From the Offices of Congressman Sarbanes
Thank you for your interest in applying to one of the nation’s military academies.
Congressman Sarbanes is honored to nominate candidates who are residents of his district for admission to the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, the U.S. Military Academy and the U.S. Naval Academy.
The number of nominations that a Senator or Representative can make in a particular year depends on how many vacancies exist at the particular academy, and also depends on the yearly quota allocated to each Senator’s or Representative’s office. The process of receiving a Congressional nomination is very competitive, and the objective is to identify young citizens who are most qualified for an Academy education and subsequent military career. Please note that each Academy makes final admissions decisions from the pool of nominees.
Nominees must meet the following basic requirements:
Be at least 17 years of age and less than 23 years of age at time of Academy entry;
Be a citizen of the United States;
Be a legal resident of Maryland’s Third Congressional District;
Not be married or pregnant and under no legal obligation to support a child or dependent;
Have competitive scores on the Writing, Verbal and Mathematics portions of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT);
Have high academic standing in secondary school class (at least in the upper 40%);
Be in first-rate medical condition and have the proper physical aptitude;
Participate and succeed in organized athletics, student government, clubs or other extracurricular activities;
Many other factors – including academic ability, moral character, leadership potential and physical fitness – factor into the nomination process.
The Application Process
The application for students seeking a nomination for the class of 2023 is available here.
Completed application packets are due to Congressman Sarbanes’ office by 5 p.m. on Friday, October 19, 2018. Incomplete and late applications will not be considered.
Applicants who supply completed packets will be scheduled for an in-person panel interview in December, and will receive a letter with the date and time of their interview. Standardized test scores must be sent to Congressman Sarbanes' office directly by the testing agency and are the only component of the application which will be accepted after October 20.
SAT scores should be forwarded to Congressman Sarbanes 'office using college code 5637. ACT scores should be forwarded to Congressman Sarbanes' office using college code 7445.
If you are interested in the U.S. Coast Guard, you can apply directly to the Academy. Nominations are not required.
Please contact my office at (410) 832-8890 if you have any questions regarding this process.
For more information about each U.S. Military Academy, see below.