Service Academy Nominations
Every year, I’m privileged to nominate bright and hardworking students to attend our nation’s military service academies. Our service academies are some of the top universities in the country and help build strong leaders in our military and beyond. It’s an honor to be able to nominate talented young people from our area so they can begin building a brighter future for themselves and our country.
Our service academies include West Point, the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy, and the Merchant Marine Academy. Please refer to this page for more information on how you may be able to apply for a nomination from my office and read all of the directions carefully.
If you ever have any questions, please feel free to call us at (916) 635 0505 and ask to speak with Matt Ceccato, who administers this program in my local office. We are also having a Service Academy Information Day on Saturday, September 17th, 2016, to help underclassmen who need an introduction to this process. Representatives from each of the service academies will be on hand to help answer questions.
- Frequently Asked Questions:
- Timeline for Academy Nomination Process:
- Getting Help: Service Academy Information Day
- How to Begin an Application:
- Providing Additional Required Support Materials:
Frequently Asked Questions:
These frequently asked questions may be helpful for people who are interested in applying for a nomination to a military service academy. These outline general standard procedures on how to apply for a nomination, which are commonly followed by many congressional offices.
- What are the basic eligibility requirements?
Each applicant for a nomination must meet the following eligibility requirements as of July 1st of the year of admission to an academy:
- Age: Be at least 17 years old, but not have passed the 23rd birthday.
- Citizenship: Must be a U.S. citizen.
- Marital Status: Must be unmarried, not pregnant, and without legal obligation to support children or other dependents.
- Residence: Must reside, or attend school, within the boundaries of the 7th Congressional District of California, which resides entirely within Sacramento County. If you’re unsure if live in my district, please click here to find out.
- Skill / Fitness: Must meet the medical, physical, and academic requirements of the Academy.
- Can anyone else nominate me? A member of the U.S. House of Representatives who represents the area where you live may nominate you to a service academy. I represent the 7th congressional district of California, which resides entirely within Sacramento County. If you’re unsure if live in my district, please click here to find out. However, you may also be able to receive a nomination from:
- Both of your California U.S. Senators, Senator Dianne Feinstein or Senator Barbara Boxer.
- Apply directly to the Vice-President of the United States, Joe Biden.
- When do I apply for a nomination? The nomination application period opens May 15th of each year for those candidates who are high school juniors and will be seniors the following school year, or who have already graduated.
- What is the deadline for completing a nomination file? The deadline for submitting a nomination packet to my local office in Sacramento County is October 28th, 2016. In mid-November applicant interviews will begin, and in December nomination announcements will be made (you may click here to see a complete timeline). Please contact my office at (916) 635 0505 for more specifics.
- What criteria is used in selecting candidates? Nominations are based on a "whole person" evaluation. Factors such as academic achievements, extra-curricular activities, leadership skills, physical aptitude, character, and motivation are taken into consideration and compared with other applicants.
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How many academies are there? There are five service academies.
U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York
U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland
U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York
U.S. Coast Guard Academy at New London, Connecticut -
Are the requirements the same for all of the service academies? No. Although many of the qualifications are similar, each academy operates under its own admissions guidelines. Visit the academy of your choice via the websites noted for each academy's particular admissions qualifications. It is not necessary to seek a nomination to the Coast Guard Academy, as the U.S.C.G.A. accepts candidates based on their own testing criteria.
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Who should I ask to write a letter of recommendation on my behalf? Some of the people applicants typically seek recommendations from include:
- Teachers
- Counselors
- Employers
- Coaches
- Clergy
- Scout Leaders
Our office does not require a specific recommendation form; a letter of recommendation is sufficient.
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Will I automatically be selected by the academy after I receive a nomination? No. You will be placed among a select group of nominees, and the academy of your choice will make the final decision. If selected, you will receive an offer of admission (an appointment) directly from the academy.
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What if I choose more than one academy? Will I be limited to a single nomination? No. You can be nominated to multiple academies depending on how well you have competed among this year's pool of candidates. It is also possible to have multiple appointments.
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When will I know if I have been offered an appointment by an academy? Academies will begin to notify candidates of their admission status in February. All offers of appointment are generally sent out by May.
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Timeline
As deadlines get closer here is a general timeline of when events will occur and when things are due:
- September 17th, 2016: Service Academy Information Day. While geared towards underclassmen that need an introduction to the Service Academies, if any candidates are interested we will have representatives from each academy to answer questions.
- October 28th, 2016: Nomination files must be COMPLETE. This means an application has been filled out online or a hard copy has been sent to our office. All materials listed above must be turned in by this date as well.
- Mid-November 2016: Our office will contact you to inform you when the nomination interviews will be. They will be done towards the end of November/Early December, so be prepared for this.
- Early January 2017: Our office will inform you of our decision regarding nominations.
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Getting Help: Service Academy Information Day
My office will hold a Service Academy Information Day on September 17th, 2016, to help anyone who is interested in applying for our nation’s service academies. Representatives from West Point, the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy, and the Merchant Marine Academy will be available to help answer questions.
If you’re interested in attending, please click here to learn more and to RSVP.
If you’re unable to attend our event, please feel free to contact my office at (916) 635 0505 and ask to speak with Matt Ceccato, who administers this program in my local office.
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How to Begin an Application:
To begin the process of obtaining a congressional nomination from my office, please fill out the form below. Please note that this is only the first step in application process - candidates must also submit additional support materials and meet other requirements. Please read through this page in its entirety for details.
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Providing additional required support materials:
In addition to the online application, candidates applying for an academy nomination must also submit all of the below materials to complete their file. All of the below materials must be submitted to my office no later than October 28th, 2016:
- Current photo
- High school transcript
- American College Testing Program (ACT) results and/or College Board Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) results
- Resume of extracurricular activities
- An essay stating why you want to attend a service academy (500 words or less)
- Minimum of three letters of recommendation
Also, please note that submitting a nomination packet to my office does not count as submitting an application to a service academy. You must submit applications to each service academy you are interested in attending.