To be eligible for nomination to one of the U.S. Service Academies, you must be at least 17 years old, but not have passed your 23rd birthday (as of July 1 of the year of admission to an academy). You must be a citizen, unmarried, not pregnant, and have no legal obligation to support children or other dependents.  Click here for more general information about the Academy Nomination process.

Each United States Representative and Senator may have five cadets at each of the four service academies (Naval, Air Force, Military and Merchant Marine) at any one time. The number of vacancies is determined by the number of cadets who either graduate or leave academies each year. Senator DeMint will be notified of available vacancies at each academy in August. Because of extreme competition for nominations, you are urged to apply to every nominating authority which your eligibility allows, (i.e., your Congressman, Senators DeMint and Graham, and the Vice President).

Certain information is required as outlined below in order for you to be considered as an applicant.  It is your responsibility to submit this information and to keep it updated.  The deadline for sending this information is October 16, 2009, because there must be adequate time to assess each candidate’s qualifications.

A.  Residency: Your legal home domicile must be in South Carolina.

B.  Application Form:  The application form, which you will submit online, must be completed by October 16, 2009. 

C.  Recommendation Form: This recommendation form must be completed by your school Guidance Counselor or Principal and returned to Senator DeMint’s Charleston office. You may also submit additional recommendations.  Downloadable Recommendation form (pdf)

D.  Transcript: An official transcript of your high school record and class rank must be submitted.  This transcript must show your final junior grades and numerical class rank (percentile ranks are not acceptable).  If you apply before this information is available, it is your responsibility to request that your guidance counselor send an up-to-date transcript and to keep your records current.

E.  College Boards: You must take either the American College Test (ACT) or the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) as part of your evaluation for appointment.  Information about the test can be obtained from your high school guidance counselor.

F.  Leadership and Physical Fitness: Leadership potential and physical fitness are judged from the information provided on your application form. This information should be kept up to date. Unlike civilian colleges, the Service Academies place strong emphasis on physical training.  In addition, the academies, like civilian colleges and universities, place a high premium on leadership and extra-curricular activities. Therefore, consideration must be given to each candidate’s proven ability in these areas.

G.  DeMint Academy Board Interview:  Once a completed application is submitted by the October 16, 2009 deadline, a brief in-person interview will be held with Senator DeMint’s Academy Board in either Charleston, Columbia or Greenville. 

If you have questions or concerns about the process, please contact the Charleston office at 843-727-4525 or e-mail academynominations@demint.senate.gov.