Is a nomination good only for a specific academy?

2026JK

2026JK

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I'm being athletically recruited by both USMA and USNA. I have a "first choice" in mind, but am not ready to make a final decision just yet. Should I be able to secure a congressional nomination, will it be specific to just one of the two academies?
 
It depends on the MOC. Some only allow you to select one choice for a nomination, others let you rank order your preference. Most of the nom applications have closed or are closing shortly so you should've noticed that on the applications unless you are looking for 2027.
 
klingfamily said:
I'm being athletically recruited by both USMA and USNA. I have a "first choice" in mind, but am not ready to make a final decision just yet. Should I be able to secure a congressional nomination, will it be specific to just one of the two academies?
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Each SA requires a specific nomination for that SA, because the elected official (2 Sen, 1 Rep) noms are tied to how many of their slots are filled. Each of those individuals can have 5 appointees at each of the DoD SAs at any one time. Each of those individuals can submit a slate of up to 10 names for each open slot.

Now, each official can conduct their application and selection process as they wish. Some may ask for one application and to check the SAs you desire to apply for a nom, perhaps ranking them.

You should read in detail what the sa.edu website says about noms.
Ditto each elected official’s website.

Be sure to apply for all noms for which you are eligible, including the VP nom.

Do not delay, if you a 2026 applicant. Some elected officials’ submission deadlines are close or possibly in the past.
 
jaglvr said:
It depends on the MOC. Some only allow you to select one choice for a nomination, others let you rank order your preference. Most of the nom applications have closed or are closing shortly so you should've noticed that on the applications unless you are looking for 2027.
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My noms don't close until 11/1. One made me pick only one academy, the others let me choose more than one.
 
Capt MJ said:
Each SA requires a specific nomination for that SA, because the elected official (2 Sen, 1 Rep) noms are tied to how many of their slots are filled. Each of those individuals can have 5 appointees at each of the DoD SAs at any one time. Each of those individuals can submit a slate of up to 10 names for each open slot.

Now, each official can conduct their application and selection process as they wish. Some may ask for one application and to check the SAs you desire to apply for a nom, perhaps ranking them.

You should read in detail what the sa.edu website says about noms.
Ditto each elected official’s website.

Be sure to apply for all noms for which you are eligible, including the VP nom.

Do not delay, if you a 2026 applicant. Some elected officials’ submission deadlines are close or possibly in the past.
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Two of my mons don't close until 11/1. I have read what each MOC has asked for. I just wondered how recruited athletes have handled this. Thanks for your insight.
 
Capt MJ said:
I believe recruited athletes are told they are expected to apply for all nominations fir which they are eligible the same as everyone else.
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Yes. I'm doing that. But choosing a specific academy as the MOC requests is difficult since I don't know which of two academies is my first choice. Guess it's time to decide.
 
When my DS applied, he received a nom for each academy he applied to from his congressman. Our MOCs work together, so he got nothing from the senators, except one gave him a nom to his fourth-ranked choice. I've read that some states allow one nom to one academy in order to spread the noms around more-- so, it depends on where you live and how your current MOCs decide to handle it.
 
DS applied to all four SA that require noms. He received his first choice from one Senator, his last choice from the other Senator (their offices work together to spread out the noms), and first and second choice from MoC.

Everyone works differently but yes you may have to make a choice. USMA and USNA are both great however they are very different locations, cultures, learning outcomes and service selections. Have you visited either place? DS is at the USNA which he picked over USAFA and one factor of many in the decision process was location...Downtown Annapolis is at USNA door step. Colorado Springs is a car trip away from USAFA.
 
klingfamily said:
Yes. I'm doing that. But choosing a specific academy as the MOC requests is difficult since I don't know which of two academies is my first choice. Guess it's time to decide.
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Reverse engineer. The long pole in the tent is what service you want to commission in. Have you done the research on officer career paths available? Thought through if you don’t get your first choice of officer community, there are others you could see yourself in? Thought about the Navy, which does most of it work on the water, above the water, under the water, sometimes for long periods of time away from home? Not everyone’s cup of tea. Researched what you can about each service culture? Once you have projected ahead to where you see yourself spending at least 5 years as an officer, you can then think about what pre-comm gateway is the best fit for you. The SA is a way station, an important one, but not the destination.
 
Something to remember from some of the above posts, when OP's say they received multiple noms from multiple sources, that is usually from a "slate" and NOT a Principal Nom. Big difference, if you are on a slate, you can be ranked from top to bottom and a lot of times the bottom candidates end up NOT getting an appointment. Remember Title 10 USC (I believe) specifies that each member of Congress can have I believe five total appointees in all academies at one time @Capt MJ HELP please..:) So on a slate of ten, if that member has four already in SA's only one person will actually get an appointment. With a Principle Nom, only one is nominated and is generally (if qualified) offered appointment. So be careful as to how you explain the number and type of nom as it may confuse new members....:)
 
Impulsive said:
Something to remember from some of the above posts, when OP's say they received multiple noms from multiple sources, that is usually from a "slate" and NOT a Principal Nom. Big difference, if you are on a slate, you can be ranked from top to bottom and a lot of times the bottom candidates end up NOT getting an appointment. Remember Title 10 USC (I believe) specifies that each member of Congress can have I believe five total appointees in all academies at one time @Capt MJ HELP please..:) So on a slate of ten, if that member has four already in SA's only one person will actually get an appointment. With a Principle Nom, only one is nominated and is generally (if qualified) offered appointment. So be careful as to how you explain the number and type of nom as it may confuse new members....:)
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Time to use some current buzzwords, “there’s a lot to unpack here.” 🤣

Elected officials can have 5 appointees CHARGED to them at any one time, at each of the DoD SAs.
Charged is key word.
Every spring, x charged appointees will graduate, leaving room for the incoming class.
Each cycle, 1, possibly 2, usually not more, fully qualified applicants will be selected from that slate (can have up to 10 names, 1 slate per spot available) by the SA and have their appointments charged to that elected official.
But wait, there’s more.
The SA (I’m talking DoD, USMMA has some variations) can then choose to offer appointments to fully qualified others on that slate, using another nomination authority they hold, per established guidelines. Those are not charged to the elected official, but to the other authority.
Of course, you might see others on a slate get offered appointments, but they may have other noms, such as service-connected, the SA is charging them to.

Okay.

The elected officials can chose a number of ways to submit their slates, which can involve ranking, no ranking or the designation of a Principal Nominee. Again, the slate can have 1-10 names. See the Sticky at the top of the Nominations forum.

And, go to school on:
 
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My two cents:

If you are a "blue chip" recruited athlete at both USMA and USNA, you have some wiggle room in deciding 1st and 2nd choice. The second choice SA will very likely find a nomination from another source if you change your mind and a nomination becomes an issue. Do you have an LOA? Has a coach specifically told you that they will guarantee you an appointment, if you are qualified? If neither of these are true, you can not assume an appointment if qualified. In that case, a frank discussion with the coaches could help you decide on 1st/2nd choice.

If you are not a "blue chip" recruited athlete, my advice is to eliminate athletics from the decision process. The 5 - 30 year career experience of one versus the other far outweighs which team you may, or may not, play for the next 4 years.
 
Capt MJ said:
Reverse engineer. The long pole in the tent is what service you want to commission in. Have you done the research on officer career paths available? Thought through if you don’t get your first choice of officer community, there are others you could see yourself in? Thought about the Navy, which does most of it work on the water, above the water, under the water, sometimes for long periods of time away from home? Not everyone’s cup of tea. Researched what you can about each service culture? Once you have projected ahead to where you see yourself spending at least 5 years as an officer, you can then think about what pre-comm gateway is the best fit for you. The SA is a way station, an important one, but not the destination.
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Excellent insight ... thank you!
 
jl123 said:
My two cents:

If you are a "blue chip" recruited athlete at both USMA and USNA, you have some wiggle room in deciding 1st and 2nd choice. The second choice SA will very likely find a nomination from another source if you change your mind and a nomination becomes an issue. Do you have an LOA? Has a coach specifically told you that they will guarantee you an appointment, if you are qualified? If neither of these are true, you can not assume an appointment if qualified. In that case, a frank discussion with the coaches could help you decide on 1st/2nd choice.

If you are not a "blue chip" recruited athlete, my advice is to eliminate athletics from the decision process. The 5 - 30 year career experience of one versus the other far outweighs which team you may, or may not, play for the next 4 years.
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Thank you for your two cents. :) By your definition I am a "blue chip" recruited athlete. I have an LOA from one and have been told by coaching staff I will have one from the other. I was/am just curious how nominations factor into it all.
 
Brace yourself for surprises, no matter what you declare or how you rank them. DD told MOCs that USNA was her first choice (though she’d willingly attend any of the three SAs to which she applied). What happened? MOC who nominated her (our state spreads the wealth, with no duplicate noms) made her principal for USMA and regular slate for USNA. Go figure.
 
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