Academy Day 2010

Senator Dodd, along with the entire Connecticut Congressional Delegation, will be hosting an Academy Day on Saturday September 25, 2010 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Middlesex Community College in Chapman Hall.

Nominations

In the spring of an applicant's junior year in high school, I will begin accepting requests for nominations to the four national service academies listed at left.

We have begun accepting applications for classes entering in 2011. Please submit your application and materials by October 7, 2010

Each academy has established its own criteria for admission that takes into consideration Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or American College Testing program (ACT) scores, extracurricular activities, and leadership potential. Ultimate selection of appointees rests solely with academy officials and is based on their competitive evaluation of all nominees. Bear in mind that acceptance of an appointment commits an applicant to five years of active duty service after graduation.

The application form can be found here.

Eligibility for Entrance to a U.S. Service Academy

Applicants must be:

1. U.S. Citizens
2. Legal residents of Connecticut
3. At least 17 years of age but not yet 23 as of July 1 of the year of admittance.
4. Unmarried with no dependents (marriage and age requirements vary for the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy).

The law pertaining to Congressional appointments for each of the U.S. Service Academies stipulates that a Member of Congress is allowed a maximum of five persons at each Academy in any given year (except Merchant Marine, as will be explained). This quota, therefore, determines the number of vacancies for each entering class. Regulations of the Academies require nominees to be permanent residents of the state of the nominating Senator and domiciled in the congressional district of the nominating U.S. Representative.

Methods of Appointment

Candidates are appointed to the Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point on a state-wide basis. Each year the State of Connecticut has five vacancies for the Academy, and I am entitled to submit the names of ten (10) prospective candidates. My nominees then compete with the nominees from the rest of the Connecticut delegation for admittance.

Entrance to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy is no longer by application to a Congressman or Senator. You must make your application directly to the Academy. If you are interested in applying to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy write to: Director of Admissions, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, CT 06320.

I use a competitive form of nomination to the Military (West Point), Air Force and Naval (Annapolis) Academies, rather than the direct appointment method. This means that of all the applications I receive, ten (10) applicants will be chosen for each vacancy available, and their names will be forwarded to the individual Academies. The Academies will then evaluate my nominees and select at least one person from each group of ten to fill the allowable vacancy.

• If one of your parents is on active duty or has retired from the military, you may also be eligible for a Presidential nomination.
• If you are the son or daughter of a deceased or disabled veteran, or of a Medal of Honor recipient, you may also apply directly to the Superintendent of the Academy for a nomination.
• I also encourage candidates seeking a Senatorial nomination to make application to their respective U.S. Representative.
• The Vice-President has the same nominating authority as a Member of Congress, but can nominate from the United States at large. To request a nomination from the Vice President, write to:
  The Vice President, The White House, Washington, DC 20501.
  

Applying On-line

Please use the on-line application form. In addition to completing your online application, you need to submit all of the following materials:

1. Official Transcript or Grades: Inclusive of junior year and most current class rank.
2. SAT or ACT scores: All available scores should be sent to my office-original reports or a photocopy of the original. If not listed on your official sealed high school transcript, please have original scores sent to my office.
3. Recommendations: two written references from people who know you well and can comment on your character, scholastic ability, etc., in a sealed envelope.

It is important to note that all required documentation sent to me is maintained in my office and is not forwarded to the Academy. You must submit separate documentation required by the Academy directly to the Academy. Additionally, each Senator and Representative is a separate office and we do not share information. If you are applying for a nomination from Senator Lieberman or your Congressional Representative, please contact their office directly for instructions.

Withdrawing your request

Should you decide for any reason that you no longer wish to pursue a nomination after you have opened a file with my office, please notify me in writing. Staff time and resources are spent on maintaining candidates' files, thus your courtesy in advising me of a wish to withdraw your file is appreciated.