I am always excited to work with young people who are interested in attending one of our United States Service Academies. To help with this process, I have set up a Military Academy Selection Board, which helps select nominees using the competitive selection process for each academy.

In order to assist interested young people with their nominations, detailed information is available below to help answer questions about the nomination process and about submitting an application through my Senate office.

Please note that all applications for a nomination through my office are due by 5:00 PM on Friday, October 5, 2012. Because there is a great deal of information required by the service academies for a nomination, this is not a process to be taken lightly. Please understand that no applications received after the deadline will be considered and no exceptions can be made. Therefore, any delivery delays by USPS or any commercial package delivery service will not be grounds for a late submission.  If you want to verify delivery of a package, you must verify that through your selected carrier such as USPS, UPS, FedEx, etc. You must ensure that you have a tracking number from that service provider prior to shipping the application package.

Please provide an email address on your application so that an email can be sent to you confirming receipt of your completed file within 10 business days of receipt. If you have not received an email from this office by September 28, 2012 confirming that your file is complete, then you should send an email to Sarah_Baska@chambliss.senate.gov requesting an update on the status of your file. You must include a phone number in the email where you can be contacted by this method, even if your phone number is already on file.  That phone number must have voicemail capability. Due to the volume of last minute applications received in this office during the deadline week, phone calls requesting confirmation of applications may not be returned immediately. 

SAT and ACT scores WILL NOT be accepted after the deadline of October 5, 2012. If you choose to sit for the SAT/ACT in October, those scores will not reach our office in time for consideration. For this reason it is extremely important that all service academy candidates take their initial SAT and ACT tests as early as possible, allowing a retest if desired, which will then accommodate the receipt of the scores by this office prior to the deadline of October 5, 2012.

It is important to realize that each year, of the 13,000 or so individuals who apply to each of the service academies, less than one in ten applicants will be selected by the respective academies for admission. It is a privilege for any young American to be selected for this great honor and for such a valuable education. Unfortunately, each year literally thousands of applicants across the country fail to either receive a nomination or an appointment simply because they missed one of the application deadlines. So please start early, follow up on any outstanding issues, and confirm that all your contact information is correct.

The Military Academy Selection Board will hold interviews in November, and nomination decisions will be made by the end of the month. This is a highly competitive process for a highly coveted nomination, and only the most qualified young men and women are chosen for this honor.

To apply for a nomination through my office, please use the links below for general information about the application process and to find the formal application below.

Please follow the instructions carefully for completing and submitting applications to our office. On the first page of the application you are required to list your 9 digit zip code in the information for your address. This is required by all military academies and without it a nomination cannot be submitted.  Your 9 digit zip code can be found on this helpful website to locate your zip code for your application.

If you have any questions about the nomination process, please contact my Service Academy Coordinator, Sarah Baska, at (770) 763-9090.

Service Academy Nominations and Appointments for 2012

Service Academies
There are five (5) service academies that offer appointments to highly qualified individuals who meet eligibility requirements and are the most competitive in academic performance, physical fitness, medical standards, extracurricular involvement, leadership traits, motivation and aptitude for military service. The academies are:

United States Military Academy           United States Naval Academy
Admissions Office                                                   Admissions Office
606 Thayer Road                                                    121 Blake Road 
West Point, NY 10996-1797                               Annapolis, MD 21402-5019
www.usma.edu                                                          www.usna.edu

United States Air Force Academy        United States Merchant Marine Academy
Admissions Office                                                Admissions Office
Colorado Springs, CO 82840-5651                300 Steamboat Road
www.usafa.edu                                                     Kings Point, NY 11024-1699
                                                                                   www.usmma.edu

United States Coast Guard Academy
Admissions Office
31 Mohegan Avenue
New London, CT 06320-4195
www.cga.edu     

You are encouraged to visit the web sites for each academy to determine their minimum entrance requirements. You may apply online to each academy for which you have interest. Competition is keen for an appointment to these schools, and you should apply early during your junior year in high school.

All service academies, other than the United States Coast Guard Academy, require a nomination from a qualified nominating source in addition to meeting the individual eligibility and entrance requirements for each respective academy. Appointments to the Coast Guard Academy are made on the basis of a nationwide competition.

Eligibility

Candidates seeking nomination and appointment to a service academy for the Plebe (freshman) Class of 2017 must:

• Be at least 17 years of age but not yet 23 years of age on 1 July of the calendar year of entrance.
• Be a United States citizen.
• Be unmarried and have no legal obligation to support children or other dependents.
• Female applicants cannot be expecting a child.
• Specific questions to these requirements should be addressed to the respective academies.

Nomination Process

Every United States Senator and United States Representative may have no more than five (5) people attending each service academy at any given time. Most members of Congress allocate at least one open vacancy per year.

For each vacancy, ten nominations may be submitted to the respective service academy admissions office. Offers of appointment are made by the admissions office on a competitive basis measuring the overall qualifications and eligibility of all nominees.

Nominating Sources

Service academy applicants are eligible for nomination by both United States Senators in the state of their legal residence and the United States Representative for the District in which they reside. Applicants should apply for nomination to all three (3) nominating sources.

Some applicants may be eligible for other nominating sources; Presidential, Vice Presidential, ROTC, active duty unit commanding officer, and others. Please check the respective service academy web site for eligibility requirements.

Applying To Academies

You are encouraged to apply early to any and all service academies for which you have a sincere interest. You may apply online at the respective service academy web site. If you meet the minimum eligibility and entrance requirements, the academy will forward a formal application package. You should return all requested materials as directed by the academy as quickly as possible.

If you are considered an “official” candidate by the academy, you will be scheduled for a medical examination by the Department of Defense Medical Review Board (DODMERB). You will also complete a Physical Aptitude Evaluation (PAE).

Applying To My Office for a Nomination

You may apply to my office for a nomination to all service academies for which you have an interest. Please select the “link” below to download the candidate information profile and required materials for application.

Submit your application materials by mail no later than 5:00 P.M. on Friday, October 5, 2012. Incomplete applications or application packages received after 5:00 P.M. on October 5, 2012 will not be considered. DO NOT staple or bind any part of the paperwork or attachments included in your application.  Mail completed application packages to:

United States Senator Saxby Chambliss

2011 Military Academy Selection Board

Attn: Sarah Baska

100 Galleria Parkway, Suite 1340

Atlanta, Georgia 30339

If you have questions about the academy nomination process, please call 770-763-9090.

Nomination Review Process

The 2012 Service Academy Selection Board will review all completed applications for nomination received by the submission deadline.

The most competitive candidates will be scheduled for interviews with the Service Academy Selection Board in November of 2012.

Remember, you may apply for nomination to more than one service academy. You only need to submit one application package to my office and indicate in the appropriate section all service academies for which you are applying.