Academy Dreams
Aerial view of the Naval Academy grounds and the Severn River in Annapolis

USNA · High school roadmap

Junior year: U.S. Naval Academy11th grade · The launch year

Your 11th grade checklist for USNA, built from the official pages we track.

The Naval Academy and the Severn River from the air, October 2012. Photo: U.S. Navy (National Museum of the U.S. Navy) via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (U.S. government work).

Why this year matters

Junior year is when the academies' application windows open and the summer programs fill. Current juniors are applying for the Class of 2032. That cycle's exact dates are not yet published, so the timing below uses each academy's general "junior year" guidance plus the summer-2027 program dates that are posted.

Checklist for junior year

SAT / ACT

  • Test policies differ:
    • USNA takes the SAT, ACT, or CLT, wants full score reports, and doesn't accept tests taken with accommodations2.
  • Score-send codes: USNA SAT 5809 / ACT 17422; USAFA SAT 4830 / ACT 05303; USCGA SAT 5807 / ACT 06004; USMMA SAT 2923 / ACT 29745. West Point's codes are not listed on the pages we reviewed.

Summer programs (apply during junior year, attend summer 2027)

  • Applying to a summer program can also start your admissions file:
    • USNA: the Summer Seminar application is your preliminary application2.

Nominations: start in spring of junior year

  • USNA suggests contacting your Representative and both Senators in spring of junior year; "Many Congressional members set an early fall deadline"1. USAFA notes that "many offices have deadlines as early as Sept. 1"8.
  • Apply to every source you qualify for: both U.S. Senators, your U.S. Representative, and the Vice President, plus any service-connected categories910. You don't need to know the official personally10.
  • Vice Presidential nomination (USNA, West Point, and USAFA only): apply online between March 1 and January 31 before your entry year11.
  • Every congressional office sets its own deadline and process (essays, recommendations, interviews). Find yours at house.gov and senate.gov8.

Fitness in junior year

  • Benchmarks worth knowing:
    • USNA and West Point publish maximum scores1213.
    • No academy publishes a CFA "passing" score. Treat the averages as a target, not a minimum.

Medical prep (junior year)

  • No exam yet, but get ready:
    • Keep your medical records organized. DoDMERB looks for actual doctor's notes, and parents may need to request records for students under 1814.
    • Don't get refractive eye surgery. USNA calls it disqualifying15, and USAFA says not to have it before entry16.
    • Plan to finish orthodontic treatment before entry1617.

Key deadlines

When the academies' applications open (published pattern)

USNA1

  • Opens: April of junior year (preliminary application), or apply to Summer Seminar Jan–Mar, which counts as the preliminary application

Summer programs (apply during junior year, attend summer 2027)

USNA Summer Seminar7

  • Application window: Not yet published. The 2026 window was Jan. 6 – Mar. 31, 20266
  • 2027 sessions: June 5–10, June 12–17, June 19–24, 2027
  • Cost: $575 program fee, plus travel

Dates change. Always confirm on the official USNA admissions site and your congressional offices’ pages.

USNA-specific notes

  • USNA suggests testing "early and often," starting by December of junior year1.

USNA18; 2

  • Local representatives: Blue and Gold Officers (volunteers assigned to schools; the BGO interview is required)
  • How to connect: Email your state's Area Coordinator; after you're a candidate, check the portal's "Points of Contact"

Eligibility basics2

  • Age: 17 to not past 23rd birthday on July 1 of the entry year
  • Other basics: U.S. citizen by July 1; unmarried; not pregnant; no dependents

Sources

  1. USNA Advice (usna.edu)
  2. USNA Apply (usna.edu)
  3. USAFA Grades 11–12 (usafa.edu)
  4. USCGA Requirements (uscga.edu)
  5. USMMA 8 Steps (usmma.edu)
  6. USNA PAO (usna.edu)
  7. USNA Summer Seminar (usna.edu)
  8. USAFA Nominations (usafa.edu)
  9. West Point Nomination Planning (westpoint.edu)
  10. USNA Nomination Sources (usna.edu)
  11. White House (whitehouse.gov)
  12. USNA CFA (usna.edu)
  13. West Point CFA (westpoint.edu)
  14. DHA: DoDMERB (dha.mil)
  15. USNA FAQ (usna.edu)
  16. USAFA Requirements (usafa.edu)
  17. USCGA Disqualifying Conditions (uscga.edu)
  18. USNA BGO Coordinators (usna.edu)

Keep every USNA date on your calendar.

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

Reminders coming soonAll deadlines