USMMA slot allocation by State

shiner

USAFA Grad, Faculty 3yrs, ALO 7yrs
10-Year Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2010
Messages
1,185
In the c/o 2024 DIY Appointment thread, the concept of States having a fixed number of slots came up. I had never heard of this level of definition, and it peaked my interest. A court case is referenced by @beyond and links here: https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.dev/files/docs/Domine v. Kumar.pdf

Here is my summary of the case:
1) Plaintiff was a resident of Wisconsin and on the wait list as a qualified applicant
2) State of Wisconsin has 4 reserved slots per class
3) KP offered to higher ranking Wisconsin students prior to April 1, but 3 vacancies remained
4) After 1 April, USMMA transitioned to the National Wait List and proceeded making additional appointments based on overall order of merit on the National list
5) KP offered appointments to students and filled the allocation with students from outside of Wisconsin
6) The judge ruled that the school followed the defined procedures and was within their rights to move onto the national wait list to fill the class with most qualified applicants after 1 April of the admissions cycle.

Although this case does not lay out the State allocations, the references and case notes lead here: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/310.53#b

While not limited to this table, the States do appear to have a defined allocation that can/should be filled with qualified applicants prior to the 1 April milestone. After that date, USMMA can use the highest qualified alternates from the National Wait List to fill any vacancy in the class.

The annual distribution of each entering class by State is:
ANNUAL
Alabama4
Alaska1
Arizona3
Arkansas2
California19
Colorado4
Connecticut4
Delaware1
Florida10
Georgia5
Hawaii2
Idaho2
Illinois9
Indiana3
Iowa4
Kansas3
Kentucky2
Louisiana4
Maine2
Maryland4
Massachusetts5
Michigan7
Minnesota3
Mississippi3
Missouri3
Montana2
Nebraska2
Nevada2
New Hampshire2
New Jersey6
New Mexico2
New York15
North Carolina6
North Dakota1
Ohio8
Oklahoma2
Oregon3
Pennsylvania10
Rhode Island2
South Carolina4
South Dakota1
Tennessee4
Texas13
Utah2
Vermont1
Virginia5
Washington5
West Virginia2
Wisconsin4
Wyoming1
American Samoa1
District of Columbia4
Guam1
Northern Mariana Islands1
Puerto Rico1
Republic of Panama2
Virgin Islands1
NOT TO EXCEED ANY TIME
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands4
Western Hemisphere nations (other than U.S.)12
Foreign Nations30
 
@shiner Thank you for posting!

What is very interesting is the April 1st date, and in this case the other WI candidates did not declined their appointments until mid-April, and at that point the slots went towards the NWL.

I can't express how humbling it is to look at this table and see 13 by Texas, and that's one of the largest allocations! Waiting very anxiously for her MOC interview at the very late date of 12/13.
 
TTPI? (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands) I thought that it ceased to exist in the 90s. I only know this because my wife was born on Yap (but isn't Yapese, but that is another story. Played hell getting her US passport). . . . Unless there are slots reserved for former members of the TTPI (Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau. . . . . ). I do know that citizens of the new Republic of Micronesia are granted certain rights in the US (work, travel, etc.) that other nations do not enjoy. . . .
 
@shiner Thank you for posting!

What is very interesting is the April 1st date, and in this case the other WI candidates did not declined their appointments until mid-April, and at that point the slots went towards the NWL.

I can't express how humbling it is to look at this table and see 13 by Texas, and that's one of the largest allocations! Waiting very anxiously for her MOC interview at the very late date of 12/13.

There's 13 by Texas because Texas is a big state and probably one of the most competitive these days. Big maritime community, big pilots associations with connections, etc. Being from Texas is not a good thing by any stretch.
 
There's 13 by Texas because Texas is a big state and probably one of the most competitive these days. Big maritime community, big pilots associations with connections, etc. Being from Texas is not a good thing by any stretch.

Maybe not for available slots, but as a former Californian (and current Texas resident), I can say that I enjoy the relative low cost of living and availability of employment. . . .
 
How does this work in regards to each Senate & Congressman's nomination slate? For example: If UT only has two slots for USMMA but has more than two senate and congressman giving nominations, how are the two state slots chosen from all the nominations given (Could be up to 50+ state nominations). Also how is it determined which senate/congressman the appointment is it assigned to?
 
How does this work in regards to each Senate & Congressman's nomination slate? For example: If UT only has two slots for USMMA but has more than two senate and congressman giving nominations, how are the two state slots chosen from all the nominations given (Could be up to 50+ state nominations). Also how is it determined which senate/congressman the appointment is it assigned to?

It's called an admissions decision made by the academy's admissions department. Getting in from New York is definitely the hardest, probably followed by VA, FL, TX. Back when I was a plebe, some teacher asked, "How many of you are Naval Academy rejects?" Almost everybody's hand went up. So it's not impossible, but being from a non-maritime state helps your chances.
 
When I lived in VA, my neighbor's son was interested USNA and Naval Flight. I told him his best chance of becoming a Naval Aviator was to move to North Dakota and apply to KP.
 
When I lived in VA, my neighbor's son was interested USNA and Naval Flight. I told him his best chance of becoming a Naval Aviator was to move to North Dakota and apply to KP.

...or Vermont! I don't think there's a midshipman from VT at KP right now!
 
Way back in the day, on Zero Deck, under Delano and on the bulkhead near the old Canteen, there was a large US map under glass. Each cadet at school had a pin stuck in the map, showing where they were from. Overwhelmingly, there was a concentration of pins for Long Island in particular, and the East Coast in general. I remember that I was the lone pin in the Sierra Foothills of California. . . . I understand that this is no longer done.
 
Way back in the day, on Zero Deck, under Delano and on the bulkhead near the old Canteen, there was a large US map under glass. Each cadet at school had a pin stuck in the map, showing where they were from. Overwhelmingly, there was a concentration of pins for Long Island in particular, and the East Coast in general. I remember that I was the lone pin in the Sierra Foothills of California. . . . I understand that this is no longer done.

Zero deck got totally gutted and redone a couple of years ago. The two recent classes havent ever seen the class years on the deck or any of that.
 
How does USMMA slate work when it only admits 2 from a state? Does USMMA even use a slate? Just curious if some has knowledge of how this process works? USNA gives each MOC an appointment, but this is not possible when USMMA only admits 2 from DS State. His state has 5 total MOC giving nominations.
 
In the c/o 2024 DIY Appointment thread, the concept of States having a fixed number of slots came up. I had never heard of this level of definition, and it peaked my interest. A court case is referenced by @beyond and links here: https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.dev/files/docs/Domine v. Kumar.pdf

Here is my summary of the case:
1) Plaintiff was a resident of Wisconsin and on the wait list as a qualified applicant
2) State of Wisconsin has 4 reserved slots per class
3) KP offered to higher ranking Wisconsin students prior to April 1, but 3 vacancies remained
4) After 1 April, USMMA transitioned to the National Wait List and proceeded making additional appointments based on overall order of merit on the National list
5) KP offered appointments to students and filled the allocation with students from outside of Wisconsin
6) The judge ruled that the school followed the defined procedures and was within their rights to move onto the national wait list to fill the class with most qualified applicants after 1 April of the admissions cycle.

Although this case does not lay out the State allocations, the references and case notes lead here: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/310.53#b

While not limited to this table, the States do appear to have a defined allocation that can/should be filled with qualified applicants prior to the 1 April milestone. After that date, USMMA can use the highest qualified alternates from the National Wait List to fill any vacancy in the class.

The annual distribution of each entering class by State is:
ANNUAL
Alabama4
Alaska1
Arizona3
Arkansas2
California19
Colorado4
Connecticut4
Delaware1
Florida10
Georgia5
Hawaii2
Idaho2
Illinois9
Indiana3
Iowa4
Kansas3
Kentucky2
Louisiana4
Maine2
Maryland4
Massachusetts5
Michigan7
Minnesota3
Mississippi3
Missouri3
Montana2
Nebraska2
Nevada2
New Hampshire2
New Jersey6
New Mexico2
New York15
North Carolina6
North Dakota1
Ohio8
Oklahoma2
Oregon3
Pennsylvania10
Rhode Island2
South Carolina4
South Dakota1
Tennessee4
Texas13
Utah2
Vermont1
Virginia5
Washington5
West Virginia2
Wisconsin4
Wyoming1
American Samoa1
District of Columbia4
Guam1
Northern Mariana Islands1
Puerto Rico1
Republic of Panama2
Virgin Islands1
NOT TO EXCEED ANY TIME
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands4
Western Hemisphere nations (other than U.S.)12
Foreign Nations30

What about "USAFA slot allocation by State"?
 
USAFA is like USNA and West Point. Each MOC has an appointment. Depending on the year more. 1/10 nominations is deemed #1 and offered an appointment. The remaining go in the NWL and chosen by best fit for that class. USMMA is different because each state only has a set number. That’s what I’m trying to find out.
 
The differences in class size and nominations render this different for USAFA. To my knowledge, there are no minimums but understand that it is common for all Service Academies to deviate from either this list or the congressional math because a state did not nominate or did not have a qualified applicant.
 
How does USMMA slate work when it only admits 2 from a state? Does USMMA even use a slate? Just curious if some has knowledge of how this process works? USNA gives each MOC an appointment, but this is not possible when USMMA only admits 2 from DS State. His state has 5 total MOC giving nominations.
My understanding of the above court decision is that the state allocation is how the initial list is evaluated. If a state has 2 slots, and say 10 nominees, but only 1 is qualified, that one will be appointed, but none of the unqualified candidates will. Conversely if a state has 2 slots, also 10 nominees, but 5 are top candidates in the overall pool and 5 are not it would be as follows. The top 2 of the 5 will be appointed and the remaining 3 will go to the national waiting list from which they may get an appointment. This state will then have more than 2 mids from that state, as many as 5. Once they are picking from the NWL, state is not a factor.
 
My understanding of the above court decision is that the state allocation is how the initial list is evaluated. If a state has 2 slots, and say 10 nominees, but only 1 is qualified, that one will be appointed, but none of the unqualified candidates will. Conversely if a state has 2 slots, also 10 nominees, but 5 are top candidates in the overall pool and 5 are not it would be as follows. The top 2 of the 5 will be appointed and the remaining 3 will go to the national waiting list from which they may get an appointment. This state will then have more than 2 mids from that state, as many as 5. Once they are picking from the NWL, state is not a factor.
Thank You!! Great info.
 
Back in the old days (mid 70s) I was placed on two lists. One for my state (California) that had several slots, and then one for the National. When initial appointments were handed out, I was somewhere in the top ten on the state waiting list, but 1 or 2 on the national list. Of course we didn't have the online instant availability for information, but I was told, by snail mail, that it was likely that I was going to be appointed. About a week later, I received my orders. . . . I never did find out which list I was draw from, and didn't care.
 
Back in the old days (mid 70s) I was placed on two lists. One for my state (California) that had several slots, and then one for the National. When initial appointments were handed out, I was somewhere in the top ten on the state waiting list, but 1 or 2 on the national list. Of course we didn't have the online instant availability for information, but I was told, by snail mail, that it was likely that I was going to be appointed. About a week later, I received my orders. . . . I never did find out which list I was draw from, and didn't care.

That info still isn't shared with the candidate. The only thing they share is your application status.
 
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