Check with your AFA Guidance Councelor. Apparently they can tell you directly if you are a qualified candidate (that final pool of about 2500 cadets from which they choose the approx 1345 appointments this year). My councelor told me that the fun starts up next week in earnest.
Correction: They don't choose the 1345+/- from the pool of 2500+/-. Before they choose from the national pool, they will have already chosen approximately 700 appointments. These will be approximately 553 from MOC slates, 100 presidentials, prior enlisted, ROTC, etc... So; from the national pool, they will be choosing approximately 600.
Basically; whether there are 2500+/- that are considered qualified WITH nominations, or even if the number is higher (Which I believe it is), there are 3 stages or sections of appointments. 1)Military Oriented qualified nominees; e.g. presidentials, rotc, prior enlisted, etc... 2)MOC oriented qualified nominees; e.g. the majority of most applicants. Basically, 1 from each MOC slate. 3)The national pool. Where all those not offered an appointment in the first 2 sections I listed go to, to compete for the remainder of appointments that the academy chooses to fill the class.
The first 2 categories/stages/sections I listed, WILL get all of their slots. Those are mandated. But they only make up about 700 appointments. The rest; "To Fill the Class"; come from the national pool. And "Fill the Class" is the variable that is unknown. Whether the academy chooses to have a class of 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, ????? Best of luck to everyone. Mike...