Military Academy Nominations

Instructions

The honor of attending a service academy comes with the obligation and commitment to serve in the military for a minimum of five years upon graduation. For more information, please review the page of Frequently Asked Questions for those seeking a Military Academy Nomination.

Members of Congress may nominate candidates for appointment to four of the five U.S. service academies: U.S. Military Academy (USMA), West Point, NY; the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA), Annapolis, MD; the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), Colorado Springs, CO; and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), Kings Point, NY. The fifth service academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (USCGA), New London, CT, does not require a congressional nomination for appointment.

Representative Casten may nominate up to ten individuals for each vacant academy slot allotted to our district. To request a Military Academy Nomination from our office, please complete the form below. Best wishes to you as you pursue your goal of attending one of the U.S. Service Academies and serving our country.

In addition to submitting a complete nomination application to Congressman Casten, applicants must also apply directly to their respective military academy. Nominations cannot be awarded unless a file is open with the academy.

Eligibility Requirements

As of July 1st of the year of admission to an academy:

  • Be at least 17 years old, but not have passed the 23rd birthday
  • Must be a U.S. citizen
  • Unmarried, not pregnant, and without legal obligation to support children or dependents
  • Legal resident of Illinois 6th Congressional District. 

2020 Nomination Program Schedule

May 15, 2020                 Application Period Begins
October 26, 2020         Application Submission Deadline
November 7, 2020       Interview Day for Qualified Applicants
December 1, 2020       Nominations Submitted to Academies
December 31, 2020     Nomination Result Notifications mailed to applicants.

Nomination Application

To be considered for a nomination by Congressman Casten, each applicant must complete and submit a web based application before 11:59pm on October 26, 2020.

Items to be received separately

Official High School Transcript sent to the address below.

Official SAT/ACT Scores: Scores must be sent directly to the address below by the testing service.  The institution code: SAT 6605 ACT 7380.

Three Letters of Recommendation: One letter must be written by a science or math teacher and the remaining letters may be written by teachers, coaches, employers, clergy or community leaders. Letters should be mailed separately by the writer to the address below.

U.S. Representative Casten
Attn: Academy Nomination Program
800 Roosevelt Rd, BLDG C Suite 210
Glen Ellyn IL 60137

NOTE:  With the number of test date cancellations due to COVID, Representative Casten is waiving the requirement to submit an SAT or ACT score for his 2021 nomination process. We encourage you to submit your score if you have one or plan on taking the October test.  

Interviews

Applicants who complete and submit their nomination application on or before 11:59pm October 26, 2020, will be interviewed by Congressman Casten’s Service Academy Review Board. The board will submit nomination recommendations to the Congressman.  This highly-qualified, non-partisan board ensures a fair and impartial nomination process.

In addition to submitting a complete nomination application to Congressman Casten, applicants must also apply directly to their respective military academy(s). Nominations cannot be awarded unless a file is open with the academy. 

Application

Click to save, print, and sign the Service Academy Privacy Release form. This form will need to be attached to your web based application at the link below. The web based application found at the link below will also require you to submit a photo of yourself. Please print and sign the privacy release and have a digital version ready to upload, along with your picture to the web based application before starting.

When you have the signed privacy release and a photo of yourself ready, please complete and submit the Service Academy Web Form.