Academy Dreams
Hamilton Hall, a brick building with a white clock tower, on a summer day

USCGA · New London, Connecticut

U.S. Coast Guard Academy

The only academy with no nomination step. Graduates are commissioned as Coast Guard ensigns.

Coast GuardDepartment of Homeland SecurityNomination: Not required

Hamilton Hall at the Coast Guard Academy, July 2008. Photo: US Coast Guard Academy via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

Hamilton Hall and bare trees on a snowy lawn
Hamilton Hall in winter, February 2007. Photo: US Coast Guard Academy via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
A brick academy building with a white clock tower after a snowfall
The Coast Guard Academy after a snowfall, January 2004. Photo: PA1 Sarah Foster-Snell, U.S. Coast Guard (via US Coast Guard Academy) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
10 Majors USCGA: About
Not required Nomination USCGA: Admission Requirements
NCAA Division III Athletics 12 men’s, 10 women’s, 1 co-ed varsity team · USCGA: Athletics
5 years Service commitment USCGA: About

Key takeaways

  • No congressional nomination is needed.
  • Swab Summer is the first summer, including time aboard the barque Eagle.
  • Every cadet competes through varsity, club or intramural sports.
  • Graduates are commissioned as Coast Guard ensigns and serve five years.
  • Rising seniors can apply to the Academy Introduction Mission (AIM).

Drawn from the sourced guide below.

Admissions numbers

Official figures only. Each academy counts applicants its own way. All figures and definitions

19.9% Acceptance rate Calculated About 1,853 completed applications · 368 appointments Year not stated · Appointments ÷ completed applications (368 ÷ 1,853) · USCGA Typical Class Profile
285 Entering class Class of 2030 · content.govdelivery.com

From USCGA’s “typical class” profile, which gives no class year.

Class profile 3 measures · Class of 2029
MeasureValueClass
Women 37%↗ Class of 2029
States represented 43↗ Class of 2029
International students
i
From Jordan, the Philippines, Tunisia and Ecuador.
 7↗ Class of 2029
Earlier classes 5 figures
MeasureValueClass
Entering class
i
'Approximately 250' arrived June 30, 2025.
 250↗ Class of 2029
Completed applications
i
'Approximately 1,853 students complete the application process'.
 1,853↗ Year not stated
Appointments offered 368↗ Year not stated
Sworn in
i
Includes 6 international cadets.
 265↗ Year not stated
Admit rate Calculated
i
Calculated: appointments ÷ completed applications = 368 ÷ 1,853 = 19.86%. Based on undated 'typical class' figures. Don't attach it to a specific class year.
 19.86%↗ Year not stated

Class of 2031 dates

  1. July 15 Class application opens uscga.edu · checked Oct 17, 2026
  2. July 13 DoDMERB medical process begins for next incoming class uscga.edu · checked Oct 17, 2026
  3. October 15 Early Action deadline uscga.edu · checked Oct 17, 2026
  4. By December 23 Early Action decisions released uscga.edu · checked Oct 17, 2026
  5. January 15 Regular Admission deadline uscga.edu · checked Oct 17, 2026
  6. February 15 Medical exams complete (Early Action candidates) uscga.edu · checked Oct 17, 2026
  7. By April 1 Regular Admission decisions; medical exams complete (Regular candidates) uscga.edu · checked Oct 17, 2026
  8. May 1 Appointment acceptance; medical qualification / waiver approval deadline uscga.edu · checked Oct 17, 2026
  9. June 1 Enrollment paperwork due uscga.edu · checked Oct 17, 2026
  10. April 1 of junior year (opens early February) AIM summer program application closes uscga.edu · checked Oct 17, 2026

Dates change. Confirm on the official admissions site. All academies’ deadlines

Summer program

Academy Introduction Mission (AIM)

Students entering their senior year

Sessions
July sessions – exact dates TBD – verify
Apply
Opens early February; closes April 1; decisions May 1
Cost
$750 (Sessions I–III, in person); Session IV virtual: free

Source: uscga.edu, checked Oct 17, 2026 · Compare all five

Life by year

One page per class year: milestones, training, privileges and the commitment. All academies

Year 1 · Fourth class

Fourth class year

Fourth class year starts with seven-week Swab Summer, including a week aboard EAGLE. Fourth class cadets learn to follow, stand duty and finish at the Fourth Class Qualification Board.

Year 2 · Third class

Third class year

Third class cadets spend part of the summer aboard EAGLE and the rest at Coast Guard units, apply to their major and mentor fourth class cadets.

Year 3 · Second class

Second class year

Second class cadets run Swab Summer as cadre, hold their first formally assigned leadership positions and receive the signet ring in April.

Year 4 · First class

First class year

First class cadets train as junior officers in the summer, hold every leadership position in the Corps and learn their first assignments at Billet Night.

Before you arrive: high school, grade by grade

Freshman year (9th grade)Sophomore year (10th grade)Junior year (11th grade)Senior year (12th grade)

Overview

What it is
A military college that grants Bachelor of Science degrees in "one of ten engineering or professional majors." Graduates are commissioned as Ensigns in the Coast Guard1. The Academy "charges no tuition"1.
Size
"approximately 200 graduates are commissioned as Coast Guard officers" each year1.
Location and campus
on the banks of the Thames River in New London, Connecticut. The Academy moved to its current site in 1932 and now has about 34 buildings on 103 acres1.
Training ship
USCGC EAGLE, a sail training ship for cadets, "seized as a war prize from Nazi Germany"1.
No nomination needed
USCGA is the only one of the five academies that doesn't require a congressional nomination2.
Class names
fourth class (freshmen; "Swabs" during the first summer), third class (sophomores), second class (juniors), and first class (seniors)34.
Class size: official pages count different things
The admissions page says USCGA "annually admits about 300 cadets." The Typical Class Profile lists 368 appointments offered and 265 sworn in25.
  1. USCGA: About
  2. USCGA Admission Requirements
  3. USCGA: Mission
  4. Swab Summer
  5. Typical Class Profile

Mission

"To graduate young men and women with sound bodies, stout hearts, and alert minds, with a liking for the sea and its lore, and with that high sense of honor, loyalty, and obedience which goes with trained initiative and leadership; well-grounded in seamanship, the sciences, and amenities, and strong in the resolve to be worthy of the traditions of commissioned officers in the United States Coast Guard in the service of their country and humanity."1

Small wording difference: the About page prints the same statement with slightly different commas2.

  1. USCGA: Mission
  2. USCGA: About

Majors and academics

Ten majors
"The U.S. Coast Guard Academy offers ten academic majors": Civil and Environmental Engineering; Electrical Engineering; Cyber Systems; Interdisciplinary Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering; Operations Research and Data Analytics; Marine and Environmental Sciences; Management; and Government1.
Core
"All cadets pursue a liberal arts-based core curriculum"1.
When you pick
"During your Third Class year you apply for entry to your major"2.
Mariner credential
First class cadets must pass the Rules of the Road exam. "Most cadets have accumulated enough time at sea and in shipboard simulators to earn their 100 gross ton, merchant mariners license"3.
  1. USCGA: Academic Majors
  2. USCGA: Third Class Year
  3. USCGA: First Class Year

Athletics

Every cadet competes
"every cadet competes through varsity, club, or intramural sports"1.
Division and teams
"one of the broadest athletic programs in NCAA Division III, with 12 men's, 10 women's, and one co-ed varsity team; six chartered club sports; and 15+ recreational sports"1.
Conference
We didn't find an academy page that names USCGA's conference affiliation, so we leave it out. Check the official athletics site, coastguardathletics.com.
Fitness
Cadets take physical education every semester and must pass a Physical Fitness Exam (PFE) once a semester1.
  1. USCGA: Athletics

Service commitment and branch options

Branch
Graduates commission as Ensigns in the U.S. Coast Guard1. USCGA's pages describe no option to commission into another service.
Commitment
"Graduates are obligated to serve for 5 years"1. USCGA's pages don't break out reserve time or longer obligations for flight school, so confirm with USCGA.
First jobs
mostly sea duty as Deck Watch Officers or Engineers in Training. Some graduates have "their first command as soon as two years after receiving their commission"2.
Pay
Coast Guard officers use the same military pay structure as other services: base pay plus housing and subsistence allowances3.
  1. USCGA: About
  2. Your First Assignment
  3. USCGA: Pay and Benefits

Summer program for high schoolers

AIM (Academy Introduction Mission)
a week-long program for students entering their senior year1.
Eligibility
U.S. citizen (dual citizenship is OK), ages 16 to 18, unmarried, not pregnant, no dependents. The application is free2.
Dates
The latest posted timeline is for 2026: the application opened in early February and closed April 1, with decisions May 1 and in-person Sessions I–III in July plus a virtual Session IV1. 2027 dates: not yet published.
Cost as posted
$750 for in-person sessions. The virtual session is free. Families pay for travel1.
Bonus
An AIM fitness score may be used for your application3. USCGA uses its own fitness test (the PFE), not the CFA. Attending AIM doesn't guarantee admission.
  1. USCGA AIM
  2. USCGA Apply to AIM
  3. USCGA Apply

Rankings

Third-party opinions, not official academy data. They say nothing about your chances.

U.S. News 2027

  • #1 Regional Colleges North
  • #1 Top Public Schools (Regional Colleges North)
  • #10 (tie) Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs (doctorate not offered)

Publisher page: usnews.com. 2027 edition, checked Oct 18, 2026. Each rank compares schools within its own list.

Princeton Review 2027

Included in The Best 392 Colleges (2027 edition).

Best Value CollegesBest NortheastTuition-Free Schools

Designations, not numbered ranks. Princeton Review profile, checked Oct 18, 2026.

Forbes’ 2027 America’s Top Colleges list doesn’t include the service academies, and Washington Monthly leaves them out by design. All rankings

Other academies

USNA

U.S. Naval Academy

Annapolis, Maryland

USMA

U.S. Military Academy (West Point)

West Point, New York

USAFA

U.S. Air Force Academy

Colorado Springs, Colorado

USMMA

U.S. Merchant Marine Academy

Kings Point, New York

Keep every USCGA date on your calendar.

Coming soon: reminder emails before applications open, nomination deadlines close and summer program windows shut.

Reminders coming soonCompare all five