This is a national academic honors organization dedicated to excellence. This society is a way of crediting academic and professional excellence in the Brigade of Midshipmen. Golden Key unites talented undergraduate students with prominent faculty and university administrators who are active in the Society at the chapter, regional and national levels. The Society provides recognition, prestige, scholarship, fellowship, and opportunities for service for and to its members. The purposes of Golden Key are to recognize and encourage academic achievement and excellence, to unite with collegiate faculty and administrators in developing and maintaining high standards of education, to provide academic assistance to outstanding members, and to promote scholastic achievement and altruistic conduct through voluntary service.
Students qualify on the basis of objective academic criteria.
No more than the top 15 percent of the second and first class midshipmen may be eligible for participation in Golden Key. The U.S. Naval Academy Chapter was founded April 20, 1995.