Does anybody know when an applicant must be a citizen by? I’m currently a junior in highschool and it doesn’t look like I will be granted citizenship until well after my application is submitted. Is it upon admission, or upon application submit day? Thanks.
An opinion follows:
- Legally, I believe only when one takes the Oath of Office as a USMA Cadet.
- However, were I a USMA Admissions Officer (and I was a senior naval officer for 20+ years), I would be very reluctant to recommend appointment of a lawful resident alien, because he just might not achieve citizenship status by late-June’s Reporting Day (obviously, however, certain “hooks” might convince me to be less stringent; for example, if the Black Knight’s Head Basketball Coach were to indicate, “here’s next season starting center, and he WILL – I guarantee it – be a citizen by R-Day”).
- Also, most/all officer candidates (of all types) are normally granted Secret security clearances upon program-entry; it is FAR more difficult for non-citizens to be permitted access to classified information.
The way the process works, you would normally seek a congressional nomination in the fall say November and in most cases interview with a congressional panel. I am in the West Point field force, graduate admissions volunteer. I think you would have to be a citizen when congressional review happens. No congressman would lose his admissions spot because a candidate’s citizenship was held up