Acceptance Rate?

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Worriedparent2

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Wow two posts in one day, I'm really starting to embody the worried parent image. Anyways, as a parent, I was wondering, what is the acceptance rate for a candidate with nominations. I know that online it has something around 8% but is that true? The competition pool gets smaller but does your chances of appointment increase. Are they 1/10(competing for the 1 slot at the academy per district). Also, does anyone have data on how the waitlist works? I understand that USAFA will resort to it to fill their class, but does USAFA always need a full class? What constitutes a full class(numbers-wise). How many candidates are put on the waitlist, and how many are usually needed? That is a lot of questions, but an answer to any of them would be great.
 
This has been true for the DOD SAs for the last few years: 40%-50% of candidates who are 3Q with a nom win appointment. That is not the same thing as having a 50% chance, so don’t read it that way. As others here have said, SA admissions is not a lottery. It’s mainly a regional competition.
 
To expand for those lurking:
Academically - all the scholastic stuff to include quantifiable grades and scores, but also leadership, ECAs, all the cats and dogs

Physically - passed CFA

Medically - DODMERB qualified or appropriately waivered
 
To expand - the 8% is accepted appointments to total applications opened. If you are 3Q with a nomination, you compete against the other 9 on that slate. If you don’t win your slate, you compete against all the others at the national level that are also 3Q with a nomination who didn’t win their slate of 10. Simplified significantly compared to the actual puzzle making but a good summary I think.
 
I'll quote the demographic report for USAFA Class of 2020. It might give you a little bit of insight into the whole process:

13,567 people established inquiries
9894 people were named applicants (completed the PCQ)
7789 people were promoted to candidate status
2475 people were named qualified candidates (3Q w/ nom)
1492 people were offered an appointment
1168 people accepted the appointment

The 8% likely refers to the number of people who inquired that accepted the appointment.

About 60% of 3Q's were offered an appointment; again, this does not mean 3Q's have a 60% chance of getting an appointment. Like others have said, it's a competition, not a lottery.

Heed also this: if your DS/DD has already completed their file, then the decision is in the hands of Admissions and there's no value in worrying about it. Prepare for Plan B/C/D/etc. just in case, and keep checking the portal. My father didn't receive his appointment until mid-April of his senior year, but still went on to become a DG and has served 24 years and counting in the USAF. Patience is key. An appointment may come tomorrow, it may come in June. Only time will tell. Worry about what you can control.

Good luck. Please offer DS/DD my respect for getting this far in such an exhausting process.
 
crymsonwynters said:
I'll quote the demographic report for USAFA Class of 2020. It might give you a little bit of insight into the whole process:

13,567 people established inquiries
9894 people were named applicants (completed the PCQ)
7789 people were promoted to candidate status
2475 people were named qualified candidates (3Q w/ nom)
1492 people were offered an appointment
1168 people accepted the appointment

The 8% likely refers to the number of people who inquired that accepted the appointment.

About 60% of 3Q's were offered an appointment; again, this does not mean 3Q's have a 60% chance of getting an appointment. Like others have said, it's a competition, not a lottery.

Heed also this: if your DS/DD has already completed their file, then the decision is in the hands of Admissions and there's no value in worrying about it. Prepare for Plan B/C/D/etc. just in case, and keep checking the portal. My father didn't receive his appointment until mid-April of his senior year, but still went on to become a DG and has served 24 years and counting in the USAF. Patience is key. An appointment may come tomorrow, it may come in June. Only time will tell. Worry about what you can control.

Good luck. Please offer DS/DD my respect for getting this far in such an exhausting process.
Click to expand...
Now you stated that 1492 people were offered an appointment and only 1168 accepted. That means there are 324 open slots left. Does that mean that USAFA will choose 324 people of the waitlist? Are they required to fill the class to 1492.
 
Worriedparent2 said:
Now you stated that 1492 people were offered an appointment and only 1168 accepted. That means there are 324 open slots left. Does that mean that USAFA will choose 324 people of the waitlist? Are they required to fill the class to 1492.
Click to expand...

That's what I'm wondering as well. Do those extra slots get offered to other candidates?
 
Worriedparent2 said:
Now you stated that 1492 people were offered an appointment and only 1168 accepted. That means there are 324 open slots left. Does that mean that USAFA will choose 324 people of the waitlist? Are they required to fill the class to 1492.
Click to expand...
Pretty sure the class size is closer to 1168.

So would assume the 1492 number counts those who declined either because they got into another SC that was their first choice, or perhaps had a change of heart about attending any service academy, and the appointments were THEN offered to the next most highly qualified candidates on the academy's list. It doesn't mean that 1492 offers were made on the same day, and 1168 of that initial 1492 offers were accepted (leaving 324 "slots").

I'm far from an expert, just trying to get a good handle on the process myself, as my DS got an LOA in Nov, and waiting to hear on MOC nom's, due to be released next week (according to an email reply we just got).
 
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okboomer said:
To expand - the 8% is accepted appointments to total applications opened. If you are 3Q with a nomination, you compete against the other 9 on that slate. If you don’t win your slate, you compete against all the others at the national level that are also 3Q with a nomination who didn’t win their slate of 10. Simplified significantly compared to the actual puzzle making but a good summary I think.
Click to expand...


Read the long and informative thread explaining the MOC nom process, buy was wondering if I understood correctly -

when referring to competing and winning a slate (10 candidates who were given a nomination by a MOC), does "winning" mean simply the decision of the USAFA admissions office, as to which of those 10 candidates they want to offer an appointment?

And if I understand correctly, if a candidate has an LOA, then simply being "on the slate", and one of the 10 nominations means that they are in?
 
Bubby'sDad said:
Read the long and informative thread explaining the MOC nom process, buy was wondering if I understood correctly -

when referring to competing and winning a slate (10 candidates who were given a nomination by a MOC), does "winning" mean simply the decision of the USAFA admissions office, as to which of those 10 candidates they want to offer an appointment?

And if I understand correctly, if a candidate has an LOA, then simply being "on the slate", and one of the 10 nominations means that they are in?
Click to expand...
I believe being on the slate is the same as being one of the 10 nominees submitted. From what I've read, an LOA grants an appointment contingent on a nomination. So if you make the slate, that means you have the nomination meaning you will receive an appointment. I believe winning means a candidate basically won "the one slot" at the academy for the district. The MOC can only have 5 on their tab at one time so usually, there's only 1 slot maybe 2 for people of the slate to win. I think LOA's work differently tho when it comes to winning slates.
 
Winning the slate means that individual is who will be charged against the MOCs quota. The LOA holder on that slate may win the slate and be charged to the MOC or they may charge the LOA holder to another source and thus a different nominee wins the slate in that instance
 
All under the caveat that all are 3Qd
 
okboomer said:
All under the caveat that all are 3Qd
Click to expand...

Wouldn't they by definition be 3Qd if they win the slate?

The SA admissions office won't designate a "winner" if they are not qualified?

(this assumes we are not talking about a system where the MOC designates a primary - in which case the primary would be consider the slate winner, but may not be 3Qd.)
 
The DOD SAs typically have entering classes of about 1200 plebes/doolies. This, with the attrition rate, keeps total enrollment under the mandated maximum of 4400 cadets/mids. SAs enjoy among the highest yield of accepted candidates compared to other colleges — in the neighborhood of 85%. So a class of 1200 would have started with about 1400 accepted.
 
Appointed rather than accepted right MCP?
 
With regard to the question of appointments offered versus accepted I believe that way Academy understands they will get candidates declining so that is why they offer more appointments than actual spots available. It also explains why each class size is slightly different from year to year - sometimes they miscalculate (either over or under) on the number that accept the appointment when offered. Hope this helps
 
Bubby'sDad said:
And if I understand correctly, if a candidate has an LOA, then simply being "on the slate", and one of the 10 nominations means that they are in?
Click to expand...
Not always. Nomination may be one remaining requirement. However, LOAs can specify other requirements be met besides nomination.
 
Dadx4 said:
Not always. Nomination may be one remaining requirement. However, LOAs can specify other requirements be met besides nomination.
Click to expand...

I will clarify my DS's situation.

Everything else is completed, and he is qualified (3Q), with an LOA in hand.

In his case, am I correct in understanding that he only needs to be "on the slate", and one of the 10 nominations for any of the 3 MOC's he interviewed with?

Thanks.
 
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