Directory Information

Full name	United States Merchant Marine Academy
Commonly known as	USMMA — Kings Point
Location	Kings Point, New York, United States — on Long Island Sound
Official address	300 Steamboat Road, Kings Point, NY 11024
Admissions phone	516-726-5644
Official website	usmma.edu
Founded	1943
Administered by	U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), U.S. Department of Transportation
Motto	“Acta Non Verba” — “Deeds Not Words”
Midshipman strength	Approximately 975 midshipmen
Campus	Waterfront campus on Long Island Sound at Kings Point, New York

About the Academy

Established in 1943, in the middle of the Second World War, the United States Merchant Marine Academy was created to train the officers of the U.S. merchant marine — the civilian seafarers who carried the nation’s war supplies across the Atlantic. It is one of only five federal service academies, but it stands apart: while the other four sit under the Department of Defense, Kings Point is administered by the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) within the Department of Transportation. Its students are midshipmen, organised in the Regiment of Midshipmen, and they live by the academy’s motto Acta Non Verba — “Deeds Not Words”.

The waterfront campus sits directly on Long Island Sound, and ships are central to daily life: midshipmen train on the academy’s own vessels and its famous training waterfront. With roughly 975 midshipmen and a 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio, Kings Point is small enough that every midshipman is known personally, yet it fields 27 varsity sports teams and hosts more than 40 student organisations. The academy describes its graduates as having more career options than graduates of any other federal service academy — because every midshipman leaves with not just a degree, but a licence and a commission.

What It Offers: Majors and Programmes

Midshipmen choose from five programmes of study:

• Marine Engineering Systems
• Marine Engineering and Shipyard Management
• Marine Engineering
• Marine Transportation
• Maritime Logistics and Security

Every graduate earns a Bachelor of Science degree, but Kings Point’s defining feature is Sea Year: during their sophomore and junior years, midshipmen spend more than 300 days at sea aboard ocean-going vessels — commercial ships, military sealift ships and other working vessels — gaining hands-on shipboard experience under the supervision of experienced officers. No other federal academy offers anything like it. At graduation, midshipmen also earn a U.S. Coast Guard merchant marine officer’s licence and an officer’s commission in the U.S. Navy Reserve through the Strategic Sealift Midshipman Program. They complete the Naval Science curriculum alongside their degree, so they leave Kings Point as fully qualified ship’s officers with a commission in hand.

Admission Requirements

Kings Point runs an eight-step admissions process, and competition is intense — the official acceptance rate is just 27–32%, and 285 new midshipmen reported for Indoctrination (INDOC) in the most recent class. To be eligible you must meet the baseline requirements below:

• Age: you must be at least 17 years old and not yet 25 years old by July 1 of your entry year.
• Citizenship: you must be a United States citizen, by birth or naturalisation, with exceptions only for a limited number of authorised international midshipmen.
• Character: you must be of good moral character and meet the physical, security and suitability requirements needed to receive a commission in the U.S. Navy Reserve.
• Academics: candidates should ideally rank in the top 20% of their high school class and must hold a minimum of 15 units of credit, including 3 units in English, 3 units in mathematics and 1 unit in physics or chemistry with a laboratory.
• Entrance exams: official SAT or ACT results are required. You may sit the tests more than once — your highest scores are accepted — and scores must be within three years of the application deadline (SAT code 2923, ACT code 2974).
• Nomination: a congressional nomination from a U.S. Representative or Senator is mandatory. Your nomination must reach the Academy by 31 January, or your application is closed. Unlike some academies, USMMA does not accept Vice Presidential or military service-connected nominations.
• Fitness: every candidate must pass the Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA), which tests the basketball throw, pull-ups (or the flexed-arm hang for women), the shuttle run, modified sit-ups and a one-mile run, administered by a qualified official — never a parent.
• Medical: all candidates must be medically qualified through DoDMERB. You must meet the Academy’s body composition standards before reporting for Indoctrination.

How to Apply: Step by Step

Kings Point organises admission into eight steps. Applications for the next class are open now, and everything revolves around two hard dates: your completed application is due by 1 February, and appointed candidates must accept or decline by 1 May.

1. Confirm your eligibility. Check the age, citizenship, character and academic requirements above before you invest time in a file.
2. Get started. Create an account in the USMMA Applicant Portal and a Login.gov account using the same personal email address.
3. Apply for a nomination. Write to your U.S. Representative and your Senators from your state of residence. A Representative may even nominate you if you live outside their district. Nominations must arrive by 31 January.
4. Take the college entrance exams. Sit the SAT or ACT and send your official scores to the Academy using its college codes.
5. Send your transcripts. Arrange for official transcripts through 11th grade, plus a mid-year grade report for 12th grade, to reach the admissions office by the 1 February deadline.
6. Pass the Candidate Fitness Assessment. Schedule the CFA with a qualified examiner such as a physical education teacher or JROTC instructor and submit your results.
7. Complete the medical examination. Once you have submitted your online application, transcript and unofficial test scores, DoDMERB schedules your medical. Disclose everything — honesty is essential.
8. Complete your online application. Submit the 500-word essay, your extracurricular résumé and the contacts for five evaluators: a mathematics teacher, a science teacher (chemistry or physics), an English teacher, a school official or guidance counsellor and your CFA evaluator.

Tuition and Costs

Service Commitment After Graduation

Because the education is federally funded, Kings Point graduates accept a statutory service obligation under Title 46 of the U.S. Code. Graduates must:

• Serve five years working in the U.S. maritime industry as a merchant marine officer (or on active duty) — or, alternatively, serve five years on active duty in any branch of the Armed Forces;
• Serve as a commissioned officer in a military reserve unit for eight years; and
• Maintain their merchant marine officer’s licence for at least six years, reporting to the Secretary of Transportation as required.

The route most graduates take is through the Strategic Sealift Midshipman Program: they sail on U.S.-documented commercial vessels while holding a U.S. Navy Reserve commission, so they support national defence sealift in an emergency. It is a dual career — civilian mariner and reserve officer at the same time.

Famous Graduates

Kings Pointers have gone on to space, to the Senate and to the very top of the American maritime industry:

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to attend Kings Point?

Nothing in tuition. The Academy is federally funded, so midshipmen pay no tuition for their Bachelor of Science degree. Only minor fees and personal expenses apply, and in return graduates complete a service obligation.

Do I need a congressional nomination?

Yes. A nomination from a U.S. Representative or Senator from your state of residence is mandatory, and it must reach the Academy by 31 January. Unlike the other academies, USMMA does not accept Vice Presidential or service-connected nominations.

What is Sea Year?

Sea Year is Kings Point’s signature experience. During their sophomore and junior years, midshipmen spend more than 300 days at sea working aboard commercial and military vessels around the world, learning their profession first-hand before they graduate.

What do graduates receive?

Three credentials at once: a Bachelor of Science degree, a U.S. Coast Guard merchant marine officer’s licence and an officer’s commission in the U.S. Navy Reserve — a combination no other federal academy offers.

What are the age and citizenship rules?

You must be at least 17 and not yet 25 on July 1 of your entry year, and a U.S. citizen by birth or naturalisation. A limited number of authorised international midshipmen are the only exception.

What is the service obligation after graduation?

Graduates work five years in the U.S. maritime industry (or serve five years on active military duty), serve eight years as a commissioned officer in a reserve unit, and keep their merchant marine licence current for at least six years.