I understand you need to get nominated. But, once you are nominated are you into the school? or are you just nominated for consideration? How difficult is it to get nominated? And does this process of nomination skew the acceptance rates? Because I know you can get into the merchant marine academy with a 90, but their acceptance rate is still under 15%. Is this the same with Annapolis in West Point? Could you get into either of these schools with a 90 average?
The steps required to apply for admission to each of the U.S. service academies are easy to find with a simple google search. It would be much easier and more self-explanatory for you to google them yourself.
But basically,:
No, getting nominated does not mean you have admission into the school. The admission process is a lengthy one that involves many steps. Acquiring a nomination is just one of those steps. The Naval Academy Steps for Admission page may explain it best, though (at least the 3 main branch) service academies all follow roughly the same format. You’re basically applying to become an “official candidate” first. Getting a nomination is part of this process or at least side-by-side with this process. Then, once the schools determine that your application is strong enough to be considered for admission, you’ll become an Official Candidate. At THIS point, your file will be considered by the Admissions Board.
You’re right that the academies are very selective. But, yes, admission to any of them with a 90 average is possible. They all look at a wide range of factors.
I already mentioned that the process is lengthy. You should begin this process in your junior year. I don’t believe they allow you to begin any earlier, and beginning it past the early summer between junior and senior year could mean that you miss some of the “gates” required to earn you admission immediately following your high school graduation.
Best of luck to you!
This subject is far too complex to be addressed in a CC post. There are five Federal service academies (USNA, USCGA, USAFA, USMMA and USMA). Go to their websites and “do your homework.”
The U.S. Coast Guard Academy is the only one which does not require a nomination. You apply directly, and the process is about as 100% competitive as it gets.
You already know that the academies are extremely competitive. Apply to whichever one(s) you prefer, BUT you absolutely need a back up plan. This back up plan is more important than anything else, since you probably will not get into an academy (don’t take that personally, it is true of everybody).
A 90 avg student is not very competitive at all for any of the service academies. While NROTCgrad says have a back up plan, I say have BIG back up list.
Academies require near-perfect state of health-intense physical & a lot of rule-out conditions. Many apply but not all get congressional noms. Solid academic record but need not be 4.0. They do look for diversity & people from each state. The big thing is maturity & leadership ability.
One often overlooked factor is that it is easier to get into the academies if you live in a state with a low population (e.g. Wyoming) than one with high population (e.g. California). This is because two thirds of your nomination opportunities are through your senators, and each state has the same number of senators (two).
Obviously, almost no students have any control over which state they live in. But if you do happen to live in California, Texas, or Florida, then your odds of getting in are much worse than if you live in Wyoming or Alaska.
That’s not the full picture, @NROTCgrad. Congressional service academy appointments come from all members of Congress, to include US Representatives. The number of Representatives is, of course, based on populations. So, California has 53; Texas has 36; Florida has 27. Wyoming has 1.
Some states and some congressional districts are definitely more competitive than others for congressional appointments, but this phenomenon is not simply explained by the number of US senators per state.
Something else to note: US Coast Guard Academy applicants do not require a congressional nomination. The USCGA is an organizational unit of the Department of Homeland Security, not the DOD. (The Merchant Marine Academy is governed by the Dept of Transportation, not the DOD either, but does still require congressional nominations.)
^That really depends on what other attributes and skill sets the applicant brings to the table. Like other universities, the U.S. service academies tend to look at the whole person. A 90 average can be competitive.
Academics within at least the main three service branches are extremely challenging, especially considering all of the other demands on a cadet’s time, So the academies (and nominating congressmen) naturally attempt to evaluate whether a student will be academically successful if awarded a slot. If they feel the 90 average student will be successful, the 90 average will not get in the way of an appointment.
First, I did say that senators accounted for two thirds of nomination opportunities; which is true no matter which state a person lives in. The other one third is their congressional representative.
A candidate can only apply to one representative – the one for the district in which they live. Thus, for someone living in California, the other 52 congressional districts are irrelevant to the candidate.
My statement about competitiveness based on state residency is objectively true. A candidate applying for nominations from their senators will have it much easier in Wyoming than California. Simple math. Given that this is two thirds of the most common paths, it makes a big difference (for the worse if a person lives in a large state).
Of course there are some other additional methods for gaining a nomination (e.g. POTUS and VPOTUS), which are even more competitive, and most have special circumstances .
A solidly formed rationale and basis for wanting to become a leader of our young men and women in a time of almost-war is fairly requisite. HS students shouldn’t view the academies as simply a free or better option than other 4y colleges.