Service Academy Nominations
Instructions
Thank you for your interest in the U.S. Service Academies. I commend your interest to consider a unique opportunity to develop physically, ethically, and intellectually while building a foundation for an exciting, challenging, and rewarding career as a military officer in the service of our great nation. The academies available for service are:
- U.S. Air Force Academy
- U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
- U.S. Military Academy (West Point)
- U.S. Naval Academy
- U.S. Coast Guard Academy (does not require a Congressional nomination)
Applying to a military academy includes all of steps required to for any other college, plus gaining a Congressional nomination and demonstrating your physical fitness. To begin the process, YOU MUST:
- Open an application for admission to the service academy or academies in which you are applying as soon as possible, and meet the deadlines for submitting all pieces of your application to them.
- Applicants must also apply to my office for a nomination to the academy or academies where you hope to attend.
- Finalists will have the opportunity to interview with a panel I form to help make my recommendations.
As your Representative in the 44th Congressional District of California, every year I have the privilege of nominating students from my district for service academies. Each member is only allotted a limited number of slots to nominate students, as a result, the nomination process is competitive. Therefore, I encourage you to apply through all available resources in addition to my office. These include United States Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris.
If you are the child of an active duty service member or deceased or disabled veteran, please contact my office for information about additional nominating authorities.
The honor of attending a service academy comes with an obligation and commitment to serve in the military for a minimum of five years upon graduation. For more information, please review my page of Frequently Asked Questions for those seeking a Military Academy Nomination.
Best wishes to you as you pursue your goal of attending one of the U.S. Service Academies and serving our country.
Basic qualifications for nomination
- You must be at least 17 years of age, but not yet 23 years of age.
- You must be a citizen of the United States at the time you enter the Academy.
- You must be unmarried, pregnant and have no legal obligation to support a child or dependent.
- You must be a resident of the 44th Congressional District.
To submit a complete nomination packet to my office, be sure you include the following items:
- High school/college transcript
- 3 Letters of Recommendation (at least 2 from academic supervisors)
- ACT results and/or SAT results
- An essay stating why you want to attend a service academy (500 words)
- Resume of extracurricular activities
- Current Photo
- Completed Interest Form Below
Application Submission Information:
- Applications are due by November 1st, 2021 at 11:59pm
- Applications and materials can be submitted electronically to Christina Lopez (christina.lopez@mail.house.gov) with the subject line “CA-44 Congressional Nomination Application”
- OR in-person to our San Pedro office at 302 W. Fifth St, #201, San Pedro, CA 90731
Any questions regarding the application can be sent to Christina Lopez (christina.lopez@mail.house.gov). You may also call (310) 831-1799.
Important Dates for 2021-2022:
November 1, 2021: Deadline for receipt of completed nomination application
November 8-9, 2021: Preliminary interviews for successful applicants
December 6-7, 2021: Panel interviews
January 2022: Applicants will be informed of their nomination status
Service Academy Questionnaire
For More Information
For more information regarding service opportunities, please contact my office at (310) 831-1799.
For more detailed information regarding programs offered by each of the academies, you are encouraged to follow the links below. I have provided the direct links to the four of the five service academies: