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. 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 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. 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.