Congressional Nominations to U.S. Service Academies: An Overview and Resources for Outreach and Management
Released: 2017-05-19T00:00:00

M embers of Congress are authorized by law to nominate candidates for appointment to four U.S. service academies. These schools are the U.S. Military Academy (USMA), West Point, N Y; the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA), Annapolis, MD; the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), Colorado Springs, CO; and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), Kings Point, NY. The fifth service academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (USCGA), New London, CT, does not require a congressional nomination for appointment. These institutions provide college-age Americans with a tuition-free, four-year undergraduate education and prepare them to be officers of some of the U.S. uniformed services. Upon graduation, service academy graduates are commissioned as officers in the active or reserve components of the military or the merchant marine for a minimum of five years.

Although it is an essential component of the appointment process, a congressional nomination does not guarantee an individual's admission or appointment to a service academy. In addition to securing a nomination, a candidate must also submit an application packet and fulfill other service academy requirements, some of which are described in the " Applicant Qualifications " section of this report. Even when a candidate meets all these requirements and is deemed to be qualified for admission, he or she may not receive an official appointment, due to the limited number of spaces available at each service academy.

The nomination of constituents to one of the service academies can provide Members of Congress with the opportunity to perform community outreach and other representational activities. In some states and congressional districts, nominations are highly competitive. Others are less competitive, and some offices do not receive expressions of interest from enough applicants to fill the number of nominations allocated. Consequently, some congressional offices may need to dedicate considerable staff resources to the selection process to identify qualified candidates, while others can incorporate service academy nominations alongside other constituent service activities such as casework.

Congressional Approaches

The nomination authorities, number of appointments, and criteria establishing the qualifications of potential service academy appointees are set in statute, federal regulations, and policies established by each academy. No laws or regulations govern congressional nomination processes, as long as nominations are submitted by deadlines established by the academies, provide the information requested in the format required by the academies, and comply with chamber ethics rules. Each congressional office with nominating authority has the opportunity to develop its own process for managing its service academy nominations. Some congressional offices have adapted and modified a "whole person" approach similar to that used by USMA, USNA, and USAFA to make their nomination decisions. This approach evaluates several broad components of a potential nominee's qualifications for appointment, including character, scholarship, leadership, physical aptitude, medical fitness, and motivation. Other congressional offices reach decisions through the consideration of a candidate's academic preparation, extracurricular participation, community service, and the recommendations of those familiar with their activities in those areas. To make these assessments, congressional offices often require prospective nominees to submit an application packet, which can be a combination of self-reported qualifications and additional documentation materials.

In addition to establishing criteria for nomination decisions, each congressional Member office may determine how to administer the decision-making process. Some offices handle nominations internally, assigning the task of managing applicant files and developing nomination recommendations to a staff member. Other offices assign staff to oversee nomination-related activities but delegate the screening and development of nomination recommendations to a volunteer panel, which could be charged with screening or interviewing applicants. A nominations review panel could include educators, service academy alumni, representatives of veterans' groups, and other community leaders from a Member's state or district. The decision to employ one approach or another could be based on the number of nomination applications received, the volume of other activity in a congressional office, the availability of qualified volunteers to sit on a nominations board, and other specific considerations related to individual states and congressional districts. The use of volunteers in congressional offices is governed by regulations issued by the Select Committee on Ethics in the Senate and by the Committees on House Administration and Ethics in the House.

It is common for Member offices to devote a page on their official websites to the service academy nomination process. This web page can be used to explain the office's particular nomination process, provide application materials, announce deadlines, refer prospective nominees to service academy liaisons or websites, share information about past and/or present service academy nominees, or for other purposes. Many offices encourage digital delivery of all or part of the nominee's application, and some Member offices provide forms on their websites for nomination requests.

The service academies also offer guidance and support for congressional Member offices regarding the nomination and appointment process. Coordination with the service academies may help Members of Congress assist constituents throughout the appointment process. The service academies, for example, may be able to help identify prospective nominees or academy alumni, and clarify institutional policies. The service academies also encourage congressional Member offices to host Academy Days in their districts, which are informational sessions for prospective nominees, similar to college admissions fairs. When possible, each service academy will send currently enrolled cadets or midshipmen (often from a Member's state/district) and/or admissions officers to these events. The service academies can also publicize Academy Days or other congressional events on their websites.

Statutory requirements regarding allocations of congressional nominations to service academies are described in the next section. A subsequent section describes qualifications of potential nominees to service academies established by statute, federal regulations, and each academy. Figure 1 provides a generalized timeline of the application process for applicants, service academies, and congressional offices, which may be a helpful reference for offices that are creating or revising their nomination procedures. Appendixes to the report include sample documents that may be used by congressional offices at various stages of the nomination selection process. These documents, which are based on information and examples found on service academy and congressional websites, provide basic information and can be customized to fit the specific needs of individual office policies. The documents include

an initial contact letter that a congressional office could send to high schools in its state or district, an information sheet and application that could be sent to those potential applicants who respond to the contact letter or contact a congressional office on their own initiative, an instruction sheet for preparing an application for congressional nomination, an application for congressional nomination, and a follow-up letter to send to applicants once their nomination has been submitted.

Appointment Criteria

Appointment and nomination criteria are established by statute, by regulations issued by the appropriate executive branch authority, and by policies set by each academy. Three service academies, USMA, USNA, and USAFA, are housed in the military branches of the Department of Defense (DOD). USMMA is governed by regulations issued by the Department of Transportation. USCGA, which does not require a congressional nomination for admission, is an organizational unit of the Department of Homeland Security.

Department of Defense Academies

Three service academies, USMA, USNA, and USAFA, are overseen by the three military branches of the DOD. Allocations for nomination by Members of Congress of prospective appointees to these academies are established by statute and are substantially similar for each academy. The number of positions, or charges, subject to congressional nomination at each DOD academy includes

10 from each state, 5 of whom are nominated by each Senator from that state; 5 from each congressional district, nominated by the Representative from the district; 5 from the District of Columbia, nominated by the Delegate from the District of Columbia; 4 from the U.S. Virgin Islands, nominated by the Delegate from the U.S. Virgin Islands; 5 from Puerto Rico, nominated by the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico; 4 from Guam, nominated by the Delegate from Guam; 3 from American Samoa, nominated by the Delegate from American Samoa; and 3 from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, nominated by the Delegate from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

When a congressionally-nominated academy position is vacant, a Member of Congress may nominate 10 persons for possible appointment. As DOD service academy cadets or midshipmen who received a congressional nomination graduate, or as their appointments are otherwise terminated, a nominating Member office can make new nominations to fill any vacated positions. Typically, one appointment per DOD academy per Senator and Representative is available annually. In some years, however, a congressional office might have the opportunity to make nominations to fill multiple vacancies at an academy. Appointments made by a predecessor are considered part of the quota of a newly elected Member. Appointments made for candidates whose Representative changes as a result of legislative redistricting are considered as part of the new Member's allocation. The service academies can provide congressional offices with information about the number of appointments available for Members to nominate.

Nominees may be submitted in three categories: without ranking, with a principal candidate and nine ranked alternates, or with a principal candidate and nine unranked alternates. When the Member specifies a principal candidate, that individual will be appointed to a DOD academy as long as he or she meets all other admission criteria. If the principal candidate is disqualified, the service academies will appoint the first fully qualified, ranked alternate, if specified by the Member. In circumstances where Members do not specify a principal candidate or ranked alternates, one individual from among the Member's nominees who is found to be fully qualified will be appointed by the academies to serve as a cadet or midshipman.

Congressional nominees who are not initially offered appointments and are designated by the academies as qualified alternates may receive an appointment via a noncongressional appointment authority. Nominees who are not initially offered academy appointments may also be offered admission to an academy preparatory program. Noncongressional appointees from a Member's state or district are not counted as part of the Member of Congress's statutory allotment of appointees, nor are students appointed to an academy prep school. Nominations are only valid for the admissions cycle in which they were submitted: if an applicant reapplies during a subsequent year, a new nomination is required.

Noncongressional DOD Service Academy Nominations and Appointments

Although congressional offices provide most of the nominations to the DOD service academies each year, other nomination authorities exist. All qualified nominees not selected for appointment through the congressional nomination process are considered qualified alternates for the purposes of selection by the Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force and the academy superintendents to their respective academies. Applicants requesting congressional nominations are also eligible for nominations from the Vice President. Vice presidential nominations are made for the nation at large, and applicants may apply for those through the White House website, with supporting materials submitted through each DOD service academy. The governor of Puerto Rico may also nominate a candidate to each academy who is a native of Puerto Rico.

Other nomination and appointment sources are only available to those with a military service-connection. The President makes nominations for children of career military personnel and can appoint an unlimited number for children of Medal of Honor recipients. Children of armed forces personnel who were killed in action, who are missing in action, or who had or have a 100% service-connected disability contracted in active service may also seek merit-based appointments, as determined by competitive examinations. The service secretaries can nominate individuals who serve as enlisted members of the regular and reserve components of their respective military branches, as well as participants in the reserve officer training corps of the service they oversee. The superintendents of the academies are also granted the authority to make a limited number of nominations for appointments each year, as well as the ability to nominate additional qualified candidates for the purposes of filling the class. The distribution of nominations by noncongressional authorities is listed in Table 1 .

At the conclusion of the nomination and academy admissions processes, in his capacity as commander in chief of the military, the President is the appointing authority for all DOD service academy admissions.

United States Merchant Marine Academy

Members of Congress nominate individuals for appointment to USMMA. The number of seats in an entering class at this service academy is allocated by regulation issued by the Secretary of Transportation, who is also the appointment authority for the academy. Each state's allocated number of seats is determined proportionally to its representation in Congress. Under the regulation, each Senator, Representative, Delegate, and the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico may nominate 10 candidates per vacancy to compete for admission to the academy. Members of the House of Representatives may nominate candidates from anywhere within their state, even if the candidate resides outside of the Representative's district. The regulation allocates four vacancies to nominees from the District of Columbia and one vacancy each to nominees from Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa. The allocation of positions by state and territory is listed in Table 2 . The regulation states that nominating officials may select individuals for nomination by any method they wish, including a screening examination.

United States Coast Guard Academy

Procedures for appointments to USCGA are established by regulations issued by the Secretary of Homeland Security. Additional qualifications may be set by the superintendent of USCGA, who is responsible for appointments to the academy. No congressional nomination is required for admission to this service academy.

Applicant Qualifications

To qualify for an appointment to any service academy, an applicant must meet the following criteria:

be a U.S. citizen or national; be at least 17 years of age and not yet 23 years old on July 1 of the year the applicant would enter an academy (25 years old for USMMA); be unmarried; be not pregnant, and without legal obligation to support children or other dependents; demonstrate comprehensive academic preparation; demonstrate leadership in athletics and other extracurricular activities; take the SAT, or the ACT Assessment (ACT); be in good physical and mental health; pass a comprehensive medical examination; and pass a physical aptitude examination.

Beyond what is written in federal law and regulation, each academy can further specify academic, physical, and leadership requirements for admission. These requirements vary by academy and are revised regularly. In preparation for making appointments, a congressional office might review each academy's most recent class profile for specific information on test scores, class rankings, and activities of recently admitted students. Some of this information is available on the academies' websites.

In addition to requesting a nomination from a Member of Congress or another nominating official, an individual seeking appointment to a service academy must separately apply to the service academies to which he or she seeks to be appointed. Each academy requires the submission of a preliminary application to initiate the admissions process. Preliminary application materials are available from the academies' websites listed in Table 3 . Acceptance of a service academy appointment requires at least a nine-year service obligation, including four years at an academy and five years of active duty service.

Appendix A. Sample Initial Contact Letter

Appendix B. Sample Information Sheet

Appendix C. Sample Application Information

Appendix D. Sample Nomination Application

Appendix E. Sample Post-Nomination Letter