Application Guidance for the Class of 2028

Explanation of Privacy Act Statement

The information required to complete the application is requested for the purpose of evaluating your qualifications for admission to the Naval Academy. Information you provide will be used to determine your eligibility and competitive standing for an appointment to the academy. Authority for requesting such information is contained in Title 10 USC, Ch 603 Sec 6958. Disclosure of the information is voluntary; however, failure to provide requested information will result in an incomplete evaluation of your qualifications, may prevent proper referral of necessary information to pertinent congressional nominating sources, and may preclude further consideration of your application. 

Submission of online forms constitutes your requisite written authorization by the party about whom the record is maintained for release to the following individuals/entities: appropriate Members of Congress (sources of nomination), other officer accession programs and parent or guardian of record. Release to any other individual or entity is only as permissible by law. 

The USNA Admissions Board is committed to a process which has proven to be a fair assessment of the “whole student”, where academic rigor, life experiences, unique circumstances, volunteer work, leadership ability and character attributes continue to be evaluated.

As such, the following application documents are required:

• Personal Data (Application) and 2 Essay Questions - submit information in application
• Candidate Academic Information - submit school official/counselor’s name and email address from your current high school or high school you graduated from, if applying post high school. Your school official will upload the form, your school profile, and your official transcript.

For Homeschool candidates, we will need the course descriptions for 9th-12th grade courses uploaded with the homeschool transcript. If the parent assigns the grades, they should be listed as the recommender for both the Candidate Academic Information and Candidate Activities Record. 

Transcripts

it is your responsibility as a candidate to ensure the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) receives your school transcript. USNA only accepts official transcripts sent in from a school official/counselor. As mentioned above, when you submit your school official’s/counselor’s name and email for the Candidate Academic Information portion of the application, your school official/counselor will then be sent instructions on how to submit your transcript to USNA. Your school can submit your transcripts electronically, uploaded by your school official, or by mail, as directed in the instructions provided. A complete transcript includes grades 9 through 11 for high school students. Post high school applicants will have a complete high school transcript for grades 9-12 plus any additional college transcripts up to and including the fall semester of the year applying. 

Recommendations

Candidate Activities Record (Extracurricular Activities Official) 

Enter all activities you participated in during the 10th through 12th grades of high school. If you have not yet entered 12th grade, please include activities in which you expect to participate during your senior year. For post-high school applicants, you may use the drop downs or other option to indicate any extra-curricular activities that you have been involved in since graduating from high school. You will also enter the school official who will validate your ECAs. This may be your Guidance Counselor, Registrar or Principal/Vice Principal from your current high school. (J)ROTC Instructors or coaches are not able to validate.

English Recommendation 

Submit school official’s name and email address for current or previous year’s English teacher. If an applicant is a high school student, the school official should be a junior or senior year English teacher. If an applicant is a college student, the school official should be a current college English professor or prior year English teacher. Most often the prior year, English Teacher for college students is the senior year high school English teacher. Teachers from online programs are allowed, if an in-person teacher is not available. If an online teacher is used, please ensure they can evaluate your performance in your learning environment. If you do not have an English teacher available from the appropriate grade levels , please contact your Admissions Counselor for a waiver to use a different recommender. 

Math Recommendation

Submit school official’s name and email address for current or previous year’s math teacher. If an applicant is a high school student, the school official should be a junior or senior year math teacher. If an applicant is a college student, the school official should be a current college math professor or the prior year high school math teacher. Most often the prior year Math Teacher is the Math teacher from the senior year of high school. Teachers from online programs are allowed, if an in-person teacher is not available. If an online teacher is used, please ensure they can evaluate your performance in your learning environment. If you do not have a math teacher available from the appropriate grade levels, please contact your Admissions Counselor for a waiver to use a different recommender. 

Candidate Fitness Assessment (Physical Education Instructor/Coach)

Submit name and email address of person who will administer this assessment. The CFA administrator may be a physical education teacher, a team coach, a current JROTC instructor, an active duty commissioned officer, or a Blue and Gold officer (BGO). Family members are not allowed to administer a candidate's CFA.

The test consists of a one-mile run, a 'shuttle' run, a kneeling basketball throw, abdominal crunches, push-ups, and pull-ups or a flexed-arm hang for women (when pull-ups cannot be accomplished). Administrators will receive instructions via email.

You may take the CFA as many times as you would like to improve your score, however, you will need to contact your Admissions Counselor to resend a new link for the CFA Administrator to enter a new score.

Standardized Examination Tests

For students applying for admission to the Naval Academy Class of 2028, the Office of Admissions will continue our “test flexible” policy. We encourage students to take college entrance examinations (ACT or SAT) and have their official scores sent to the Naval Academy. College Entrance Examinations are used by our Admissions Board as an assessment tool and assist the Admissions Board in determining your overall academic qualifications for admission in addition to your transcript, course progression, curriculum and recommendations by school officials. The Naval Academy Admissions Board uses the highest critical reading score for SAT or the English score for ACT, and the highest math scores from all the SAT or ACT tests taken by the candidate. We need to receive the full score report directly from the testing service (not the superscore from the College Board). 

It is your responsibility to ensure that your scores are sent to the Naval Academy. Please ensure that the name, address, email address, date of birth, and school used for your ACT/SAT registration matches the information on your USNA application. The Naval Academy code for the SAT is 5809 and the ACT is 1742. Full SAT/ACT scores recorded on an official transcript are also accepted (for SAT scores, there must be the 2 digit reading subscore on your transcript). SAT and ACT tests must be completed prior to 1 Feb 2024.

In the event a student is unable to take the tests, the Admissions Board will review the student’s application without penalty. If you are seeking consideration for admission without college entrance examinations, we will ask you to provide supporting information concerning test availability, cancellation, etc. and will make this statement a part of your application for the Admissions Board to review.

Detailed information and registration forms for tests may be obtained from the following websites: SAT - www.collegeboard.com; or ACT - www.actstudent.org. The two tests are designed differently and we have observed that many candidates perform significantly better on one than the other. The ACT, in particular, includes some trigonometry as part of the test, and that should be considered prior to taking the test. So, Additionally, students often see a considerable test score improvement on a second or third attempt at both tests. 

Non-standard, untimed test scores, or testing with accommodations are not accepted.

Gap Year

If you are taking a gap year after high school, you should make a statement on your application as to your current plans and activities, specifically what you are doing during the year.

Previous Candidates

Candidates for this year’s class who have applied for previous classes should ensure that complete and up-to-date information is available to the Naval Academy Admissions Board. Previous applicants must submit a high school transcript that includes freshman through senior year. If attending college, a college transcript that includes the fall semester of the current academic year will also be required. Additionally, college applicants shall designate new teachers for the Math and English School Official’s Evaluation. The school officials completing the Candidate Academic Information and validating the Extracurricular Activities form must be from a school official in the high school from which they graduated. All previous candidates must reapply to all of their nomination sources, since nominations do not carry over from year to year. 

College applicants should enroll as full-time students, pursuing a technically-oriented curriculum that a midshipman would take during the first two years at USNA. Regardless of eventual major, these courses include Calculus I/II/III, chemistry I/II, physics I/II, English I/II, western civilization and government. Students validating classes should take the next sequential course listed previously as well as other technical courses taught at USNA, if available. It is also highly recommended that you retake the SAT or ACT.

Please ensure completion of your application in its entirety, including all ECAs and emails of school officials, before submitting.

Blue and Gold Officer Interview

Blue and Gold Officers (BGOs) are volunteers composed of Naval Academy graduates, parents of midshipmen or graduates, and civilians. Located in every state, they are qualified to guide and support you towards your final decision and through your midshipmen experience. All candidates should contact their Blue and Gold Officer immediately upon receipt of their official candidate email. The contact information for your BGO is located on the Candidate Information Portal on the Points of Contact tab. Your BGO will conduct an interview with you as part of your application.

Qualifying Medical Examination

Once you become an official candidate to the Naval Academy, the Office of Admissions will determine when your name will be sent to the Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board (DoDMERB). You will be notified by Concord (DoDMERB contractor) concerning the scheduling of your medical examination. For medical questions, please contact the Admissions Medical Technician at 410-293-1817 or admissionsmedical@usna.edu. Your medical exam will suffice for all service academies or ROTC programs you may be considering.

DoDMERB will notify you in writing of the results of your medical examination, advising whether you are qualified, incomplete, or disqualified. If you are found disqualified medically by DODMERB, then a waiver may be considered for admission or one of USNA’s preparatory programs. DODMERB does not provide medical waivers. Keep in mind, however, USNA will process medical waivers once a determination is made that a candidate is being considered for an offer of appointment for direct entry or a preparatory program. No action is needed on your part to initiate the waiver process, and USNA may contact you, if additional information is required as part of the waiver process.. If you are a previous year candidate who was deemed medically qualified, your qualifying medical examination is valid for two years. In this case, you may be required to submit a Present Health Questionnaire.

A final point: A preliminary medical screening examination by a private physician taken by you on your initiative does not qualify you for entry, and fees for such examinations must be paid by you. You must still take the official service academy medical examination as scheduled by Concord at no cost to you at an authorized medical examining facility. 

Apply for Nomination

To be eligible for an appointment, candidates must obtain a nomination from an official source, which normally includes U.S. Representatives or U.S. Senators representing your Congressional district or State, respectively, and the Vice President of the United States. There are also service-connected nominations based on the candidate’s or parent’s service. Please review these categories at: https://www.usna.edu/Admissions/Apply/index.php

We encourage you to apply to all available sources. Applying for a nomination is similar to applying for a school. Each Congressional Office has their own application and deadlines. Being personally acquainted with the nominator is not required. It is recommended that you begin applying for nominations immediately after you complete your preliminary application. Many nomination notifications do not go out until early to mid-January and the deadline for the USNA application is January 31. Your nominator will notify us of your nomination and it will update on your application portal. You do not need to notify the Academy. 

Candidates do not need a nomination to attend any of our preparatory school programs.

Notification of Appointment

To receive an offer of appointment, you must first be found qualified by the Admissions Board, be medically qualified, meet the qualifying standards for the Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA), and receive a nomination from an official source. Candidates compete for offers of appointment to fill vacancies for which they are nominated. Appointments are formally made by the Superintendent of the Naval Academy in the name of the President of the United States.

Candidates with outstanding qualifications may be offered Letters of Assurance (LOAs) beginning in September. An LOA is a statement that a candidate is highly qualified by the Admissions Board and will be given a Fully Offer of Appointment upon satisfactory completion of all remaining requirements (including nomination, Candidate Fitness Assessment, Blue and Gold Officer interview, and medical). If you receive an appointment, you will be asked to provide proof of U.S. citizenship.