Service Academy Nominations
Nominating some of New Jersey’s finest young people to our nation’s prestigious service academies is one of the greatest honors I have as a United States Congressman. I hope you find the information below helpful as you begin the process of applying to one of our nation’s service academies.
Service Academies
There are five service academies: U.S. Military Academy (USMA), U.S. Naval Academy (USNA), U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), U.S. Coast Guard Academy (USCGA). Nominations are required for all but the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, to which appointments are made on the basis of an annual nationwide competition. As far as the U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy and U.S. Military Academy are concerned, there are various nomination authorities, with each eligible young person being able to apply to both United States Senators from the applicant's state, his or her United States Representative and the Vice President. The other nomination categories are military-affiliated.
With respect to the congressional category, each Representative and each Senator is allowed to have at each of those academies at any one time five persons charged to his or her quota. There are three methods of nominating, including the competitive method, which is the one I use. For each vacancy, ten nominations may be made on a strictly competitive basis. The competitive method provides that the nominees compete among themselves for final appointment determined by the admissions authorities. They take into consideration a nominee's academic record, extracurricular and athletic activities, physical aptitude, ACT and/or SAT scores, leadership ability, and medical qualifications. Such facets of an applicant's record are also considered during the nomination selection process.
No person will be offered admission if he or she does not meet the physical standards of the academy unless awarded a medical waiver. As competition for nomination and appointment is very keen, it is wise for all interested persons to apply through all sources for which they are eligible and for all academies in which they have a real interest.
An individual may be nominated by more than one nominating authority and/or to more than one Academy. With regard to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, the locality boundary for nomination by a Representative is the state in which the district lies rather than just the district itself. Each Representative and each Senator may nominate ten candidates each year to compete for admission.
Nomination Process
To be considered for an appointment to a service academy, an applicant must meet the eligibility requirements established by law and be nominated from an authorized person, including a Member of the United States Senate or the House of Representatives. I may nominate applicants who are legally domiciled within the boundaries of the fifth District of New Jersey.
Eligibility
An applicant for a nomination must meet the following eligibility requirements as of July 1st of the year of admission to a service academy:
- Must be at least 17 years old, but not have passed the 23rd birthday;
- Must be a United States citizen;
- Must be unmarried, not pregnant, and have no legal obligation to support children or other dependents.
Applying to a Service Academy
To apply for a nomination from my office, please fill out the following online form. Then send an email with a resume, a brief essay about your qualifications and a completed application to my Service Academy Coordinator, Amy Nittolo. Please be advised that the deadline for submission of the complete application is Friday, September 30, 2016. If you have additional questions about the process, please contact Amy Nittolo in my Newton office at 973-300-2000.
Follow the links below to visit the admissions pages of each service academy: