Many middle school and early high school students are already interested in attending West Point. You may have a relative who served in the military or heard about West Point from a current cadet on a hometown visit. However you learned about West Point, it is never too early to begin preparing for your success!

Yes!  International cadets are fully assimilated into the Corps of Cadets. Their four-year experience here is identical to that of U.S. cadets.

Up to 60 international cadets may study at West Point at any given time. Eligible countries are selected on an annual basis by the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Department of Defense. The American embassies notify invited nations to nominate up to six candidates per country to compete for admission to West Point.

To apply for admission to West Point, contact the U.S. Defense Attaché Office at the American Embassy in your country. This office serves as the link between the student, the host nation, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

The application process for international students is essentially the same as that for U.S. citizens; however, you must be sponsored by a national-level government official.

The application steps are the same for soldiers; however, soldiers can obtain a nomination from their company commanders and are automatically considered for the Preparatory School if not directly admitted to West Point.

As a soldier, you must be assessed by your company or lowest-level unit commander. Commanders are highly encouraged to view the Information for Units and Commanders document. While this assessment constitutes a nomination, Soldiers are also strongly encouraged to obtain additional nominations from your congressional nomination sources.

If you are academically disqualified, you will be automatically considered for admission to the United States Military Academy Preparatory School (USMAPS), where you may later be considered for admission to West Point.

For more information, please visit our Information for Current Soldiers page.

West Point is home to 25 Division I sports for both men and women.  If you would like to be considered for recruitment, your first step is to fill out the coach's questionnaire under the "Recruiting" tab for your respective sport.  

NOTE:  The coaches for Men's Football and Men's Ice Hockey must be contacted directly via email or phone.

If your file is competitive for consideration to the Academy, you will be given the opportunity to complete the application process regardless of recruitment in your sport.

For more information, call (845) 938-5723 or email the Recruited Athlete / Congressional Liaison Officer.

No. Students in college or with previous college credit may apply to West Point if they meet the basic requirements. However, those students still enter West Point as plebes (freshmen) and must complete the four-year program.

You will need to provide one of the following: 

• United States passport
• Your original citizenship certificate
• Immigration & Naturalization Service Citizenship Verification form G-639 (preferred)

West Point's tattoo policy is dictated by Army Regulation 670-1. Below is a synopsis of the Army policy, including tattoo placement and a description of tattoos that are not authorized.
 
Unauthorized Tattoo Locations:

• On the head, neck, and face (anything above the T-shirt line, including on/inside the eyelids, mouth, and ears).
• On the hands, fingers, and wrists (below the wrist bone).

Categories of Unauthorized Tattoos:

• Extremist tattoos or brands affiliated with, depicting, or symbolizing extremist philosophies, organizations, or activities.
• Indecent tattoos or brands that are grossly offensive to modesty, decency, propriety, or professionalism.
• Sexist tattoos or brands that advocate a philosophy that degrades or demeans a person based on gender, but may not meet the same definition of "indecent."
• Racist tattoos or brands that advocate a philosophy that degrades or demeans a person based on race, ethnicity, or national origin.

View  the U.S. Army Hair and Appearance Guidelines

Academics account for about 60% of your application score. This is a combination of your high school grades and your standardized test scores. When making our student acceptance decisions, we will look at your transcripts for freshman, sophomore, junior, and first-semester senior years.

To qualify academically at West Point, you should have an above-average high school or college academic record. A complete transcript of your academic achievement will be evaluated to determine your qualifications. You should perform well on the ACT, SAT or CLT*. These tests indicate your potential for academic success during your first year in college.

Optional test sections (like ACT Science Reasoning or the ACT Writing Test) are not required.

*The Classic Learning Test (CLT) will be accepted beginning in February 2026 for the West Point Class of 2031.

To make your application strong, you are encouraged to take part in extracurricular activities that demonstrate leadership skills and potential.  Examples include, but are not limited to, Eagle Scouts, Girl Scout Gold Award, sports team captain, class leadership positions, club leadership positions, and American Legion Boys/Girls State programs. In general, it is better to seek leadership positions within just a few extracurriculars than to just participate in many.

The Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA) consists of six events: basketball throw, pull-ups (men & women)/flexed-arm hang (women who cannot do one pull-up), shuttle run, modified sit-ups, push-ups, and one mile run. You are permitted just one examination, and you should practice the six events prior to taking the examination.

You must be in good physical and mental health and pass a Department of Defense qualifying medical examination. 

Are there any COVID-19-related requirements?    
No. Effective Feb. 22, 2023, COVID-19 vaccinations are no longer mandatory for admission to the United States Military Academy or the United States Military Academy Preparatory School.

Is 20/20 eyesight required for qualification?    
No, but your eyesight must be correctable to 20/20 with glasses or contact lenses.

Take the SAT, ACT, or CLT* as early and often as practicable. If you are a junior, it is to your advantage to take a standardized test by the end of your junior year.  Check SAT, ACT, and CLT websites for test dates.

* The Classic Learning Test (CLT) will be accepted beginning in February 2026 for the West Point Class of 2031

We recommend using the results of your first standardized test to identify areas where you can study and improve for a retest, and to make your application more competitive. Retest if needed, and send us the results of all the tests that you take. We will combine your best subject scores from multiple tests to make the best total score.

The SAT, ACT, and CLT websites have free materials to help you prepare for these tests.

Unofficial scores may be used to submit your initial application, but a completed application must have official scores sent directly from the testing service. 

• For SAT, use the USMA school code 2924.
• For ACT, use the USMA school code 2976.
• For CLT, select United States Military Academy when sharing scores.

The standardized test you take must be timed. We encourage applicants to take and submit multiple tests, and since we superscore your results, we will use the test scores in which you performed the best.

Initially, you will be asked to submit a high school transcript through at least your junior year (6 semesters). You will be asked to update your transcript with the results of the first half of your senior year (7 semester transcript) to complete your application and, if offered admission, with your final high school transcript.

Transcripts must: 

• Be OFFICIAL copies
• Be SIGNED by your high school's official
• If you attended more than one high school, the overall requirements are the same. 

If you have further questions about your transcripts, please communicate directly with your Regional Commander.

Applicants must be evaluated by four school officials. You will enter the school officials contact information into your application, and West Point will contact them directly to complete the evaluation.

You must have evaluations from: 

• An English teacher
• A math teacher
• A lab science teacher (physics or chemistry) 

For candidates who are enrolled full-time at another college or university prior to applying to West Point, two additional evaluations are required from your college teachers (English, math, or science).

All candidates are required to compose responses to three topics listed in the application. You must complete your statements before your admissions file is evaluated. Since the responses will be reviewed and evaluated, we highly recommend that you take your time composing the responses before submitting them.

If you have specific questions not answered by these FAQ, contact your regional admissions team either by email or by phone during business hours (9 a.m.-5 p.m. Eastern Time).

Congressional nominations are competitive and awarded by members of Congress (Senators and Congresspersons). The individual members of Congress determine their own selection criteria and application procedures. Members of Congress can make up to 15 nominations for each vacancy at West Point.

Service-connected nominations are typically not competitive and are instead automatically conferred when a candidate meets certain criteria relating to their own or their parents' military service. For example, if you currently service in the Army reserve, you are eligible for a nomination based on that service (with your commander's endorsement), or if either of your parents' meet the criteria for "career military" (see FAQ below for more details), then you are eligible for a nomination based on their service.

Receiving a nomination is required before a candidate can be offered admissions, but a nomination does not guarantee a candidate will be offered admission.

To apply for a nomination from your Congressional Representative or Senators, you will need to apply directly through their office. Each has their own process and requirements, so you will need to visit their specific websites to find out what is needed. Follow these links to locate your Congressional Representative or Senator. Typically, Service Academy Nomination information is listed under "Services" on their websites.

Typically, you will submit high school transcripts, standardized test scores, essays, and letters of recommendation, but you may need to submit other items based on the specific requirements of your Representative or Senator.

Nomination application deadlines vary depending on the office, but typically they are due between late September and late October. Make sure to check your Senators and Congresspersons websites for their individual deadlines.

• Those enlisted in the Army (Active, Reserve, and National Guard)
• Members of Army Junior and Senior Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) Units and Honor ROTC Units of other services
• Children of deceased or disabled veterans and children of prisoners of war or service members missing in action
• Children of Medal of Honor Awardees
• Children of career military personnel (parent must be on active duty and have served continuously for 8 years or be in the Reserves and have the equivalent reserve points)

To secure a nomination, soldiers (active duty, Reserve, or National Guard) must have a letter of endorsement from their commander.

• Applicants currently enrolled in an Army Junior or Senior Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program or an ROTC program from another branch of service that has been designated as an Honor Unit with Distinction are eligible for a nomination in this category.
• To assess your eligibility and begin this nomination process, complete the Service Connected Nomination Eligibility Questionnaire in your candidate portal.

Applicants must furnish a statement of service, retirement orders, or casualty report to verify eligibility for this nomination.

Career military personnel, for the purpose of service-connected nominations, are defined as:

• members of an Armed Force (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard) who are
  • currently on active duty (other than for training) with at least eight years of continuous active-duty service,
  • who are retired with pay or granted retired or retainer pay
  • who died while they were, retired with pay or granted retired or retainer pay.
• Service members currently serving in the reserve component who are credited with at least eight continuous years of service computed under section 12733 of Title 10, United States Code
• Reservists who:
  • would be entitled to retirement pay except for not having attained 60 years of age
  • who died while they would have been entitled to retirement pay except for not having attained 60 years of age

NOTE:  A stepparent's military service is applicable for this category only if the applicant was adopted.

Work on improving your general fitness level, but especially your upper-body strength and your one-mile run. The pull-up/flexed arm hang, pushups, and one-mile run are the most physically demanding events. Also practice all of the events and give yourself a practice test following all of the instructions. Ensure you practice each event to the standards shown in the videos available on Step 5 of Steps to Admissions page.

Begin practicing the events in the Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA) NOW! It is harder than you think. For more information, please read the full CFA Instructions. After you have practiced each event enough to become familiar, we recommend that you put yourself through a full practice assessment. When you take the CFA for an official score, you will have to complete the events consecutively with a 3-minute rest period between the first five events and an 8-minute rest before beginning the final one-mile run event.