Academy Nominations

Thank you for your interest in attending one of our nations service academies. It is a privilege as a United States Congressman to nominate highly qualified young men and women from the Third Congressional District of Iowa. The service academies offer a tremendous education and excellent career opportunities.

Applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements as of July 1 of the year of admissions to the service academy:

• Must be at least 17 years of age, but not have passed the 23rd birthday (25 for the Merchant Marine Academy)
• Must be a United States Citizen
• Must be unmarried, not pregnant, and have no legal obligations to support children or other dependents.

Interested students wishing to compete for admissions should contact the academies you are interested in as soon as possible. The academy admissions offices will furnish you with the application materials they require. I suggest you also open a pre-candidate file with 1) the offices of both Senator Harkin and Senator Grassley, and 2) the academies for which you wish to be considered.

The following materials are required to be submitted to my office no later than September 30th of the senior high school year:

1. Application form: All applicable blanks must be completed.
2. SAT or ACT scores: My ACT code is 7412. My SAT code is 6357. Only official test score results sent directly from the testing service are accepted. In order to ensure that test results are sent to my office by the above deadline, you should take the exam at the earliest possible date. Contact your school guidance office for details about the exams.
3. Letters of recommendation: All letters must be signed.  These letters should be written either by a teacher, your school principal, church leader, employer, etc.—people who know you well.   At least one of these recommendations must be from someone who knows your academic record.  Standardized recommendation forms are will be enclosed.  It is your responsibility to ensure all recommendations are returned to my office by the deadline.
4. High school (and college, if applicable) grade transcript, including grade point average on a four point scale and class rank. Because not all schools include grade point average and class rank, you should contact your school registrar to ensure that these figures are provided. Transcripts must include grades at least through the junior year for high school students and for college students, the most recent semester successfully completed.
5. Motivational essay: A one page summary of your reasons for pursuing a career as a military officer through an academy.
6. Recent photograph. (Attached to the application).
7. Extracurricular activities: include descriptions of your participation in:  A) Community Service; B) School Activities (athletics, academics, student government, arts, clubs, etc.); C) Military service; D)Any other extracurricular activities.  Please also include leadership positions held and any awards or honors you may have received .  You should also describe any employment experience, including the number of hours per week you have worked, whether after school or during the summer.

Once I have received all the required materials, I will send you a letter confirming that your file is complete. In fairness to all candidates and my Selection Board, incomplete files received after the September 30th deadline may be disqualified from consideration. The above items are the minimum requirements which are to be completed by the deadline.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office. For your benefit, my contact information is listed below, as well as application materials and links to each service academy:

Congressman Leonard L. Boswell
Attn: Academy Nominations
300 East Locust, Suite 320
Des Moines, IA 50309
Phone: (515) 282-1909
Fax: (515) 282-1785
Toll Free Phone: (888) 432-1984 

Academy Application Form

Academy Checklist

Service Academy Recommendation Form

Learn More About Our Service Academies:

•  West Point Military Academy

• United States Naval Academy

• United States Air Force Academy

• United States Coast Guard Academy

• United States Merchant Marine Academy