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, 2024.
- 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 2023-2024 is currently closed. The application period for 2024-2025 opens on September 1, 2024 and closes at 11:59 p.m., November 1, 2024.
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, 2024. 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.
2024-2025 Application requirements
Access to the online application opens September 1, 2024 and closes at 11:59 p.m., November 1, 2024. 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, 2024. 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:
- One-page resume only
- Three letters of recommendation: Letters must be addressed to Sen. Kennedy and may come from sources of the candidate’s choice but cannot include family members. These letters should be scanned individually or uploaded directly by the applicant in the online portal unless the applicant provides 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. Applicants may submit only three letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation will not be accepted if they are not uploaded to the online portal or emailed to academy_kennedy@kennedy.senate.gov by 11:59 p.m., November 1, 2024 or the applicant will be disqualified from the interview phase of the process.
- Transcript: An official transcript of the applicant’s high school academic record must show his or her final junior grades and numerical class rank or percentile rank. If the applicant’s school only provides sealed transcripts and letters of recommendation, those may be mailed to Sen. Kennedy’s Monroe office. Please notify the Academy Nominations Coordinator if this is the applicant’s school’s policy. Transcripts must be uploaded or postmarked to academy_kennedy@kennedy.senate.gov by 11:59 p.m., November 1, 2024, or the applicant will be disqualified from the interview phase of the process.
- College boards (SAT and/or ACT scores): Sen. Kennedy requires a score or at least 25 on the ACT or a 1200 on the SAT to apply for a nomination, but meeting the minimum score does not guarantee an applicant will move on to the interview phase of the process. The applicant’s scores may be submitted from the respective testing agency, or the applicant may upload a copy of the scores printed from the testing agency website. Applicants will upload this document through their online portals. Scores will only be accepted in these two ways. If an applicant is waiting on scores from a previous test date at the time applications are due, candidates should notify the Academy Nominations Coordinator via email at academy_kennedy@kennedy.senate.gov.
- Candidate essays: Essays will provide a more in-depth view of each applicant’s desire to attend an academy. Therefore, applicants must answer each question included on the online application.
- Headshot: 2 ½” X 3 ½” photo: Applicants should submit a jpeg or png file for his or her headshot. Please do not submit a headshot in any other format.
Interviews
After the November 1, 2024 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.
You will be notified by no later than November 20, 2024 if you moving to the interview phase. 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
