Ben Cardin - Senator for Maryland

Academy Nominations

ATTENTION CLASS OF 2021 APPLICANTS:

Letters notifying all Class of 2021 applicants will be mailed on or before January 31, 2017.  Thank you in advance for your interest and patience.

Thank you for your interest in obtaining a nomination to a U.S. Service Academy.  One of my greatest responsibilities as a United States Senator is to nominate qualified young women and men for our nation’s military academies.  The class of 2022 applications will be available on our website by June 1, 2017. In an effort to ensure a more sustainable future, I no longer accept paper applications.  Please see the information belwo for general information, requirements, and guidelines regarding the nomination process.

Thank you in advance for your interest.


The U.S. Naval Academy (USNA), U.S. Military Academy (USMA), U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) require a nomination from an authorized source before consideration for appointment. Authorized sources include your U.S. Senators, U.S. Representative, and the Vice President of the United States. Active military members, children of deceased or disabled veterans and children of career military may qualify for additional sources of nomination and should contact the service academies directly.


The service academies require that applicants:

  • Be at least 17 years old but not have passed your 23rd birthday as of July 1st of the year of acceptance.
  • Be a U.S. citizen on the day of admission.
  • Be unmarried, not pregnant, and have no obligation to support children or other dependents.
  • Be in good health and physical condition (the academies require a physical before acceptance).

Senator Ben Cardin requires that applicants:

1Submit a complete application packet by the 2017 office deadline (to be announced by June 1, 2017). Each applicant may only apply seek a nomination to one service academy through my office. 

A complete application packet consists of the online questionnaire and all checklist items (see list below).  In an effort to reduce waste, all supporting documents from outside sources must be submitted electronically using the links in the online application.  Paper documents will only be accepted from sources that do not have electronic file transfer capability.  It is the responsibility of the applicant to be sure any items that are being mailed (e.g. standardized test scores, letters of recommendation or transcripts) are received (not postmarked) in Senator Cardin’s Baltimore Office (address below) by the office deadline.   If any items are missing from the application package after the deadline, the applicant will be withdrawn from nomination consideration.

Required Check List Items:

1.Basic Fact Sheet, Questionnaire, Acknowledgement Statement and Essay Questions (through online application link).

2.Official SAT and/or ACT scores (sent directly from College Board and/or ACT).  Reporting test codes are: SAT #5468, ACT #7140

3.  Official Transcript(s): High School (required), and College or Prep School if applicable.   Transcripts must come from your high school and/or college via the online application link or mailed by the institution, they may not be emailed, scanned or faxed.  

4.  Current Course Schedule

5. Three Letters of Recommendation (LOR):

*One LOR must be from your high school counselor or principal.  If you are currently attending college or prep school you may use your current academic advisor.

*The other two LORs should be from individuals who know you well and can speak to your character and the qualities that will make you a good service academy candidate (e.g. teacher, pastor, coach, employer).

*LORs must be submitted electronically using the links in the online application.  

A complete application packet consists of the online questionnaire and all checklist items (see list below).  In an effort to reduce waste, all supporting documents from outside sources must be submitted electronically using the links in the online application.  Paper documents will only be accepted from sources that do not have electronic file transfer capability.  It is the responsibility of the applicant to be sure any items that are being mailed (e.g. standardized test scores, letters of recommendation or transcripts) are received (not postmarked) in Senator Cardin’s Baltimore Office (address below) by 5PM on November 3, 2016.   If any items are missing from the application package after the deadline, the applicant will be withdrawn from nomination consideration.
Required Check List Items:
1.Basic Fact Sheet, Questionnaire, Acknowledgement Statement and Essay Questions (through online application link).
2.Official SAT and/or ACT scores (sent directly from College Board and/or ACT).  Reporting test codes are: SAT #5468, ACT #7140
3.  Official Transcript(s): High School (required), and College or Prep School if applicable.   Transcripts must come from your high school and/or college via the online application link or mailed by the institution, they may not be emailed, scanned or faxed.  
4.  Current Course Schedule
5. Three Letters of Recommendation (LOR):
*One LOR must be from your high school counselor or principal.  If you are currently attending college or prep school you may use your current academic advisor.
*The other two LORs should be from individuals who know you well and can speak to your character and the qualities that will make you a good service academy candidate (e.g. teacher, pastor, coach, employer).
*LORs must be submitted electronically using the links in the online application.  

2. Be available for an interview in early December 2017 (dates to be posted on June 1, 2017). 

Interviews will be held in early December.  Applicants for the USAFA, USMA and USMMA will interview in Senator Cardin’s Bowie office (address below) and applicants for the USNA will interview in Senator Cardin’s Baltimore office (address below). 

Sen. Ben Cardin’s Bowie Office:

10201 Martin Luther King Jr. Hwy

Suite 210

Bowie, MD  20720

Sen. Ben Cardin’s Baltimore Office:

Tower 1, Suite 1710

100 S. Charles Street

Baltimore, MD  21201

3. Meet all service academy age, citizenship, marital status and health requirements and initiate a pre-candidate file at each Academy to which they are seeking a nomination.  

Please Note:

It is the responsibility of each individual candidate to be sure their application packet is complete by November 3, 2016, including all documents that are being supplied by outside sources (e.g. Standardized Test Scores, Letters of Recommendation).  You can check the status of your documents anytime by logging into your application account.  Any packet that is not complete by the deadline will be withdrawn from consideration.  Material that is postmarked on or after November 3, 2016 WILL NOT be accepted. 

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, PLEASE CONTACT AMY_DAIGER@CARDIN.SENATE.GOV.

Academy Websites

Only the service academies can make an offer of appointment (acceptance). A nomination does not ensure admission to a service academy but is required to be considered for admission to the USNA, USMA, USAFA, and USMMA. All applicants seeking a nomination must have also applied to the service academy for which they are seeking a nomination from our office.


The U.S. Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) offers appointments based on a national competition. There are no nominations to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. Interested candidates should contact the academy directly.

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