Dear Fellow Floridian,
Each year, I have the honor of nominating promising young men and women from Florida to attend one of our nation's four incredible service academies – the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland; the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado; the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in New York.
Our United States military represents the best of what it means to be an American and a Floridian, and I am always impressed by the number of young men and women who are eager to serve. As your United States Senator, it's my honor to invite you to our office's Service Academy Day, in collaboration with Congressman Greg Steube’s office, for students and families to learn more about the nomination process. Representatives from the four service academies, as well as representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, which does not require a congressional nomination, will be present to answer your questions. This event will be at Sarasota Military Academy on Tuesday, July 29th, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Registration begins promptly at 10:00 AM. For more details, see below or the attached flyer.
When? Tuesday, July 29th, 2025; 10:00am – 1:00 pm
Where? Sarasota Military Academy; 801 North Orange Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236.
Who? Families and students who are interested in applying to U.S. Service Academies are invited to learn more information on the nomination process.
If you have any questions, please reach out to our Southwest Florida District Director, Erin Dever at (239) 231-6025 or Erin_De...@rickscott.senate.gov or our Tampa Bay Region District Director, Luis Laracuente at (813) 225-7040 or Luis_La...@RickScott.senate.gov.
Sincerely,

Rick Scott
United States Senator
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About Academy Nominations: All members of Congress are authorized by law to nominate candidates for appointment to four of the five U.S. Service Academies. These schools include the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Military Academy, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. The fifth service academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, does not require a congressional nomination for appointment. In addition to requesting a nomination from a Member of Congress, or another nominating official, an individual seeking appointment to a service academy must separately apply to the service academies to which he or she seeks to be appointed.
To learn more about my nomination process, please read the information below and visit my website HERE.
Please find more information and frequently asked questions below, or on Senator Scott’s website HERE. For additional questions, please contact our office at Nomin...@rickscott.senate.gov.
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Q: What are the eligibility requirements?
A:To qualify for a service academy, an applicant must meet all of the eligibility criteria required by the respective service academy, including the following:
- Citizenship: U.S. citizen or national;
- Must be a Florida resident;
- Age: At least 17 years of age and not yet 23 years old on July 1 of the year the applicant would enter an academy (25 years old for USMMA);
- Dependent Status: Unmarried; Not pregnant, and without legal obligation to support children or other dependents
- Meet the academic, physical, medical, and all other eligibility requirements of the respective service academies
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Q. What documents are required in my nomination application?
A. The following documents must be completed and received by our office no later than Friday, September 26, 2025:
- Completed and Submitted Questionnaire;
- Two (2) Letters of Recommendation;
- Headshot;
- Unofficial High School Transcript;
- If you’ve completed any courses at a college or university, please include unofficial transcripts for each of the academic institutions attended.
- SAT/ACT Scores;
- To directly submit your SAT/ACT test scores to Senator Rick Scott's office, please use the SAT test code of 0220 and ACT test code of 7118. Please note, it takes approximately six weeks for our office to receive official scores. Our office must receive SAT/ACT test scores from the testing agency by September 26, 2025. To provide equal opportunity for all applicants, we will not accept any late submissions.
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Q. What is the timeline for the nomination process?
A. All application materials must be submitted by Friday, September 26, 2025. Late submissions will not be accepted.
To ensure your materials are considered for review, please submit all required materials through the online application portal available HERE.
Please note, all other methods of submission will not be accepted.
Below you will find the official timeline for our nomination process. We expect all applicants to plan accordingly to meet all posted deadlines.
March 10, 2025 |
Application portal opens |
September 26, 2025 |
Deadline to submit application and required materials |
Week of October 13, 2025 |
Students notified of interview status via email |
October 25, 2025 |
In-person Interviews conducted (Tampa) |
November 2025 through December 31, 2025: |
Nomination selections made |
January 31, 2026: |
Deadline for Congressional Nomination Submissions to U.S. Service Academies |
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Q: How do I submit my application and the required documents?
A: All application materials must be directly uploaded to your online application profile. No other methods of submission will be considered, including sending to our office through any mail carrier services.
Access your online application profile HERE.
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Q: Is my application complete and submitted? A: To determine the status of your application, please log into your online application portal. To complete your application, please ensure you’ve submitted each of the application requirements including your questionnaire, two letters of recommendation, unofficial transcripts, official test scores and profile photo.
Completed checklist requirements will be indicated with a checkmark and the statuses “Complete” or “Received”. If your online application portal lists one of these requirements as “Incomplete” or “Not Submitted” your application isn’t finalized. To maintain eligibility for further consideration, you are encouraged to complete all of the application requirements by the September 26, 2025 deadline.
If you have fulfilled each requirement, your application is considered submitted. Please note, you may receive automated reminder emails throughout the remainder of the application cycle. If college/university transcripts or “enlisted only” documents do not apply to you, then you are not required to submit documentation as they are listed as optional.
You may receive reminder emails throughout the remainder of the application cycle.
Please allow our office until the week of October 13, 2025 to deliver initial decision notices on the status of your application. Due to the competitive nature of this statewide process applicants are not guaranteed an interview.
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Q: If I am a rising Junior, can I apply? A: We are currently accepting applications for rising seniors (high school graduating class of 2026) or high school graduates for the 2025-2026 U.S. Congressional Nomination cycle.
If you are a rising junior (high school graduating class of 2027), we recommend that you prepare for the 2026-2027 U.S. Congressional Nomination cycle.
For more information, please visit our website HERE.
Please note, application requirements, timelines, and processes are subject to change for each U.S. Congressional Nomination cycle.
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Q: When will interviews be held?
A: Applicants will be notified via e-mail the week of October 13th, 2025 if they received an interview. Interviews will be conducted in-person on October 25th, 2025 in Tampa, Florida.
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Q: Can I apply for a nomination through other congressional offices?
A: Yes. Due to the limited number of nominations available to each Senator, we strongly encourage applicants to apply for a service nomination through U.S. Senator Ashley Moody’s office and their local member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Please find your local congressional office at the U.S. House of Representative’s website HERE.
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Q: Which U.S. Service Academies require a congressional nomination? A: These schools include the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Military Academy and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. The fifth service academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, does not require a congressional nomination for appointment.
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Q: I am interested in the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. Where can I find more information regarding USCGA admissions process? A: Please find information regarding the U.S. Coast Guard Academy HERE and please find your USCGA admission officer HERE.
Please reach out directly to the Academy for questions regarding USCGA admissions.
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Q: What are the Active Duty requirements? A: Enlisted applicants will complete the same application process. Enlisted applicants may be required to submit additional requirements based on their preferred academy.
Please review your preferred academies’ additional requirements for enlisted applicants.
- U.S. Naval Academy
- U.S. Military Academy
- U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
- U.S. Air Force Academy
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If you have any additional questions, please contact our office at Nomin...@rickscott.senate.gov.
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