USNA LOA

DomerDad

DomerDad

Proud Dad of a USAFA 2026 DD
Joined
Mar 4, 2021
Messages
257
I am curious about what it takes to receive a Letter of Assurance from the Service Academies. I love crowdsourcing information. It would be interesting to identify the common threads connecting LOA recipients.

If you received a Letter of Assurance, can you please share some information about yourself? Are you a recruited athlete? What is your UW GPA? Weighted GPA? SAT/ACT Scores? What leadership positions do you hold? What ECs do you participate in? Did you win any awards? Did/Do your parents serve in the military? How did you perform on the CFA? What do you think makes you unique?
 
This won’t help you at all. Nobody knows why some get them and some don’t. The best approach is to put your best application forward.

My son got one for 2023 and was not a recruited athlete. The goal is appointment not LOA.
 
Noooo....there is no commonality. BUT, you can drop in a search for letter of assurance and spend hours viewing things people already posted here on the forums. I see you are a new member. You search via the search function.

The common thing, is an LOA is something that is offered by USNA to someone they want to appoint, pending clearing whatever is requested in the LOA.
 
DomerDad said:
I am curious about what it takes to receive a Letter of Assurance from the Service Academies. I love crowdsourcing information. It would be interesting to identify the common threads connecting LOA recipients.

If you received a Letter of Assurance, can you please share some information about yourself? Are you a recruited athlete? What is your UW GPA? Weighted GPA? SAT/ACT Scores? What leadership positions do you hold? What ECs do you participate in? Did you win any awards? Did/Do your parents serve in the military? How did you perform on the CFA? What do you think makes you unique?
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I would view the long response under the what are my chances main thread. The person who wrote that very informative long response included a couple parts about LOAs.
 
USNA uses the LOA as a tool to identify certain applicants they are particularly interested in, based on what they have seen of the applicant’s submissions so far and evaluating it with years of experience. There could be any number of factors or factor that launches the LOA decision. It’s not necessarily test scores, GPA or class rank. There are threads upon threads upon threads on this topic over the years, endlessly searching for the specs and stats that bring out the unicorn that is the LOA.

The important thing to remember is the majority of midshipmen are never given an LOA. It may not seem like that from scanning appointment lists, but there is a school of thought here that candidates or parents who are more proactive in researching the internet for an edge often find SAF, which may also play into how they have attacked the application process.

It is also fruitless to search for and receive answers on a stat, realize the candidate who was given an LOA has a lower score than the searching candidate, and frustrate themselves over the “why.”

It’s a discretionary tool with great flexibility to help Admissions build out a class which meets various goals. The goal is an appointment. If the unicorn known as an LOA wanders into a portal, let there be rejoicing, but spend no time in hunting for it.

The class profile provides a great deal of useful information, as do the Admissions pages, on what USNA is looking for.
 
DomerDad said:
I am curious about what it takes to receive a Letter of Assurance from the Service Academies. I love crowdsourcing information. It would be interesting to identify the common threads connecting LOA recipients.

If you received a Letter of Assurance, can you please share some information about yourself? Are you a recruited athlete? What is your UW GPA? Weighted GPA? SAT/ACT Scores? What leadership positions do you hold? What ECs do you participate in? Did you win any awards? Did/Do your parents serve in the military? How did you perform on the CFA? What do you think makes you unique?
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Check PM.
 
Since you’ve asked this same question of the three DOD SAs, I’ll share this: DD received an LOA from USMA in January, USNA in February, USAFA in April. Each LOA was for a completely different thing. The condition set for each LOA had zero relationship or connection with the others.

She was not a recruited athlete. Parents weren’t in the military. Leadership impact was similar to some shipmates, quite different from others. She would say there’s not much unique about her compared to shipmates. Many she knows had better grades and test scores.

So yes, in the end, it’s a big mystery. Admissions knows the science behind it (and maybe the art), but not many beyond that do. And plucking anecdotes from SAF won’t get you closer to the answer because those on SAF are a small and unrepresentative group, with very limited predictive ability about all LOA recipients.
 
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MidCakePa said:
Since you’ve asked this same question of the three DOD SAs, I’ll share this: DD received an LOA from USMA in January, USNA in February, USAFA in April. Each LOA was for a completely different thing. The condition set for each LOA had zero relationship or connection with the others.

So yes, in the end, it’s a big mystery. Admissions knows the science behind it (and maybe the art), but not many beyond that do. And plucking anecdotes from SAF won’t get you closer to the answer because those on SAF are a small and unrepresentative group, with very limited predictive ability about all LOA recipients.
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Congratulations...Amazing DD! ❤
 
LOA is also used to lock in their most wanted candidates by each Academy. The truth is, Academies compete for similar candidates. SAs know that candidates are applying to multiple SAs, Ivies, Military Colleges, and other selective colleges. LOA increases the chance for SAs to successfully close the deal with candidates they most want. This maybe (hypothesis) 1% in Aug/Sep, 3% by November, 5% by January, 10% by April when most candidates have recevied admission results from all colleges. SAs know that an LOA can help change a candidate's decision from one Academy to another, as my DS did from initially choosing USMA and USAFA as his first and second choices to USNA as his first choice after receiving an LOA in September years ago. LOA is very nice to have, but appointment is the real crown prince you want. LOA is the Rabbit, Appointment is the Turtle in the race. Good luck to all the remaining Turtles in the race. You're almost there!

Appointment or no appointment, be very proud of what you all have accomplished thus far, both candidates and moms / dads. You are all destined to succeed and serve this Nation well with pride, honor, and humility.
 
My son got an LOA back at the end of November, met everything on it EXCEPT he didn't receive a nomination to the USNA, only for USAFA. Still waiting for the unicorn "found" nomination or a NAPS offer. But hopes at this point are low.

He has great grades (3.88 unweighted, 4.5 weighted) with 7 AP classes and everything else GT/Honors, average (kinda low for a SA) SAT - 1250, top of his team year-round athlete (runner), and all around solid kid. But not recruited for anything, so not sure why he received the LOA.

Regardless, he doesn't have an appointment yet, so it is just a nice "bragging right" piece of paper for now. Worthless otherwise.
 
IronmanDaremo said:
My son got an LOA back at the end of November, met everything on it EXCEPT he didn't receive a nomination to the USNA, only for USAFA. Still waiting for the unicorn "found" nomination or a NAPS offer. But hopes at this point are low.

He has great grades (3.88 unweighted, 4.5 weighted) with 7 AP classes and everything else GT/Honors, average (kinda low for a SA) SAT - 1250, top of his team year-round athlete (runner), and all around solid kid. But not recruited for anything, so not sure why he received the LOA.

Regardless, he doesn't have an appointment yet, so it is just a nice "bragging right" piece of paper for now. Worthless otherwise.
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Ugh, these are such frustrating stories. Throwing in the nomination piece adds a whole different level to this process.

Fingers and toes crossed for y’all!!
 
I'm new to the admissions process, but it seems asides from "locking in" candidates it's something admissions does as they review files. If you turn in your application way early, I'd wager you have a decent chance at a LOA depending on competitiveness. I got a LOA recently that was contingent on a medical qualification, so it would make sense that my file was reviewed, I was deemed A-OK, but still had some requirements to fulfill. Repeat for most other LOAs? But since the admissions officer isn't the same for most candidates, what deems a competitive applicant might differ slightly adding to the mystery.

Regardless, I remember wanting stats when I was in that position so I PM'd, if any lurkers want my stats feel free to PM me.
 
Capt MJ said:
the unicorn known as an LOA
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Best description ever!

I've posted this before and I'll post it again... LOAs are nice, but they're not an appointment. My son waited six months between receiving his LOA and being notified of his nomination. It was painful for him. I think it would have been less stressful if he had not received the LOA.
 
All good information and anecdotal stories here, but Pro Tip for incoming group of Candidates -- the goal is obtaining an Appointment, not a LOA.
LOA is largely a recruiting tool-- Crew Dad's point is about as good an explanation as possible.

Bottom line, there are a lot of things about the USNA Admissions process that are not 100 completely transparent, even for those of us that have gone through it for years , and communicate with Admissions often. Candidates should concentrate on submitting the best application they can, as early as possible (but don't sacrifice quality for speed --it is not a race), then move on to Plan B, C.... instead of wasting mental energy trying to figure out the ins and out of the process. Everything you really need to know is readily available on the only official source -- USNA.edu Admissions Website. CAPT MJ's admonition about reading the Admissions website , including every drop down, etc. should posted as a Read and Initial section on the SAF Home Page,

I get it, Candidates and parents are nervous .. every year about this time, Candidates (or probably more likely parents) start asking the "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin" questions, and well intention Forumites offer their answers, often based upon their own experience. One data point doesn't make a rule, and even when rules are established, there are always exceptions, so all these stories just create unnecessary angst.
 
IronmanDaremo said:
Regardless, he doesn't have an appointment yet, so it is just a nice "bragging right" piece of paper for now. Worthless otherwise.
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It’s tough to read this story, yet it’s a stark reminder that I wish more applicants and their parents took to heart. The LOA guarantees nothing!

As @IronmanDaremo says, bragging rights for a while. Maybe fleeting euphoria. But it’s not an offer of appointment. And maybe it’ll turn into one. Hopefully it does. But maybe not. And each year we see quite a few stories of LOAs that didn’t come to fruition.

So no, seeing someone else’s stats won’t give you a meaningful indication of whether or not you’ll get an LOA. It’s anecdotal and not statistically significant. There’ll be several others with the same stats who didn’t get an LOA.

Old Navy BGO said:
Candidates should concentrate on submitting the best application they can, as early as possible (but don't sacrifice quality for speed --it is not a race), then move on to Plan B, C.... instead of wasting mental energy trying to figure out the ins and out of the process.
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@Old Navy BGO says it well. All the mental and emotional capital spent on chasing the unicorn could be so much better spent.
 
IronmanDaremo said:
My son got an LOA back at the end of November, met everything on it EXCEPT he didn't receive a nomination to the USNA
...
Regardless, he doesn't have an appointment yet, so it is just a nice "bragging right" piece of paper for now. Worthless otherwise.
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.
Emotional Horizon ....

It can be frustratingly painful .... Wants, near term targets, heavy time and energy investments ... these things cause near term emotional gyrations. It’s normal.

In these moments, you center yourself in your collective chair, and you refocus your thoughts on what the goals are. Always look as far out into your emotional future as you can when you are sitting there collecting, analyzing, and categorizing ....

The near term stuff has weight, but it is small collectively when you look far out on your emotional horizon.

The LOA thing is confusing as hell, and hopefully everyone forgets about it soon enough .... Keep your focus way out there on the horizon, and you’ll do fine.

And one more thing ... don’t buy just because everyone else is buying.
.
 
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CrewDad said:
LOA is also used to lock in their most wanted candidates by each Academy. The truth is, Academies compete for similar candidates. SAs know that candidates are applying to multiple SAs, Ivies, Military Colleges, and other selective colleges. LOA increases the chance for SAs to successfully close the deal with candidates they most want. This maybe (hypothesis) 1% in Aug/Sep, 3% by November, 5% by January, 10% by April when most candidates have recevied admission results from all colleges. SAs know that an LOA can help change a candidate's decision from one Academy to another, as my DS did from initially choosing USMA and USAFA as his first and second choices to USNA as his first choice after receiving an LOA in September years ago. LOA is very nice to have, but appointment is the real crown prince you want. LOA is the Rabbit, Appointment is the Turtle in the race. Good luck to all the remaining Turtles in the race. You're almost there!
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Totally agree with this. Pure speculation here, but I'm guessing some LOAs go out right around the time Early Action decisions are dropping for other schools, maybe to act sort of like the same. This was the case for DD, but she couldn't get too excited because she was still missing a nom and a medical waiver, and she knows that means there is no guarantee of an appointment.

Some resources for college applicants will show a graph with GPA and test scores on the axes and colored dots to show who got accepted and who didn't. Trying to figure this out for LOAs might be even less predictive. There are probably way to many variables to model.
 
I received an LOA recently and it was extremely unexpected. I am a college reapp and was waiting for usna to update my medical status even though dodmerb had cleared me. The medical updated a few hours after my LOA showed up (last part of my application I needed) and I haven't heard anything since. I never thought I would get an LOA, and getting one in late March was even more surprising.
 
Hello I’m an applicant to the Naval Academy. I received a Letter of Assurance on Sunday. On the Letter, it states that I qualify to compete for admission to the Naval Academy and that I am guaranteed an offer of appointment if my remaining admissions requirements are met. The letter went on to list requirements that I have met, but there was an “X” on the Medical Qualification requirement. In response, I went to my DODMERB Portal and saw that my current Medical Status was “Under Waiver Review”. It has been like this for the past two months. I assumed that since they sent the LOA long after my status became “Under Waiver Review” on DODMERB that I received admission but I wasn’t sure. I contacted my admissions counselor and she told me to wait since it isn’t a Fully Qualified Offer, but I’m still nervous as to what all this information means. Is there anyway someone could provide clarity in this situation for me please? Anything helps!
 
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