Candidates seeking a nomination to a service academy must meet the following eligibility requirements as of July 1 of the year of admission to an academy: be at least 17 years old but not have passed the 23rd birthday; be a U.S. citizen; be unmarried, not pregnant, and have no legal obligation to support children or other dependents.

Each United States Senator and United States Representative may have no more than five people attending each service academy at any given time. Most members of Congress allocate at least one open vacancy each year. For each vacancy, ten nominations may be submitted to the respective service academy admissions office. Offers of appointment are made by the admissions office on a competitive basis measuring the overall qualifications and eligibility of all nominees.  Service Academy nomination applications for those graduating from high school in 2024 are currently being considered.

Service academy applicants are eligible for nomination by both United States Senators in the state of their legal residence and the United States Representative for the District in which they reside as well as the Vice President. Applicants should apply for nomination to all four nominating sources.

The application for nominations to service academies will open on Monday, April 22, 2024. To apply CLICK HERE. 

All documentation for your application must be received by 5:00 PM on Thursday, September 19, 2024. The preferred method of receipt is through email to academy_noms@warner.senate.gov.  However, if express mail is warranted, to avoid delays documents should be expressed to: Office of U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner, Attn: Academy Nomination Coordinator, 101 W. Main Street, Suite 7771, Norfolk, VA 23510.  Due to potential U.S. Postal Service delays, items sent by regular mail are not guaranteed to be received on time.  If you have not submitted all of the required information by the deadline, your application will be considered incomplete and will not be considered for a nomination.

You are encouraged to apply early to any and all service academies for which you have a sincere interest. You may apply online at the respective service academy web site. If you meet the minimum eligibility and entrance requirements, the academy will forward a formal application package. You should return all requested materials as directed by the academy as quickly as possible. If you are considered an "official" candidate by the academy, you will be scheduled for a medical examination by the Department of Defense Medical Review Board (DODMERB). You will also complete a Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA).

If you have any additional questions, please email academy_noms@warner.senate.gov.

Each year, Senator Warner invites high school and middle school students, their parents or guardians, and school counselors to Academy Day.  The event provides a comprehensive overview of the United States service academies and their admission processes. Staffers from the Virginia Congressional Delegation as well as representatives from other military-related options that exist at higher education institutions in Virginia are also on hand to share information. Details about the 2025 event will be shared on this page in February 2025.

If you did not make it to this year’s event and want to get a sense of the information offered at Academy Day, please see the video below from the virtual 2022 event. Please keep in mind this video references a previous application cycle, so some dates and times may be different from this year's requirements. This year's deadlines are listed in the sections above.