What's the difference between the offers of admission and the number of students admitted to the USNA? The number of offers of admission is around 1,500, and the amount actually admitted is around 1,200. Hypothetically speaking, what happens if all 1,500 students want to go to the academy if only 1,200 can attend?
That's a good question and one I've asked before.
I was under the impression that, at any one time, the Naval Academy never had more offers of admission than they had spots available.
For example, let's say they have 1,200 spots to fill. So, they'll send out 1,200 offers of appointment. As rejections come in, they send out more offers of admission. That's how I
thought it worked.
But I have been advised, by a Blue & Gold Officer, that it does
not work that way. Statistically speaking, the academy anticipates a nominal number of rejections.
Let's say, nominally, they get about 250 rejections.
So, to be on the safe side, they may send out 1,450 initial offers of admission to fill those 1,200 slots. If they get
more than the anticipated 250 rejections, that's when they'll start sending out more offers of admission to those on the Wait List. Some of those offers may go out very late.
Let's say there are 50
more rejections than anticipated - 300 in total. That would generate 50 more offers of admission, bringing the total number of offers up to 1,500.
This is why the process can be so torturous for those who
neither received an offer of admission
nor have received a rejection letter. Basically, they are standing by for those last minute rejections.
This method actually makes sense.
NOTE: Remember, a fair number of these "rejections" are candidates who have applied to more than one service academy. It's not as if all the rejections are going off to civilian universities.
And yet, invariably, there is somebody who gets an appointment, accepts the offer, and simply does not show up on I-Day or, for some reason, becomes ineligible at the last minute due to injury or some other issue (i.e. gets pregnant, gets arrested, etc.)
It's sort of the way airlines overbook for their flights. To ensure
all the seats get filled, they book
more than the aircraft actually holds because experience has taught them that a certain percentage of those with reservations do not show-up for one reason or another.
I'll let one of the Blue & Gold Officers correct this if I have misinterpreted it - but this is the way I've had it explained to me.