The following guidelines are provided to Congressman Jeff Miller's constituents who may be interested in an appointment to a U. S. service academy. You must be a constituent of the First Congressional District in order apply for an appointment through Congressman Miller.

A candidate must be of good moral character (no police record).

A candidate must bean American citizen by the date of induction in to an academy.

The Air Force, Naval, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine, and Military Academies require a candidate to be at least 17 years of age, but not have passed the 22nd birthday by July 1 of the year of induction. A cadet must be unmarried with no dependents. U.S. Merchant Marine Academy requires that the candidate be at least 17 years of age, but not have passed the 25th birthday by July of the year of induction. A Merchant Marine cadet may be married, but couples may not be domiciled together either on or off campus.

Obtaining an appointment to a military service academy is a two-fold process, the nomination process through nominating sources such as a Congressman plus the simultaneous application process through an academy. Submission of a nomination application does not trigger the academy application process; you must contact each academy individually. You can start the application process by either mailing or calling for an application. Many of the same requirements apply to ROTC programs. It is recommended that you also seek an ROTC scholarship.

All academies require candidates to pass a Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board. The academy to which the candidate has applied will initiate the scheduling of a no-cost examination and a physical fitness test at a Department of Defense facility. This will normally not be done until after a nomination is received. Once taken, the examination may be used for all service academies and for four-year ROTC scholarship programs.

Graduation from a United States Service Academy carries a six (6) year obligation of active duty service. Voluntary, self-initiated withdraw in the third or fourth year usually entails an assessment of tuition debt based on credits earned.

We encourage you to apply to more than one academy, and to ask for nominations from more than one source. You will be first considered for a nomination on the basis of your primary choice of academy as indicated on your application form. Should you not receive a nomination to your primary academy choice, you will be considered for nomination on the basis of your secondary choice and/or tertiary choice, if there are nomination slots remaining to those alternative choices. Senators and Congressman reserve the right to deny or withdraw a nomination if one is received from another source. This policy enables as many Florida residents as possible to receive nominations.