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About the Academy

Founded in 1876, the United States Coast Guard Academy began life as the Revenue Cutter School of Instruction, created to train officers for the Revenue Cutter Service — the seagoing service from which the modern Coast Guard grew. The Academy has called New London, Connecticut home for well over a century, and its waterfront campus on the Thames River remains steeped in that maritime heritage. Cadets still take to sea aboard the Academy’s famous square-rigged training barque, EAGLE, learning the sailor’s arts of navigation, seamanship and leadership the way generations of Coast Guard officers have before them.

With roughly 1,000 cadets, USCGA is the smallest of the five federal service academies, and that intimacy is its strength: classes are small, instructors know their cadets, and leadership opportunities come early and often. The Academy’s mission — service of country and humanity — reflects the Coast Guard’s unique character as both an armed force and a humanitarian service, whose officers rescue mariners, protect fisheries and the marine environment, secure ports and respond to disasters at home and abroad. Admission is by merit alone: uniquely among the service academies, no congressional nomination is required.

What It Offers: Majors and Programmes

Cadets choose from ten majors: Civil Engineering; Cyber Systems; Electrical Engineering; Government; Interdisciplinary Engineering; Management; Marine and Environmental Sciences; Mechanical Engineering; Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering; and Operations Research and Data Analytics. Every graduate earns a Bachelor of Science degree and a commission as an ensign in the United States Coast Guard.

The four-year programme blends academic study with professional maritime training. Alongside their majors, cadets learn navigation, seamanship, damage control and leadership, and they spend summers gaining hands-on experience aboard Coast Guard cutters and the barque EAGLE, at air stations and in operational units. On graduation, new ensigns report to the fleet — to cutters at sea, to sector commands ashore or to flight training — ready to lead from day one.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the Coast Guard Academy is highly competitive and assessed purely on merit — no nomination is needed. The essential requirements are:

• Citizenship: you must be a United States citizen of sound moral character.
• Age: you must be 17 to 22 years of age on the last Monday in June of the year you would enter.
• Family and financial status: you must be unmarried, have no dependents and carry no financial debt.
• Education: you must be a high-school graduate or hold a GED, with a strong record — particularly in mathematics and science.
• Standardised tests: the SAT or ACT is required, and your scores must be sent to the Academy.
• Recommendations: three letters of recommendation are required — from a mathematics instructor, an English instructor and your high-school counsellor.
• Fitness: every candidate must pass the Physical Fitness Examination (PFE), which measures strength, endurance and aerobic capacity through push-ups, sit-ups and a timed run.
• Medical: candidates must meet the medical standards for a commissioning programme, assessed through the Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board (DoDMERB).
• Interview: selected candidates may be asked to attend an interview with an Academy representative.

How to Apply: Step by Step

The Academy admits about 300 cadets each year, with applications for the Class of 2031 currently open. There are two rounds: Early Action, with a deadline of 15 October, and Regular Admission, with a deadline of 15 January for US citizens — note that all supplemental forms and test scores are also due by 15 January.

1. Confirm your eligibility. Check the citizenship, age, family-status and education conditions above before you begin.
2. Start your online application. Apply at uscga.edu and complete the essays that form part of the application.
3. Request your recommendations. Ask your mathematics instructor, your English instructor and your school counsellor for their letters of recommendation early.
4. Take the SAT or ACT. Sit the examination and have your scores sent directly to the Academy.
5. Pass the Physical Fitness Examination. Arrange the PFE with a qualified administrator and submit your results.
6. Complete the medical examination. DoDMERB will schedule your medical and vision examinations as your file progresses.
7. Attend an interview if requested. Some candidates are invited to interview with an Academy representative.
8. Await the admissions decision. Completed files are reviewed by the admissions board, and appointments are offered to the strongest candidates — no nomination paperwork required at any stage.

Tuition and Costs

A Coast Guard Academy education is entirely government funded. In exchange, graduates give back through commissioned service — a bargain that makes the Academy one of the best-value educations anywhere, provided you are ready to serve.

Service Commitment After Graduation

Every graduate is commissioned as an ensign in the United States Coast Guard and is obligated to serve a minimum of five years. The Academy notes that most officers stay far longer — about 85% remain in service beyond their initial obligation. New ensigns go on to lead crews aboard cutters at sea, serve at sector commands ashore, fly as naval aviators or train for specialised careers in fields such as marine safety, intelligence and law enforcement. The Coast Guard’s missions are unusually varied: one career can take you from rescuing mariners in a hurricane to commanding a cutter on counter-narcotics patrol.

Famous Graduates

The Coast Guard Academy’s alumni include three former Commandants of the Coast Guard and some of the most decorated officers in the service’s history.

Frequently Asked Questions