United States Service academies The United States service academies , also known as the United States military academies , are federal academies for the undergraduate education and training of commissioned officer s for the United States Armed Forces . There are five U . S . Service academies : Nature . Service academies can be used to refer to all of the academies collectively . However in popular usage , this term is more often used for the academies of the four branches of the military : those of the Army , Navy , and Air Force ( under the Department of Defense ) ; and that of the Coast Guard ( under the Department of Homeland Security ) . These are the only four academies whose students are on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States from the day they enter the Academy , with the rank of officer cadet or midshipman , and subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice . In the case of the Merchant Marine Academy , midshipmen may elect to receive an active duty or reserves commission in any branch of the uniformed services , including NOAA and the U . S . Public Health Service , most are commissioned into the Navy Reserve , Strategic Sealift Officer Program . In the context of college football , the term " service academies " most often refers specifically to the grouping of Army , Navy , and Air Force , the three academies whose football teams compete in the top - level NCAA Division I FBS . The three schools compete annually for the Commander - in - Chief ' s Trophy . Coast Guard and Merchant Marine compete at the NCAA Division III level and play each other annually for the Secretaries Cup ( formerly Secretary ' s Cup when both academies were under the Department of Transportation ) . The United States Coast Guard , and therefore the Coast Guard Academy , is a United States military service under the Department of Homeland Security but in time of war it can be placed under the Department of the Navy . Congressional nominations . Applicants to all service academies , except the United States Coast Guard Academy , are required to obtain a nomination to the schools . Nominations may be made by Congressional Representatives , Senators , the Vice President and the President . Applicants to the Coast Guard Academy compete in a direct nationwide competitive process that has no by - state quotas . Admissions . The admissions process to the US service academies is an extensive and very competitive process . The US Military Academy at West Point , the US Naval Academy at Annapolis , and the US Air Force Academy at Colorado Spring all require an applicant to submit an on - line file and proceed through pre - candidate qualification before an application is provided . All these schools have an extremely competitive application process and are ranked annually by U . S . News & World Report and Forbes . com as one of the most selective colleges and universities in America . The average acceptance rate is between 8 - 15 % for each of the schools . Nomenclature . Students at the United States Military Academy , the United States Air Force Academy , and the United States Coast Guard Academy are cadets . Students at the United States Naval Academy and the United States Merchant Marine Academy are midshipmen . All cadets and midshipmen receive taxable pay at a rate of 35 % of O1 under 2 years of service ( which can be used to pay for textbooks and uniforms ) , free room and board , and pay no tuition or fees , with the exception of USMMA who receive pay only during their required 300 + days at sea during their 4 year studies . Duty commitments . Upon graduation , the former students become second lieutenant s or ensign s and must serve a minimum term of duty , usually five years plus another three years in the Reserves . If the student ' s chosen occupation requires particularly extensive training ( such as naval aviator ) , the tour of duty may be longer . With respect to the Merchant Marine Academy , midshipmen repay their service obligations through a variety of methods depending on their selected career path . On average , about one third of the graduating class each year will actively sail on their Coast Guard License as either Unlimited Third Mate s or Third Assistant Engineer s in the United States Merchant Marine , about one third will go to work in the civilian Maritime Industry ashore , and the remaining one third will enter active duty military service . A midshipman who enters active duty military service will typically assume a similar service obligation to those cadets and midshipmen entering the military services from their respective service academies ( i . e . a Merchant Marine midshipman entering the U . S . Marine Corps would assume a similar obligation to a midshipman from the Naval Academy entering the Marine Corps ) . Merchant Marine midshipmen not entering active duty typically assume an eight year obligation to the Naval Reserve Strategic Sealift Officer Program , unless they have elected to enter another reserve branch of the armed forces . In addition , midshipmen who do not service on active duty are restricted from working outside the Maritime Industry or Merchant Marine for a period of five years following graduation and must seek annual MARAD approval for their employment . Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and other DOD Graduate Institutions . The United States federal government also runs the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences , a post - graduate institution for the training of doctors , nurses , and other medical professionals for the military and uniformed services . Additionally each of the services also operate a number of other graduate schools , granting Master ' s and in some cases Doctoral degrees . These schools include the National Defense University , the U . S . Army War College , the U . S . Army Command and General Staff College , the U . S . Naval War College , the Naval Postgraduate School , Air University and Marine Corps University . Every commissioned officer in the United States armed forces is expected to have a post - graduate degree and Joint Professional Military Education prior to promotion to lieutenant colonel or commander . One more institution that does not fit neatly is the National Defense Intelligence College which is run by the Defense Intelligence Agency ( DIA ) for the benefit of the United States Intelligence Community . It grants both Bachelor ' s and Master ' s degrees . The DoD also runs three schools for the training of lawyers within the military services ( i . e . , judge advocates ) . The Judge Advocate General ' s Legal Center and School serves the Army ; the Naval Justice School collectively serves the Navy , Marine Corps , and Coast Guard ; and the Air Force Judge Advocate General School serves the Air Force . Of these , only the Army school actually awards a degree . It operates a special graduate course of study for lawyers in all of the services , known as the Judge Advocate Officer Graduate Course . This program is accredited by the American Bar Association to grant the Master of Laws to its graduates . Preparatory schools . These schools provide for strengthening of academic potential of candidates to each of the above - described United States service academies . Admission is restricted to those students who have applied to an academy , failed initially to qualify , either academically or physically , but who have demonstrated an ability to qualify during the initial admission selection process :