§ 310.57 Application and selection of midshipmen. ( a ) *Application.* All candidates shall submit an application for admission to the Academy's Admissions Office. Prospective candidates also should submit an application, but are not considered official candidates until their nominations are received. Candidates shall submit with their applications an official transcript and personality record from the candidate's high school and, if applicable, such records from any school attended after high school graduation. Application forms are available upon request by writing to the Admissions Office at the Academy. MARAD will accept electronic options (such as facsimile and Internet) for transmission of only Part I of required information to MARAD, if practicable.
( b ) *Selection of Midshipmen.* Selection of midshipmen for appointment to fill vacancies allotted to the various States and other locations, as specified in § 310.53(b) (1) and (2) of this subpart, shall be in order of merit. The order of merit shall be determined on the scores of the required entrance examinations, on assessment of the academic background of the individual and on such other factors as are considered by the Academy to be effective indicators of motivation and the probability of successful completion of training at the Academy. No preference shall be granted in selecting individuals for appointment because one or more members of their immediate families are alumni of the Academy.
( c ) *Notification of selection.* Results of the selection process will be made known about May 1 each year. The Academy shall advise each candidate and his or her nominating official of his or her status as a principal candidate, as an alternate candidate or as an unqualified candidate. Alternates will replace principal candidates who decline appointment or fail to meet the physical requirements or the security and suitability investigation.
( d ) *Service obligation agreement.* Each candidate selected for appointment to the Academy after April 1, 1982, who is a citizen of the United States, shall sign a service obligation contract as a condition of admission. The contract is prescribed in § 310.58 of this subpart.
( e ) *Reporting to the Academy.* Candidates who accept offers of appointment shall, pursuant to instructions issued by the Academy, report to the Academy on a specified date in mid-July for orientation and induction.
( f ) *Oath.* Each midshipman who is a citizen of the United States shall take the following oath of office at the Academy: “I, ______, having been appointed a midshipman to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, accept appointment and do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will comply with all the regulations of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter, so help me God.”
( g ) *Birth Certificate.* Each candidate shall present a certificate of birth authenticated by an authorized official.
[47 FR 21812, May 20, 1982, as amended at 68 FR 62538, Nov. 5, 2003; 69 FR 61451, Oct. 19, 2004]