Claim: Dwight D. Eisenhower graduated from a military academy.

The United States Military Academy -LRB- USMA -RRB- , also known as West Point , Army , The Academy , or simply The Point , is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in West Point , New York in Orange County . It was originally established as a fort that sits on strategic high ground overlooking the Hudson River with a scenic view , 50 mi north of New York City . It is one of the four U.S. military service academies , and one of the five U.S. service academies .   The Academy traces its roots to 1801 , when President Thomas Jefferson directed , shortly after his inauguration , that plans be set in motion to establish the United States Military Academy at West Point . The entire central campus is a national landmark and home to scores of historic sites , buildings , and monuments . The majority of the campus 's Norman-style buildings are constructed from gray and black granite . The campus is a popular tourist destination complete with a large visitor center and the oldest museum in the United States Army .   Candidates for admission must both apply directly to the academy and receive a nomination , usually from a member of Congress or Delegate/Resident Commissioner in the case of Washington , D.C. , Puerto Rico , Northern Mariana Islands , Guam , American Samoa , and the Virgin Islands . Other nomination sources include the President and Vice President of the United States . Students are officers-in-training and are referred to as `` cadets '' or collectively as the `` United States Corps of Cadets '' -LRB- USCC -RRB- . Tuition for cadets is fully funded by the Army in exchange for an active duty service obligation upon graduation . Approximately 1,300 cadets enter the Academy each July , with about 1,000 cadets graduating .   The academic program grants a bachelor of science degree with a curriculum that grades cadets ' performance upon a broad academic program , military leadership performance , and mandatory participation in competitive athletics . Cadets are required to adhere to the Cadet Honor Code , which states that `` a cadet will not lie , cheat , steal , or tolerate those who do . '' The academy bases a cadet 's leadership experience as a development of all three pillars of performance : academics , physical , and military .   Most graduates are commissioned as second lieutenants in the Army . Foreign cadets are commissioned into the armies of their home countries . Since 1959 , cadets have also been eligible to `` cross-commission '' , or request a commission in one of the other armed services , provided that they meet that service 's eligibility standards . Every year , a very small number of cadets do this , usually in a one-for-one `` trade '' with a similarly inclined cadet or midshipman at one of the other service academies .   The academy 's traditions have influenced other institutions because of its age and unique mission . It was the first American college to have an accredited civil-engineering program and the first to have : class rings , and its technical curriculum was a model for later engineering schools . West Point 's student body has a unique rank structure and lexicon . All cadets reside on campus and dine together en masse on weekdays for breakfast and lunch . The academy fields fifteen men 's and nine women 's National Collegiate Athletic Association -LRB- NCAA -RRB- sports teams . Cadets compete in one sport every fall , winter , and spring season at the intramural , club , or intercollegiate level . Its football team was a national power in the early and mid-20th century , winning three national championships . Its alumni and students are collectively referred to as `` The Long Gray Line '' , and its ranks include two Presidents of the United States -LRB- as well as the President of the Confederate States of America -RRB- , presidents of Costa Rica , Nicaragua , and the Philippines , numerous famous generals , and seventy-six Medal of Honor recipients .