U.S. Service Academy Appointments
The U.S. Service Academies are four-year post-secondary institutions that combine educational excellence with military officer training. Students accepted to the academies receive a free four-year education in return for a commitment serve five-years in the active-duty military after graduation.
 
In order to be admitted, students must receive a congressional nomination from either their U.S. Representative or Senator and must meet the highly competitive educational and extracurricular standards that are set by the individual academies as well as standards for physical aptitude and medical fitness.

Academy Nomination Process *Nominations are now closed for 2009*
In order for a candidate to be considered for nomination, an applicant must complete the following steps:

1. Applicants must write a letter to the Denver office requesting application materials.
2. Applicants must submit the completed application form, a high school transcript, SAT or ACT scores and three letters of recommendation (one being from a guidance counselor or principal).
3. Rep. DeGette's Academy Board must interview applicants. Applicants will be notified in late November of their interview date, which will be conducted sometime in early December.
4. Nominations will be made to the academies no later than December 31.

For the Air Force, Naval, and Military Academies, each Congressional Representative can have no more than five cadets or midshipmen attending an Academy at one time. For each vacancy (one of the five slots), Representatives and Senators can nominate up to ten names.
 
For the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, there is no vacancy system. Instead, each year, Members of Congress can nominate up to ten individuals and those who qualify gain an appointment.
 
There is no nomination system for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
 
General Requirements for Applicants

• Applicants must reside in the First Congressional District of Colorado to obtain a nomination from U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette.
• Applicants must be at least 17 years of age and no more than 23 years of age upon entering the Academy.
• Applicants must be United States citizens.
• Applicants must have 20/20 uncorrected vision in each eye (20/40 for Commission Only positions in the United States Air Force Academy).
• Applicants must be unmarried, not pregnant and have no legal obligation to support any dependents.
• Applicants should be able to demonstrate they are in good physical condition.
• Applicants should be in the upper 40% of their class. However, most applicants are in the top 10% of their class.
• Applicants should have SAT scores ranging from 550-650 verbal and 550-700 math or ACT scores ranging from 26-30 English and 27-31 math.

Deadlines
To request an application interested students should contact my office by fax or mail, anytime after January of their junior year in high school.
 
The deadline for receiving COMPLETED application for nomination is November 1. For those in college, the same time frame applies.

U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette
ATTN: Academy Nomination
600 Grant St. Ste. 202
Denver, CO 80203
 
This application is for U.S. Rep. DeGette's nomination, and is separate from the application you must complete for the academies.
Remember to also apply for nomination by U.S. Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet.

Service Academy Contact Information