Academy Nominations

Senator Grassley nominates Iowa students for appointments to the following U.S. service academies:

The U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York.
The U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in King’s Point, New York.
Admission to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy does not require a congressional nomination.

Senator Grassley selects ten individuals to nominate for each vacancy at the Military, Air Force and Naval academies. There are five vacancies at each of those academies over a four-year period, so every fourth year he is able to nominate 20 Iowa students to each of those academies. He is able to nominate five Iowans each year to the Merchant Marine Academy. Each academy selects at least one qualified nominee from Senator Grassley’s recommendations.

Senator Grassley encourages Iowa students to consider applying to all of the U.S. service academies. If this is done, the order of preference of academy should be indicated to Senator Grassley. Iowa students may also seek recommendations from Senator Tom Harkin and their representative in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Students interested in obtaining an academy appointment should begin the application process in the spring of their junior year of high school. Applicants should apply directly to the academy of their choice and ask that a pre-candidate file be opened on their behalf.

Candidates for the U.S. service academies should rank in the top half of their high school class in a college preparatory curriculum. Candidates should have ACT scores in the 25-34 range in math and science, and in the 22-34 range in English. Candidates should have demonstrated leadership in school and outside of school, with outstanding records of extracurricular activities and/or job experience. Candidates should have completed the physical requirements described in the academy catalogs.

Applicants seeking Senator Grassley’s support must be legal residents of Iowa or dependents of members of the military who are Iowa residents. Applicants must be citizens of the United States, unmarried with no children or legal obligation for a child, and at least 17 years of age but not past their 23rd birthday on July 1, 2008.

To seek a nomination from Senator Grassley, Iowa applicants should complete and submit this online form. Additional materials should be mailed to:

U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley
Attention: Mary Day
206 Federal Building
101 1st Street SE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401.


Anyone unable to access the Grassley academy application online and needing a paper form should call his Cedar Rapids office at (319) 363-6832.

The additional materials that need to be sent to Senator Grassley’s office in Cedar Rapids are as follows: 1) the applicant should arrange for his or her high school guidance counselor to send a letter of recommendation, the applicant’s school transcript, and the applicant’s class size and rank directly to Senator Grassley’s office, 2) the applicant must arrange for three letters of recommendation from Iowans (including one teacher) to be sent to Senator Grassley’s office in Cedar Rapids, 3) the applicant must submit an essay not more than 300 words that describes an example of how the applicant helped a peer who was facing failure, and 4) the applicant must arrange for his or her ACT score (SAT optional) to be sent directly to Senator Grassley’s office in Cedar Rapids. The identification number for the ACT is 7129. For the SAT it is 6260.

The deadline for Iowa students to complete their applications for Senator Grassley’s nomination is October 1, 2008. A file that is not completed by the deadline will not be considered. Nominations will be made by February 2009.

For more information, send a message to academy_nominations@grassley.senate.gov or call Mary Day at (319) 363-6832.