USNA.mobile | Steps for Admission | Nominations

US Senators, Representatives, and Delegates:

Each member of Congress can have five constituents attending the Naval Academy at any time. When a constituents leaves the academy, a vacancy is created. Members may use any one of the following methods to nominate candidates to fill their vacancies:

nominate 10 candidates for each vacancy, permitting the Naval Academy to evaluate and select them for admission on a competitive basis;
designate one principal nominee and nine other candidates as alternates, ranked in order of preference; or
nominate one principal nominee and nine other candidates as competitors, permitting the Naval Academy to select the alternate competitors for admission.

In each of these methods, one fully qualified nominee is offered an appointment to the Naval Academy to fill the vacancy. The remaining fully qualified nominees also are considered carefully, and many are selected for admissions to fill the entering class from a national competition of qualified alternates.

Application dates: Each Congressional office has its own procedures and deadlines for accepting nomination requests. Most offices prefer that you contact them in the spring or summer of the year prior to admissions to the Academy. Congressional nominations are due in the Nominations and Appointments by January 31 of the year of Admission to the Academy.

Apply to: Submit your letter of application to both of your U.S. Senators and to the representative from your home congressional district. It is not necessary to know the official personally.

The governor of Puerto Rico and the delegates to Congress from Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Northern Marianas Islands:

Puerto Rico and the Northern Marianas Islands may each have one midshipman attending the Naval Academy. American Samoa may have two, and Guam and the Virgin Islands each may have three at the academy. Ten nominations are permitted for each vacancy.

Application dates: Spring of your junior year (or spring of the year prior to desired admission year), or as soon thereafter as possible.

Apply to: Submit your letter of application to the appropriate official.