Entrance difficulty

Honestly how competitive your district is will play a large role in this. For instance if you live in Northern Virginia you are talking about a ton of highly qualified candidates, many who attend very well regarded schools. A candidate from middle of no where Wyoming probably has a smaller pool applying for their district and even within the state. Virginia is a big military state and very big Navy state, that draws lots of interest and candidates. This is something that you can't control. This process is very long and arduous. Focus on what you can control and the things you can't, just let them go.
 
USNA reports the most applicants...when you really look at the numbers, though, I would surmise that the figures for those that are 3Qd with a nom are similar for the 3. For whatever it's worth, DS received appt to USAFA but was wait listed for USNA.
 
That's a pretty subjective question. If USNA has more applicants than USMA and USAFA, and they all have near the same number of slots, then it will look as if USNA is more selective.

USNA and USMA also are located where there is a larger population density. People have a tendency, in general, to apply to schools that are closer to home.

So, honestly, they are all very selective. Apply to the one(s) that offer you opportunities to do what you want to do.
 
That's like saying, which is more of a luxury car . . . Lamborghini or Aston Martin. Seriously, "selectivity" is somewhat in the eye of the beholder. With SAs, are you counting applicants, official candidates, qualified candidates, etc.? Suffice it to say that all are extremely competitive and selective.
 
Hmmm....

If you get into one service academy and not another, you can assume the one you got into was the least selective.

Perhaps the words of Groucho Marx apply here: "I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member." ;)
 
I would focus more in being the best candidate possible rather than the selectivity of US(AF/M/N)A. While the numbers appear daunting, you only really have to compete against the 3Q nominees in your district/state and on the NWL (if applicable). If you are in a district where you are the only 3Q+nom applicant, congratulations, you are going to a Service Academy.
 
If 5 people got into USAFA in my district last year but only 2 got into USNA in my district last year does that indicate that my district is more competitive for USAFA than USNA?
 
Not necessarily. The next year it could be the other way around. How many were athletes? How many had presidential noms? How many applied for noms? How many spots were open for the MOC? How many were prepsters?

As you can see there are so many factors that play into this. Focus your efforts on putting the best package together. Trying to to figure out the math behind all this will drive you nuts. There are too many variables to understand the entire picture. You are better off studying for your SAT than worrying about these numbers.
 
So your intent is to only apply to the one which is most/least 'selective'? As someone mentioned above, I also am curious why you are asking. Selectivity can be measured in several different (often arbitrary) ways.
 
time2 said:
So your intent is to only apply to the one which is most/least 'selective'? As someone mentioned above, I also am curious why you are asking. Selectivity can be measured in several different (often arbitrary) ways.
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For my MOC, when you apply for a nomination from him, you have to rank which service academies you want to go to more. The selectivity of the service academy could impact the OP's ranking of them. If getting a nomination to USMA gives him a 90% chance of getting in while getting a nomination to USNA gives him a 10% chance of getting in because it is more selective, the OP might decide to rank USMA as his number 1 even if he would rather go to USNA. I'm not sure if that is his actual reason for asking, but I was actually pretty curious about this myself for the reason I mentioned.
 
If he wants to go to a specific SA, then he should ask for a Nom to that school. Also, not every MOC handles noms this way, spreads the wealth, or will only provide one nom to one school. This is unique to each candidate and something they can discuss with their BGO. Also, there is no way in knowing the percentage chances. One year to the next can be completely different in terms of the number of those applying for a nom. OP, don't let the percentages play into your decision. The Army, Navy, USMC, Air Force are all different. What service do you want to serve in? They are all unique and different and should start with answering that question. If the answer is, I don't care, I just want to serve, that is also fine. Usually 1 SA will start to resonate with an applicant as it fits their personality better, has a major they want, they want a specific MOS/Branch. Visiting campuses can help too.
 
The original question was vague and makes no mention of probabilities for NOM's, it now seem like some are assuming that is what was asked. I don't think many would recommend trying to 'game' the NOM system.....what if you end up with only 1 NOM for a SA you really don't want to attend???? Getting a NOM is only one part of the application formula. You also need to be 3Q AND high enough up on the list to be offered an appointment. If the OP wants us to be more helpful and is asking more than a hypothetical question, he/she needs to clarify exactly what they are asking.
 
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