The U.S. Naval Academy was established in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1845 as a school for training U.S. Navy officers. Graduates receive B.S. degrees with a major in one of 25 disciplines, plus commission as Ensign in the Navy or Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps.
Like West Point, the US Naval Academy’s admissions procedures do not resemble most college’s. Applicants must be recommended by a Senator or Representative or the Vice President, but each of these government officials is allowed to nominate only two people each year. The application process also includes a college application, personality testing, standardized testing, a physical exam, and a physical aptitude test.
US Naval Academy students are called midshipmen. Their academic program begins with a core curriculum that includes courses in engineering, science, mathematics, humanities and social science. The Academy also provides professional and leadership training. While the midshipmen learn to take orders first, before long they acquire the responsibility for making decisions that can affect hundreds of other midshipmen. The professional classroom studies are backed by many hours of practical experience in leadership and naval operations. Summer months are spent in training at U.S. bases and with units of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps.
Moral and ethical development is fundamental to all aspects of the US Naval Academy. From Plebe Summer through graduation, the Officer Development Program, a four-year integrated program, focuses on integrity, honor, and mutual respect. Honor is emphasized through the Honor Concept of the Brigade of Midshipmen. Athletics are a major part of the Annapolis program and the Academy offers a wide variety of athletic choices – in addition to the required physical education curriculum. The Academy participates in the NCAA’s Division I-A as an independent (i.e., not a member of any conference) in football and in the NCAA Division I-level Patriot League in many other sports. The college fields 28 varsity sports teams and 18 club sports teams.
The most important sporting event at the academy is the annual Army–Navy Game. The three major service academies (Navy, Air Force, and Army) compete for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, which is awarded to the academy that defeats the others in football that year.
The US Naval Academy first accepted women in 1976, and women now comprise about 26 percent of the midshipmen. A small number of international students, usually from smaller allied or friendly countries, are admitted into each class. The Academy normally admits about 1% of its class from a pool of international students from about 10 different countries.
Acceptance Rate
SAT Range (25 to 75 Percentile)
ACT Range (25 to 75 Percentile)
Application Deadlines
Early Action/Decision
Early Action/Decision application deadline: N/A
Regular Decision
Regular decision deadline: January 31
Decisions are mailed by April 15
Transfers
Transfer application deadline: January 31
Admissions Information
Freshmen Admissions
Number of applicants: 16,299
Enrolled: 1,134
Yield: 87%
Acceptance rate: 8%
Middle SAT Range (25 to 75 Percentile)
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing: 560-680
SAT Math: 590-690
Middle ACT Range (25 to 75 Percentile)
ACT English: 25-34
ACT Math: 26-32
Standardized Test Requirements
SAT/ACT required
Writing portion not required
SAT Subject Tests not required
Graduation Rates
Rhodes Scholars
R&D Expenditures
Score Card Information
Graduation Rates
4 years: 90%
6 years: 91%
Total Rhodes Scholars: 50
R&D Expenditures: $13.54 million
Financial Aid
Tuition, room and board are covered by the U.S. Government. All students are on Active Duty as members of the U.S. military and receive an annual salary. First-year students earn roughly $1,000 each month. Laundry, barber, cobbler, activities fees, yearbook and other service charges are deducted from that monthly pay. Actual cash pay is $100 per month for first-year midshipmen and this cash pay increases each year thereafter.
For purposes of calculating our median AdmissionsConsultants Top 25 Liberal Arts financial aid statistics, we omitted the service academies. (As opposed to using values of zero to drive down the median for this group.)
Student Residence
Undergraduate Class Sizes
Student to Faculty Ratio
Student Population
Additional Information
Student to Faculty Ratio: 8 to 1
Women: 26%
Students living in campus housing: 100%
Greek life: N/A
Undergraduate Class Sizes
Under 20: 70%
20 to 39: 30%
40 to 99: 0%
100+: 0%
Student Population
Total: 4,528 (all undergraduate)
Student Residence
In State: 5%
Out of State: 90%
International: 1%
Unknown: 4%
