Yes, you can independently apply and "self-prep". I would say that completing this program successfully will increase your odds of getting an appointment; however, there are no guarantees. Each school may have its own stats of percentages of self-prep cadets who apply to SA's each year and are accepted. I advise you to research and talk to each of them if you are serious about this path.
The ones associated with the Falcon Foundation program can be found here:
Here is some info from Georgia Military College:
Non-sponsored Service Academy Prep Program
If a young man or woman is not given a nomination to a service academy or is given a nomination but does not receive an offer of admission nor is selected to attend the service academy preparatory school, there is still an opportunity for the individual to make themselves more competitive by seeking to “self-prepare” or as most refer to it as “self-prep” at a recognized preparatory school such as GMC.
Each academy has different criteria established for those wishing to self-prep and GMC cannot guarantee acceptance into a service academy, but the institution can provide an analysis of individuals who have gone through our self-prep program and were then offered admission by a service academy.
Individuals considering the GMC self-prep program ideally should have the following:
High School GPA of 3.0 or better with no less than a C letter grade in Algebra 2 or higher math courses
SAT minimum score of 1000, with a score of 560 or more in the math portion
ACT minimum composite score of 20, with a score of 21 or more in the math portion
Medically qualified to gain acceptance into a service academy.
Be capable of participating fully in the structured cadet physical fitness and activities program.
Presidential Scholarships available for Non-Sponsored Cadets
For more information about the U.S. Service Academy Prep Program, contact LTC Rob Ramirez at
rramirez@gmc.edu or 478-387-7266, COL Steve Pitt at
gpitt@gmc.edu or 478-387- 4899, or COL Nelson Kraft at
nkraft@gmc.edu.