Question...

[futuremidshipman]

Has anyone ever gotten a direct appointment or into NAPS without meeting the mimium required SAT scores.. just curious?

 

[5Day]

I have never seen published minimum SAT requirements for USNA. There are eligibility requirements like US citizen, unmarried, no dependents, etc. Advancing from preliminary application to official candidate means you meet some sort of minimum to be considered. USNA states:
"If you are found scholastically qualified but do not receive a Letter of Assurance, you will be competing for an Offer of Appointment from within your nominating sources. Approximately 2,000 candidates are found fully qualified (scholastic, medical, CFA, and have obtained a nomination) each year. Of that number, about 1,500 will receive appointments and approximately 1,200 become midshipmen."

Again, I have never seen a published definition of "scholastically qualified" for USNA. (please correct me if I am wrong, I would like to see that source).

Academic "minimums" for NAPS would be even lower, if they even exist. The purpose of NAPS is to allow the candidate to mature and improve, prior to starting at USNA.

You can view the published class portrait, which shows the middle 50th percentile. But that means that there were students admitted with scores higher and scores lower. How low, who knows.

So, there is always a chance, however better academic achievement gives a better chance. I would much prefer being above average than below average.

 

[Spud]

5Day is right, there is no minimum. It has been unjustly accused by our West Point and Air Force counterparts that is also the reason for our great football team but I think that is just being their usual whiny selves. The Admissions Board looks at the whole picture using the ACT/SAT scores as a foggy crystal ball as to how good a candidate may do with academy academics. They also look at the whole person in all the other aspects of their application and if there is something they like and want AND the candidate has a very high chance of completing the academic course of the Academy with some college prep, they are sent to NAPS/Foundation schools. So the answer to your question is: of course. Sometimes they guess wrong and the candidate doesn't even make it through NAPs but they don't guess wrong often. NAPs has no minimum score as they respond to whatever the Admissions Board wants.

Before you think that you have a chance of appointment with low ACT/SAT scores though, you had better have something absolutely eye-wateringly good in the rest of your application, not just the usual sports and extracurricular activities as everybody has that.

 

[futuremidshipman]

Spud, so for an enlisted person what would be considered "eye watering good.

 

[futuremidshipman]

Bye 5day, thank you for tour response. Much appreciated

 

[Spud]

A very good write up from your CO going over military leadership, initiative, past performance that set a sailor way apart from his/her peers, examples of going above and beyond the call of duty, smart decisions regarding safety, desire to get ahead by studying off duty, formal citations, early advancement----stuff like that.

Where's 5Day going?

 

[Maplerock]

I would believe the answer to this would be yes. But... probably not for a nonathlete. IMHO