Each year hundreds of Louisiana’s best and brightest young men and women contact my office about a nomination to a service academy. The five service academies include the U.S. Military Academy (West Point), U.S. Naval Academy, U.S Air Force Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Nominations are required for every service academy except the Coast Guard Academy. Please note that acceptance at an academy involves at least a nine-year obligation: four years at the academy and five years of military service.
Applicants are encouraged to visit the websites for each academy to determine the entrance requirements as well as the respective deadlines for applications. Every applicant must meet the requirements listed below to be eligible to receive a nomination from one of the authorized nominating sources. Nominating sources available to each applicant are their two U.S. Senators, their U.S. Representative, the vice president, and the president.
Members of Congress may have no more than five people attending each service academy at any given time. For each vacancy, 10 nominations may be submitted to the respective academy admissions office. Each academy makes offers of appointment on a competitive basis according to the eligibility of all 10 nominees.
Eligibility requirements
An applicant must meet the following eligibility requirements by July 1 of the year of admission to a Service Academy unless otherwise stated:
• Must be a U.S. citizen.
• Must be a legal resident of Louisiana.
• Must be at least 17 years of age, but cannot have passed his or her 23rd birthday. The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy allows individuals between the ages of 17 and 25 to apply.
• Must meet the medical, physical, and academic requirements of the respective academy.
• Must have an open application with at least one Service Academy by November 1, 2023.
• Cannot be pregnant or have a legal obligation to support children or other dependents.
To receive a nomination from Sen. Kennedy’s office, applicants must have an ACT score of at least 25 or an SAT score of at least 1200.
Sen. Kennedy’s office accepts applications every year beginning in September and ending in November. The application period for 2022-2023 is currently closed. The application period for 2023-2024 opens on September 1, 2023 and closes at 11:59 p.m., November 1, 2023.
In order to be considered to interview for a nomination from Sen. John Kennedy, an applicant must have an open application with at least one of the four service academies prior to November 1, 2023. Applicants requesting more information or having questions about academy nominations should contact Sen. Kennedy’s Academy Nominations Coordinator by email at academy_kennedy@kennedy.senate.gov.
2023-2024 Application requirements
Access to the online application opens September 1, 2023 and closes at 11:59 p.m., November 1, 2023. An incomplete application account will not be considered, and no exceptions will be made. For high school seniors, college students, active-duty military members: 1. Sen. Kennedy’s application process is completed entirely online including the submission of all transcripts, letters of recommendations, and other required materials. If required materials need to be submitted directly to Sen. Kennedy’s Service Academy Coordinator, Hannah Livingston, the applicant will need to provide permission via an email to Academy_Kennedy@kennedy.senate.gov to have these files submitted into their online portal on their behalf without the ability to review them once submitted. 2. Applicants will not be allowed to create an account until the application process opens on September 1, 2023. During the application window, applicants can click here to create an account for the online application. Each applicant will be given a password to this account so that he or she can update data on the online application as the applicant works towards completion. The following items are required to complete the online application:
|
Interviews
After the November 1, 2023 deadline, Sen. Kennedy’s office will work with the Academies' Admissions Offices to determine the interview status of each candidate who submitted a complete file by the deadline. Submitting a complete file does not guarantee an applicant an interview.
Candidates who are scheduled for an interview must sit for an interview with Sen. Kennedy’s Service Academy Nominations Board to be considered for a nomination from the senator’s Office. Interviews are usually held the first Thursday and Friday of December in Baton Rouge, but this is subject to change. Interviews are mandatory, and each candidate will be given the opportunity to select an interview time.
Interview information will be sent out no later than November 18, 2022 to all applicants. Those applicants moving to the interview phase will then be allowed to select their interview time during one of the interview days. Once interview times are selected, applicants may not request their interviews be rescheduled. An interview will only be rescheduled for a documented family illness or emergency. Applicants should mark these dates on the calendar now to avoid any conflicts with school or extracurricular activities.
Additional information
For more information on the service academies, applicants may check their respective websites: |
Office of U.S. Senator John N. Kennedy
Attn: Hannah Livingston, Academy Nominations Coordinator
1651 Louisville Avenue, Suite 148
Monroe, LA 71201
Phone (318) 361 1489