Thank you for your interest in applying to one of the nation’s military academies. I am honored to nominate candidates who are residents of my district for admission to the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, the U.S. Military Academy and the U.S. Naval Academy.
The number of nominations a Senator or Representative may make in a particular year depends upon how many vacancies exist at the particular academy in the quota allocated to each Senator’s or Representative’s office. I may submit up to 10 nominations for each vacancy which exists at a particular Academy. The process of receiving a Congressional nomination is very competitive, and the objective is to identify those young citizens who are most qualified for an Academy education and subsequent military career. The Academy makes the final admissions selection from among the nominees.
The basic requirements for receiving a nomination include:
1. As of entry date, applicant must be at least 17 years of age and less than 23 years of age;
2. Citizen of the United States;
3. Legal resident of Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District;
4. Not married or pregnant and under no legal obligation to support a child or dependent;
5. Competitive scores on the Writing, Verbal and Mathematics portions of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) (must be received directly from the College Board);
6. High academic standing in secondary school class (at least in the upper 40%);
7. First-rate medical condition and proper physical aptitude;
8. Participation and achievement in organized athletics, student government, clubs or other extracurricular activities;
Many other factors—academic ability, moral character, leadership potential, physical fitness, etc., enter into the judgment as to which of the candidates meeting the above criteria should be nominated to the academies.
The Application Process
Applications are now being accepted for the class of 2017.
The complete application for the Class of 2017 in fillable PDF format can be downloaded here.
Please contact my office at 410-832-8890 if you have any questions regarding this process.
