Academy Nominations

Every year, Senator Wyden has the distinct honor of nominating a select group of young Oregonians to attend one of the four service academies: the United States Air Force Academy, the United States Merchant Marine Academy, the United States Military Academy, and the United States Naval Academy.

In order to be considered for a nomination, an applicant must meet all of the following eligibility requirements by July 1 of the year of admission:

• be between the ages of 17 and 23.
• be a U.S. citizen,
• be a resident of the state of Oregon
• be unmarried, not pregnant, and have no legal obligation to support children or other dependents.

Each Senator and Representative may have a maximum of five cadets or midshipmen at each service academy at one time. During the summer, the service academies report the number of vacancies available for the coming admissions cycle to each member of Congress. Throughout the year, Senator Wyden's office is notified by each academy whenever additional vacancies become available because of graduations, transfers, resignations, academic failures or other reasons. The office may nominate up to fifteen candidates for each vacancy at the Air Force Academy, Naval Academy, and Military Academy at West Point. The office may nominate up to ten candidates for each vacancy at the Merchant Marine Academy.

Applicants may apply for and receive nominations from both of their Senators and from their Representative. Applicants may also apply to the Vice President of the United States, who can nominate applicants at large. Applicants should apply to the service academy of their choice in the spring of their junior year in high school and request a nomination from the appropriate nomination source shortly thereafter.

Application Requirements

STEP 1: Complete Senator Wyden's online Academy Nomination Application form. Be sure to include the service academy or academies you are applying to, in order of preference.

STEP 2: Print and mail -- or email -- all required materials listed below by the deadline. NOTE: Senator Wyden does NOT conduct interviews for nominations.

REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS:

• Resume/Extracurricular activities, awards, achievements: To include school activities, sports, work experience, community involvement, church activities, honors and awards. This may be submitted as a resume or list of activities.
• Three (3) letters of recommendation: These must come from non-family members, one of which should be from a high school counselor or teacher.
• Essay (maximum 500 words): The focus of this essay should be on your leadership experience, abilities, or potential and why you wish to attend a service academy.
• High School transcript: Your most recent transcript; not earlier than upon completion of your Junior year.
  • If mailed, this must be submitted in a sealed envelope
  • If emailed, this must bear an official signature from a school official
• College transcript (if applicable)
  • If mailed, this must be submitted in a sealed envelope
  • If emailed, this must bear an official signature from a school official
• Test Scores: Official reports of SAT and/or ACT scores must be sent directly from ACT, Inc. or the College Board. If you are testing after our application deadline has passed, please inform our Portland office.

Senator Wyden's college codes: SAT: 4984 | ACT: 7174

• Headshot (optional): To personalize your application, please feel free to include a photo of yourself.

DEADLINE: Monday, November 2, 2026 by 11:59 PM PST

NOTIFICATION OF NOMINATION: Applicants who receive an academy nomination from Senator Wyden will receive an official notification letter no later than January 31, 2027.

Mail or email application materials to:

Office of U.S. Senator Ron Wyden
911 NE 11th Ave, Suite 630
Portland, OR 97232

constituentservices_@wyden.senate.gov

IMPORTANT: In addition to applying for a nomination, candidates must also submit an admissions application to the academy or academies of their choice. You can learn more about each of the nation's service academies and their applications processes at the links below:

IMPORTANT: In addition to applying for a nomination, candidates must also submit an admissions application to the academy or academies of their choice. You can learn more about each of the nation's service academies and their applications processes at the links below: