BIG CHANGES to 2025 Service Academy Nominations

[@TheBowdoc1]

So this means MD, NY, NJ, CA, Wash DC and other super competitive districts get more admissions. This is good because we want the most qualified cadets and midshipmen at these academies!!

[@ServiceAcademyROTCInsiders]

Exactly, more nominations from competitive districts!

[@richarddavis2744]

Thank you Sir for these. We're in the up and down emotional roller coaster of all this now. Son has a couple more weeks in the 11th grade. STELLAR resume (Private Pilot/Learning Russian/Good GPA/Boys State/Foreign exchange student last year/JROTC Raider Challenge team captain/command position in military prep school/and on and on...), BUT sub 1000 SAT. We'd pretty much decided to not bother even working on a package. Your videos provide a small glimmer of hope. Guess we'll keep driving until we're told to sit down and go away. Keep doing these for the parents and students still in the fight!

[@ServiceAcademyROTCInsiders]

Your son still has time to keep improving his SATs! Don't give up. Even if you are turned down the first year, applying the first year paves the road to the reapplication. Watch our video on USNA reapplicants

[@rtclark4068]

Hi Sir, I'm in a similar situation as your son. I am currently a candidate for class of 2029. I am a Private Pilot, Eagle Scout, Advanced Scuba Diver, and have amazing grades... but my ACT scores (similar to SAT) suck. I originally got a 20 on the ACT 3 times in a row which is like sub 1000 on the SAT. But I kept taking the test over and over and currently have a 27 on the ACT (equivalent to 1280 SAT). I've taken the ACT 6 times and going for a 7th! Just keep taking it! Keep Charging!! What works best for me was taking practice tests and then debriefing my incorrect answers. So my recommendation would be to get a big ACT book with a bunch of practice tests in it and just start getting reps in. Watch some online SAT/ACT tip videos as well.

[@rickdunn3883]

I'm a BGO. Good advice here. Start building your qualifications in the 9th or 10th grade. Candidates, It's that competitive.

[@ServiceAcademyROTCInsiders]

Thanks sir!

[@drewheistand]

As a parent and learning this process. I think it’s ridiculous that it weighs so heavily on the congressional districts. Has to be favoritism.

[@angellelopez3376]

If an applicant is denied at USAFA but still has an application with USNA what happens to her nomination if she receives one for the USAFA that she was rejected from?

[@dstreuber]

Thanks... a great update.

[@Marty127-dt1]

Any idea where the cut off line would normally be as far as top 200 not to get a nomination based on your whole candidate score calculator?

[@rotcconsulting]

Hi Martin. Usually around the 75 percentile or so.

[@AKSavala]

Hello Sir, I have a question that even the academy has been vague in answering. My son is a cadet candidate at the prep school at West Point this year. They said it is a full reapplication year for him. He needs another congressional nomination or I also understand the commendant has a large number of nominations for the prep schoolers. I have no doubt that he will pass this year and qualify out of prep school. What is the actual process for getting nominations and moving from USMAPS to USMA? Thank you.

[@ServiceAcademyROTCInsiders]

You'll definitely want to re-apply for the Congressional nomination, as you should apply for any nomination you are eligible for. Most likely your son will occupy one of the 85 nomination slots for the prep school, which is technically from the Army Reserves. His biggest concern is not where the nomination will come from, but making sure his performance this year is excellent (think Scholar, Athlete, Leader), the rest will take care of itself.

[@karinamorales5018]

What if your child is attending the Summer Seminar at the Naval Academy....does that kind of give you a step ahead of other applicants?

[@ServiceAcademyROTCInsiders]

No, attending Summer Seminar does not give any type of advantage. Applying to Summer Seminar is something admissions looks at in terms of motivation.

[@Thor093070]

Hi is the change to the number of congressional nominations been confirmed? I cant seem to see any changes to the information being communicated by the academies or the congressional websites. Thank you

[@ServiceAcademyROTCInsiders]

Refer to Title 10 Law: uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title10/subtitleB/part3/chapter753&edition=prelim#7442_1_target

[@Thor093070]

@@ServiceAcademyROTCInsiders thank you

[@__ASAAA]

i dont know how to take this to be honest, on one hand it may affect me negatively but on the other i am in Nebraska district three which is generally considered "less competitive" than others. i also have two more years to work on everything before i submit so i dont know if this is actually that terrible.

[@ServiceAcademyROTCInsiders]

The Congressional changes are not negative. More candidates have the opportunity to earn a nomination.

[@willphillips1337]

So the Admissions office is working in the background to manipulate appointment offers. Got it.

[@ServiceAcademyROTCInsiders]

Whether or not the academies desire the change from 10 to 15 nominees and 200 qualified alternates instead of 150 is unknown. From our experience, the academies would prefer to have 150 QAs and 50 additional appointments they can pull to meet class composition goals. 200 QAs is more restrictive on admissions, assuming they are ranking candidates objectively using the whole candidate score.

[@l4c390]

@@ServiceAcademyROTCInsiders I liked your story about the nominations. I too was from the stone age, my Congressman's policy was that every minimally qualified person got one, before anyone got two. Contrary view on increasing the nomination beyond 15 to 20. Do the academies want to increase the number of files that they need to sort through by an additional third? That takes people and time. My other contrary thought would be to offer the next 200 who don't make the class cut a three or four year ROTC scholarship.