How to Get a Vice Presidential Service Academy Nomination

A Vice Presidential service academy nomination is one of five nationwide slots the Vice President holds at each of three academies, awarded through a competitive application you submit online between March 1 and January 31 of the year before you would enter. Because only one or two vacancies typically open each year at each academy and applicants come from across the entire country, several thousand candidates compete for each opening.¹

Which Academies the Vice President Can Nominate To

The Vice President’s nomination authority covers three Department of Defense academies: the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the U.S. Naval Academy, and the U.S. Air Force Academy.¹

The Vice President cannot nominate to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy or the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. The Coast Guard Academy does not use a nomination system at all; candidates apply directly and are admitted on merit alone.²

How Many Slots Are Available

Federal law authorizes five Vice Presidential nominees in attendance at each of the three academies at any one time. The relevant statutes are 10 U.S.C. § 7442 for the Military Academy, 10 U.S.C. § 8454 for the Naval Academy, and 10 U.S.C. § 9442 for the Air Force Academy.³⁴⁵

That is the cap in attendance, not new nominees per year. Since cadets attend for four years, vacancies open only as nominees graduate, leaving one or two openings at each academy in a typical year.¹

Congressional nominations are tied to a state or district. Vice Presidential nominations draw from the entire country. That nationwide pool is why the competition runs so deep.

Who Is Eligible

You must be at least 17 and not yet 23 by July 1 of the year you would enter the academy.⁶⁷⁸ You must also be a U.S. citizen, unmarried, and have no dependents. Every appointee takes an oath to support the Constitution and obey military law before admission is finalized.

Because Vice Presidential nominations are made at large, there is no residency requirement. You do not have to live in any particular state or congressional district.¹

How to Apply and When

The application window runs from March 1 through January 31 preceding the year you would enter the academy.¹ For the class entering in 2027, that means March 1, 2026 through January 31, 2027. Applications are submitted through the Vice President’s online portal. Paper applications are not accepted.⁹

The nomination application and the academy’s own admissions application are two separate things, and you need to complete both. Your transcripts, SAT or ACT scores, and letters of recommendation go directly to the academy, not to the Vice President’s office.¹ Materials sent to the Vice President’s office are not reviewed. This trips up more applicants than any other single step.

What Gets Evaluated

With thousands of applicants for each academy, the Vice President has authorized the academies themselves to screen every candidate.¹ The Vice President’s office does not review transcripts or test scores; the academy admissions boards do, then make recommendations back to the Vice President.⁹ They look at four areas:

Academic record, including grades, course rigor, and class rank
Standardized test scores from the ACT or SAT
Letters of recommendation covering character and academic potential
Physical and medical qualifications through the Candidate Fitness Assessment and DoDMERB medical examination

Extracurricular activities, leadership positions, community service, and athletic achievement all factor in, similar to a civilian college application, but with heavier weight on physical readiness and demonstrated leadership.¹⁰

Medical and Fitness Requirements

Every nominee has to pass a medical examination administered by the Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board (DoDMERB), which evaluates candidates against the standards in DoD Instruction 6130.03.¹¹ After you apply, DoDMERB sends instructions for a medical history questionnaire and schedules physical and eye examinations with civilian contractors. A case manager then issues a status of qualified, disqualified, or remedial. A remedial status means DoDMERB needs additional records or further tests before deciding.

Every candidate also completes the Candidate Fitness Assessment, a timed test with six events:¹²

Basketball throw
Pull-ups (or flexed-arm hang)
40-yard shuttle run
Modified sit-ups
Push-ups
One-mile run

You generally get one attempt, so start training long before the application window opens. Poor CFA scores can sink an otherwise strong application.

When You’ll Hear Back

Selected nominees are typically notified in February or March of the year the incoming class convenes.¹ For a class entering in the summer of 2027, expect a decision in February or March 2027.

A nomination is not an appointment. It puts you into the final admissions pool, where the academy’s admissions board still makes a separate decision about offering you a spot. That decision weighs your full record against all other nominated candidates from every source, including congressional and presidential nominations and service-connected categories. Some nominees are never appointed.

Apply Through Other Nomination Sources Too

Applying for a Vice Presidential nomination does not block you from other nomination paths, and strong candidates pursue every one available. You can simultaneously request nominations from your U.S. Representative, both U.S. Senators from your state, and the Vice President. If a parent was killed in action, died of a service-connected cause, has a 100 percent service-connected disability rating, is classified as a prisoner of war or missing in action, or received the Medal of Honor, you may qualify for a dedicated service-connected nomination as well.¹³¹⁴

Congressional nominations typically have smaller applicant pools because they are limited to a single district or state. Given that the Vice Presidential category draws thousands of national applicants for one or two openings, treating it as your only path would be a mistake. Most successful academy appointees applied through more than one nomination source.

1
The White House. Service Academy Nomination Process
2
United States Coast Guard Academy. Admission Requirements
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 7442 – Cadets: Appointment; Numbers, Territorial Distribution
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 8454 – Midshipmen: Appointment; Numbers, Territorial Distribution
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 9442 – Cadets: Appointment; Numbers, Territorial Distribution
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 7446 – Cadets: Requirements for Admission
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 8458 – Midshipmen: Qualifications for Admission
8
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 9446 – Cadets: Requirements for Admission
9
United States Air Force Academy. Seek Your Nomination
10
United States Naval Academy. Candidate Instructions
11
Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board. DoDMERB
12
U.S. Military Academy West Point. Candidate Fitness Assessment
13
United States Naval Academy. Children of POW, MIA, Deceased/Disabled Vets
14
United States Naval Academy. Children of Medal of Honor Recipients