Academy Nominations

United States Military Academy Nominations

One of my most gratifying duties is to nominate young people from the Seventh Congressional District of Missouri to service academies.  As a member of congress, I can make what is referred to as “congressional nominations.”

The 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 Seventh District of Missouri.

Who Is Eligible?

An applicant for a nomination must meet the following eligibility requirements as of July 1 of the year of admission to a service academy. He or she must be at least 17 years old, but not have passed the 23rd birthday, must be a United States citizen, and must be unmarried, not pregnant, and have no legal obligation to support children or other dependents.

Applying To My Office For A Nomination

Interested applicants, usually in their junior year of high school, should contact my Springfield office in order to receive the application packet to start the process.  The completed application is due back to my office by Friday, October 13, 2017, and generally, by the end of December, I have submitted my list of nominees to the respective academies.

Service Academies

There are five Service Academies: The United States Air Force (USAFA), Naval (USNA), Military (USMA), Merchant Marine (USMMA), and Coast Guard (USCGA) Academies. 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 USAFA, USNA, USMA, and USMMA 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 (if very highly qualified). The other nomination categories are military-affiliated.

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.

Please note that you must start an application process with the academy you are applying to as well as the nomination process through my office. Those interested can download all four sections of the application packet in the linked attachments at the bottom of this page.

    * United States Military Academy (West Point)
    * United States Naval Academy (Annapolis)
    * United States Air Force Academy
    * United States Merchant Marine Academy
    * U.S. Coast Guard Academy

If you have questions, please call my Springfield Office at 417-889-1800.