit the web sites of your two U.S. Senators, your U.S. Representative and the Vice President of the United States to determine their nomination process, application deadlines and interview dates. Each will have a different process.
Outline how you will meet the deadlines and assemble all the required documents for the applications, e.g. essay, letters of recommendation, official transcripts, SAT/ACT scores, etc.
If you are unable to attend an interview, please be in touch with the nominating source as early in the process as possible to make other arrangements.