Students who are interested in applying to military service academies should familiarize themselves with the deadlines, application requirements, and expectations unique to those institutions. Students interested in military service should also consider ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) which has many scholarships available to help students pay for college and allows students to commission as officers after graduation.
The following information about service academies is copied from an informational form shared with college counselors in Colorado.
Service Academies:
U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis, MD)
U.S. Military (Army) Academy (West Point, NY)
U.S. Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs, CO)
United States Merchant Marine (Kings Point, New York)
Coast Guard Academy (New London, CT)
To be eligible to attend an academy a student must:
•Be 17 but not yet 23 years of age by July 1 of year admitted
•Be a U.S. citizen at time of enrollment
•Be single with no dependents
•Have an above average high school record, both in terms of GPA & the type of classes taken (college prep & 4 years of English, math and science)
•Have strong scores on the SAT or ACT (actual scores requirements vary with the different academies
•Meet high leadership, physical, and medical standards
•Be of high moral character
Service Academy Application Timeline for Students:
Spring of Junior Year:
•Review application requirements for any service academy you are interested in
•Complete pre-candidate questionnaire
•Take the ACT, SAT, or CLT*
•Apply for congressional nomination (required for all service academies except Coast Guard)
•Ask teachers for letters of recommendation
Summer before Senior Year:
•Schedule medical examination
Fall of Senior Year:
•Complete application as soon as possible – this is an involved process which requires you to communicate promptly with school leadership and the college counselor at MacLaren about what you need the school to submit on your behalf.
•Schedule candidate fitness test
ROTC Scholarship Applications
Applications for ROTC scholarships typically open in the summer between a student’s Junior and Senior year. Please check the ROTC websites for up-to-date information.