What are my chances of getting into the US Naval Academy?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Naval Academy - Annapolis
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Hi! I am currently a junior in high school, and will be applying to the naval academy (assuming I receive a nomination). I want to gauge my chances of being admitted, but leave any advice you have below!

I currently have an unweighted gpa of 3.5, and a weighted gpa of 3.78. It isn’t the best, but I do go to an academically rigorous private school, so will this be considered? I am taking two APs (in English and history) currently and one honors class in French… and then two regular courses in math (pre calculus) and science (marine biology). I plan to take AP Bio, AP English, AP history, a regular math class (calculus AB), and French 5H next year. Despite my gpa, does the rigor of the classes help my chances? Aside from gpa, I recently received a score of 32 on my ACT (36 on English, 34 on reading, 27 on math, and 29 on science). Will this score make up for my weaker GPA?

As for extracurriculars, I have been playing club water polo in Southern California for 5 years (from ages 12 to 17, currently). Just last year, me and my 16U team got gold in the silver division at the water polo Junior Olympics in Palo Alto. I have also been a varsity athlete in swimming and water polo all three years in high school so far, and have been the captain of my water polo team for the past two years as well as the captain and co captain of the swim team for the past two years. However, my school’s athletics are not very strong overall. I got all league first team my sophomore and junior year for water polo as well as rookie of the year for swimming in my freshman year and team MVP in swimming my sophomore year (but I probably won’t get an award this year for swim). Considering my athletics are particularly strong, can this also compensate for my lower GPA?

There are a couple other leadership extracurriculars I am involved in as well, such as the Round Square Board (it would take too long to explain, but essentially it is a network of schools around the globe that hold and promote the same values and IDEALS), and I am applying for the athletic council for my senior year. I haven’t, however, participated in community service since my sophomore year. Is this a problem?

Overall, I think I may be a strong applicant, however I am worried they may see me as primarily strong in the humanities and not STEM classes. Unfortunately I was unable to take any core science classes my freshman and sophomore years (as my school does not allow for it).

Please leave any advice or comments below! I really want to get a feel for my chances of being accepted into the usna:) thank you!
-Olivia

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To clarify, my freshman and sophomore years I took PCB 2honors and PCB 3honors, a class that combines physics, chemistry, and biology into one class.

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@ChoatieMom and some others are more familiar with the service academies.

Also if you use the search function, there’s a whole forum here on CC devoted to these schools with lots of advice.

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no way! Thank u! I just joined this so I’m still getting the hang of it:)

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Moved to the Naval Academy Forum.

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What I tell everyone here who posts a resume is that due to the vagaries of the nomination process and the rubric the service academies use to determine appointments, it is impossible to chance anyone. No one knows what the competition in your district will look like in the year you apply, so no one can chance you.

You should look at the makeup of current classes at Navy and make sure you at least meet if not exceed those stats. For example:

https://www.usna.edu/Admissions/_files/documents/ClassPortrait.pdf

Your first step is getting a nomination. USNA does not consider applications without a nomination, so you need to familiarize yourself with this process if you aren’t already by checking the websites of your congressperson and both senators. Once you start the nomination and application process, you will be assigned a Blue & Gold Officer (BGO) who will shepherd you through this process and who will have insight into how competitive your district is and how you stack up against the competition in the year you apply. Getting the nomination is the gating factor; once a candidate has a nomination and is deemed 3Q (qualified academically, physically, and medically) and the application goes to the academy admissions team, the likelihood of an appointment is close to 50%. Everything you could possibly ask about the nomination process has been answered here:

https://www.serviceacademyforums.com/index.php?forums/nominations.21/

Also, you should scour the wealth of applicant information on the USNA website and serviceacademyforums.com. No one there will chance you either for the reasons I gave above. These sources will tell you to do your best academically, up your physical fitness game, and pursue leadership opportunities. You will want to show quality over quantity, stay focused, and put your best application forward. That’s all you or any candidate can do.

But, from what you’ve posted, note that the academies value brains and brawn somewhat equally, so your varsity athletics will check one box. Your team captainship puts a check in the leadership box. Only about a third of any incoming class is selected for scholarship, but all must pass the academic bar, so you need to be at or (better) above the stats in the class portrait linked above. It will be a concern if you have not taken chemistry or physics. USNA is primarily an engineering school, and all Plebes are required to take calculus, chemistry, and physics freshman year. These are known as the “Plebe Killer” classes for a reason, and you need to be prepared for them, so make sure you do well in both a chem and physics course before you graduate.

Good luck to you!

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Thank you for the lengthy response! Do you think that taking a Chemistry class or physics class over the summer will be beneficial to me? I am familiar with both physics and chemistry, but I have not taken a class solely dedicated to chem or physics.

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Yes, you need to take a full course of both (and do well) whether at your HS, local CC, or online. Regardless of GPA, you will not be academically competitive without some form of them. I can’t stress enough the rigor of these classes at USNA; you would drown without a good foundation in calculus, chemistry, and physics, but it is doubtful the academy would extend an appointment to you without these basics. Candidates who are attractive to the academy but who need another year of aademic preparation to be successful in the program may be offered a slot at NAPS, the Naval Academy Prep School, a one-year program that mimics the Plebe curriculum. Students who complete NAPS successfully will be offered a spot in the next USNA class.