The Nomination Process
To be considered for an appointment to a service academy, an applicant must meet the eligibility requirements established by law and be nominated from an authorized person including a Member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives. I may nominate talented and diverse applicants who are legally domiciled within the boundaries of the 14th District of Florida.
Who Is Eligible?
An applicant for a nomination must meet the following eligibility requirements as of July 1 of the year of admission to a service academy. Students across my diverse and dynamic community deserve every opportunity to apply and receive a nomination no matter their background. He, she or they must be at least 17 years old, but not have passed the 23rd birthday, must be a U.S. citizen, and must be unmarried, not pregnant, and have no legal obligation to support children or other dependents.
What if my grades are not competitive?
Students who demonstrate leadership potential, but who lack the current academic capacity to handle the rigors of the academy, may be selected to attend a one-year preparatory program at no cost.
Applying To My Office For A Nomination
Students interested in a nomination should contact my Tampa office in the spring of their junior year in high school. You can download the application for my office below. 2020 applications (for next year's admissions), are due to my office by the new deadline of Nov. 6, 2020. Also, please note that it is extremely important that the student begin the application process with the academies themselves. (Click here for helpful dates in the nomination process)
Service Academies
There are five Service Academies: The United States Air Force (USAFA), Naval (USNA), Military (USMA), Merchant Marine (USMMA), and Coast Guard (USCGA) Academies. Nominations are required for all but the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, to which appointments are made on the basis of an annual nationwide competition.
As far as the USAFA, USNA, and USMA are concerned, there are various nomination authorities, with each eligible young person being able to apply to both U.S. Senators from the applicant's state, his or her U.S. Representative, and the Vice President (if very highly qualified). The other nomination categories are military-affiliated. With respect to the Congressional category, each Representative and each Senator is allowed to have at each of those academies at any one time five persons charged to his or her quota.
There are three methods of nominating, and I use the competitive method. For each vacancy, 10 nominations may be made on a strictly competitive basis. The competitive method provides that the nominees compete among themselves for final appointment determined by the admissions authorities. They take into consideration a nominee's academic record, extracurricular and athletic activities, physical aptitude, ACT and/or SAT scores, leadership ability, diversity and medical qualifications. Such facets of an applicant's record are also considered during the nomination selection process. No person will be offered admission if he, she or they does not meet the physical standards of the Academy unless awarded a medical waiver.
As competition for nomination and appointment is very keen, it is wise for all interested persons to apply through all sources for which they are eligible and for all Academies in which they have a real interest. An individual may be nominated by more than one nominating authority and/or to more than one Academy. With regard to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, the locality boundary for nomination by a Representative is the State in which the District lies rather than just the District itself.
Each Representative and each Senator may nominate 10 candidates each year to compete for admission. I am working hard to ensure that Members of Congress and America’s prestigious military service academies improve opportunities for young women and people of color to attend the academies. Urban and minority candidates are underrepresented as officers in the U.S. military and it is important that our nation’s leadership reflect the diversity of its people.
Academy Day
Students and parents are welcome to attend my annual event to learn about the congressional process to nominate talented, diverse students to the nation’s service academies. Also learn about ROTC scholarships and one-year preparatory academies. Representatives from the service academies as well as the nomination committee will be present.
