If you or someone you know from the State of Idaho has a desire to attend one of the five service academies, they must complete a very competitive, two-step nomination/application process.
Receiving a Nomination
While potential candidates are to be in contact with the service academies concurrently during the nomination process, they must first receive a nomination from one of the following official sources before they can be considered for an appointment to an academy:
- The Vice-President, who nominates candidates from any part of the nation
- U.S. Senators, who nominate candidates from our entire state
- U.S. Representatives, who nominate candidates residing within their congressional districts
There are also presidential and military service nominations.
To qualify for the presidential nomination, the potential candidate must be a child of career military personnel – the parent of which must meet one of the following criteria:
- Be on active duty and have served continuously on active duty for at least eight years, or
- Be retired with pay or been granted retired or retainer pay, or
- Be a reservist or National Guard member (see Section 12733 Title 10 USC for details), or
- Have died after being retired with pay or being granted retired or retainer pay;
- Have begun adoption proceedings before the child’s 15th birthday
To qualify for a military service nomination, the potential candidate must be the child of:
- A deceased or disabled member of the Armed Forces, if the parent was killed or is 100% disabled by wounds or injuries received, or diseases contracted, while in active service.
- An armed services member or civilian employee in active government service who is in an officially determined status of missing in action.
- A Medal of Honor recipient from any branch of the armed services.
Active duty armed service members are eligible for the congressional nominations, in addition to a nomination through their branch of the armed services. For more details, contact your commanding officer.
Start the Nomination Application Process
In order to be considered for a nomination, potential candidates must fill out and submit the appropriate applications to one or all of the official sources. Because the nomination process is so competitive, we recommend applying to all of them to better your chances. Visit the websites of the Vice President of the United States and Idaho’s Congressional Delegation for detailed application information.
Vice President: Visit Website
Idaho’s Congressional Delegation: Visit Website
For those seeking a presidential or military service nomination, contact the academies for specific instructions.