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Why the USCGA

Ranked among the nation’s most prestigious and selective institutions of higher learning, the United States Coast Guard Academy is an academic and military community educating leaders for America.

As the smallest of the service academies, ours is a close community where you will know and bond with your fellow cadets in a way that is not possible at the larger academies.

Our graduates go directly to positions of leadership, embarking on meaningful careers as Coast Guard officers serving their country and humanity.

Not Your Ordinary 4 Years of College

In order to meet the professional needs of the U.S. Coast Guard, the program at the Academy is more demanding than non-military colleges. Our purpose is not simply to educate, but indeed, to transform – physically, intellectually, and ethically.

You’ll grow as a scholar, develop as a leader and be part of something bigger than yourself.

Why the Coast Guard

The U.S. Coast Guard is the only military service with heritage as a life-saving organization. It is the only military branch entrusted with law enforcement and regulatory authority. As Guardians first, almost all Coast Guard men and women are stationed in the United States, its territories and possessions. As a lead agency in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard fulfills a strategic mission of ensuring the safety, security and stewardship of our nation’s waters. Today, the Coast Guard will:

Save 15 lives.
Assist 117 people in distress.
Protect $2.8 million in property.
Interdict 15 illegal migrants at sea.
Conduct 90 search and rescue cases.
Seize $21 million worth of illegal drugs.
Board and inspect 122 vessels.
Monitor the transit of 2,557 commercial ships through U.S. ports.

Sponsor Family Application

Thank you for submitting your application to be part of the Sponsor Family Program. Your application will be processed in the upcoming week. Coast Guard Academy’s policy on background screening now requires all adults (everyone 18 and older living in the home) who volunteer to mentor, teach, coach or sponsor cadets, whether on or off Coast Guard Academy grounds, to be screened every 5 years. They are required to provide personal information (name, birth date and social security number) for the purpose of conducting a criminal background check.

The Security Officer at the Coast Guard Academy, CWO2 Gina Polkowski, is overseeing this process. Her email is: Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.

Sponsor Family designations fall into several different categories. Below are the guidelines to help you determine how best to meet the background screening requirement:

If you are Coast Guard active duty you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
If you are a Civilian working for the Coast Guard you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
If you are non-Coast Guard Active Duty, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
If you are non-Coast Guard civilian who has a current security clearance or National Agency check, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
All civilians in the families who are 18 years or older and do not have a security clearance or a National Agency Check are required to be vetted through Mind Your Business, the third party vendor hired by the Coast Guard Academy for the vetting process.

After you complete your application, please e-mail the Sponsor Family Program Coordinator at CadetFamilySponsorProgram@uscga.edu. In your e-mail, you must include the e-mail address and phone number of every adult living in the home. The Sponsor Family Coordinator will then initiate the background check process and you will receive an email with further instructions.

Important things to note:

There is a Sponsor Family Training that is a one-hour training which we ask sponsors to attend once every four years. This training is designed to give you an overview of the program, what is expected of you as a sponsor, and what you can expect from your cadets. This training will also help familiarize you with the cadet regulations onboard CGA. You will be notified via e-mail once the training is scheduled.

The matching process of swabs to families will occur during July and August. Please bear with us and remain flexible through this process. There will be a meet and greet scheduled on Campus, typically in late August. This will give families an opportunity to formally meet their cadet if they have not already done so. Details on this will also be via email.