Academy Nominations

Members of Congress may nominate applicants who meet the eligibility requirements established by law. A candidate may seek a nomination from the following:

• A member of the U.S. House of Representatives who represents the congressional district in which the candidate resides.
• One of the U.S. Senators from their state.

You may also qualify for nomination through other sources, including:

• The President of the United States, who nominates children of career military personnel, deceased or disabled veterans, military or civilian personnel in missing status, and Medal of Honor recipients.
• The Vice President of the United States, who nominates five individuals from across the United States per year.

Each applicant for a nomination must meet the following eligibility requirements as of July 1st of the year of admission to an academy:

• Must be at least 17 years old, but not have passed the 23rd birthday.
• Must be a U.S. citizen.
• Must be unmarried, not pregnant, and without legal obligation to support children or other dependents.
• Must be a permanent resident of Vermont.
• Must meet the medical, physical, and academic requirements of the Academy.

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.

The deadline for submitting a complete nomination application to Senator Welch’s Vermont office is November 15th.

A complete nomination application consists of the following items*:

• Resume of extracurricular activities
• A cover letter stating why you want to attend a service academy (500 words or less)
• High school transcript
• A minimum of three letters of recommendation

*You can learn more about these application materials by reviewing the Academy Instructions.

• Application
• Resume of extracurricular activities
• A cover letter stating why you want to attend a service academy (500 words or less)

• High school transcript (must be sent by your high school).
• A minimum of three letters of recommendation.

• US. Military Academy at West Point, New York
• US. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland
• US. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colorado
• US. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York
• US. Coast Guard Academy at New London, Connecticut

No. Although many of the qualifications are similar, each academy operates under its own admissions guidelines. Visit the website of academy of your choice for detailed admissions qualifications. (A nomination to the Coast Guard Academy is not necessary, as it accepts candidates based on its own testing criteria.)

• Teachers
• Counselors
• Employers
• Coaches
• Clergy
• Scout Leaders

A specific recommendation form is not required. A letter of recommendation is sufficient.

No. A Congressional nomination does not guarantee admission; it represents only one component of a complete application. You will still need to meet the rigorous admission standards for the academy.

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 receive multiple appointments.

Academies will begin to notify candidates of their admission status in January. All offers of appointment are generally communicated by May. Both notifications of admission status and appointment are for the year of admission.