-Note that you will only be promoted to candidate status if you meet the basic guidelines to be eligible for one of the Academy's programs--Prep, Falcon, or Direct entry. If you don't meet guidelines you should have already received a letter letting you know something needs improvement. In most cases you need to retest (ACT or SAT) and then submit your new scores.
If you need to improve and will not be promoted to candidate status at this time, your letter will have the following verbiage:
"We have received your online application and are pleased by your desire to pursue a career as an Air Force Officer. As you probably know, the competition to receive an Air Force Academy appointment is keen and right now your overall academic record is not competitive. Please refer to your Instructions to Precandidate booklet or our catalog for an explanation of admissions factors and average scores. Don't be discouraged by this initial review of your record. We encourage you to provide us with updated SAT and/or ACT scores along with a high school (and college, if applicable) transcript and profile. You should pursue your nomination regardless of your present status. Nomination deadlines vary. Some congressional deadlines are as early as the 1st of October.
Due to the volume of applications we receive, we will only contact you when you become competitive in all the areas we use to evaluate applications. Should you have additional admissions questions, please consult our catalog which is available on the internet at
http://www.academyadmissions.com or call your counselor, Zzz Zzzzz, Telephone: 1-800-443-9266. You can check your status online at:
https://admissions.usafa.edu/gateway/gateway.aspx."
If you are going to be promoted to candidate status, then your letter has the following verbiage:
"Congratulations! Your application to the Air Force Academy indicates you have the potential for admission. We'll be sending you additional instructions in July. In the meantime, here are some things to do to make yourself as competitive as possible....."
Be patient if you received this letter, you will be promoted.