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Admissions
The United States Coast Guard Academy prepares future leaders of the Coast Guard and our nation. We seek students of high moral character who bring an established academic, athletic and leadership track record.
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The United States Coast Guard Academy prepares future leaders of the Coast Guard and our nation. We seek students of high moral character who bring an established academic, athletic and leadership track record that outpaces the competition.

Admission to the Coast Guard Academy is highly competitive and based on merit. Congressional nominations are not required or considered.

Few applicants will meet our requirements. Fewer still will be offered an appointment. Each year, the Academy admits about 300 cadets from thousands of applicants. They’re exclusive tickets to an extraordinary educational experience.

If you want your ticket, if you aspire to an elite education, one that challenges you to learn, achieve, and lead, we encourage you to find out more about the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

ADMISSIONS

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GETTING STARTED

ADMISSION  REQUIREMENTS

PREP SCHOOL

APPLICATION PROCESS

ADMISSIONS OFFICERS

COST AND TUITION

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ADMISSIONS

CAREERS AND
OUTCOMES

As an Academy graduate, you receive a highly respected degree, a commission as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard and a guaranteed position of leadership.
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Explore the Campus and Region

Located on the banks of the Thames River in New London, Connecticut, the Academy’s picturesque, waterfront campus offers the idyllic New England college setting. The region we call home has a rich maritime heritage, one that has long embraced the sea, the military and higher education.
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and New London
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What the Academy Has to Offer

The Academy
Experience

The Coast Guard Academy provides an elite education in an exclusive environment where expectations are high. Ours is a unique, integrated preparation rooted in the Coast Guard’s military, maritime heritage.

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Academic Majors

Civil Engineering | Electrical Engineering | Cyber Systems | Government | Management | Marine and Environmental Sciences | Mechanical Engineering | Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering | Operations Research and Computer Analysis

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Why USCGA?

As a cadet, you develop professionally from academic rigor, teamwork and unrelenting challenges, preparing you for a meaningful career in service to your country and humanity.

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Athletics

Athletic opportunity abounds. 62% of cadets play on varsity teams.

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Clubs

Explore a huge range of interests through 65+ clubs, societies, and organizations.

Aviation Club | Cyber Team | Women’s Leadership Council | Glee Club | Pep Band | Rugby and more…

Explore

Class Profile

Talent comes from every state in the union, and many foreign nations.

Read more

What the Academy Has to Offer

The Academy
Experience

The Coast Guard Academy provides an elite education in an exclusive environment where expectations are high. Ours is a unique, integrated preparation rooted in the Coast Guard’s military, maritime heritage.

Read more

Academic Majors

Civil Engineering | Electrical Engineering | Cyber Systems | Government | Management | Marine and Environmental Sciences | Mechanical Engineering | Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering | Operations Research and Computer Analysis

Read more

Why USCGA?

As a cadet, you develop professionally from academic rigor, teamwork and unrelenting challenges, preparing you for a meaningful career in service to your country and humanity.

Read more

Athletics

Athletic opportunity abounds. 62% of cadets play on varsity teams.

Read more
Clubs

Explore a huge range of interests through 65+ clubs, societies, and organizations.

Aviation Club | Cyber Team | Women’s Leadership Council | Glee Club | Pep Band | Rugby and more…

Explore

Class Profile

Talent comes from every state in the union, and many foreign nations.

Read more

Featured Cadets

2/c Taylor Lynch

Taylor Lynch
Madison, Indiana
Major: Mechanical Engineering

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2/c Charles Leventhal

Charles Levental
Oceanside, NY
Major: Electrical Engineering

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3/c Vivi Christopoulos

Vivi Christopoulos
Knoxville, TN
Major: Mechanical Engineering

READ MORE

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The Coast Guard is recognized as a leader in the field of search and rescue – on an average day, the Coast Guard saves 10 lives.
Whether a hurricane, flooding, oil spill or other disaster, the Coast Guard is ready to respond as the nation’s maritime first responder. The Coast Guard also renders aid to foreign nations struck by disaster.
The Coast Guard works with a variety of groups and organizations to ensure the livelihood of endangered marine species.
As a lead agency in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard is America’s shield of freedom, keeping America safe.
The Coast Guard works continuously with international, federal, state and local governments to detect, deter, and stop crime, terror, and violations of the law.
The Coast Guard is the nation’s first line of defense against drug smugglers seeking to bring illegal substances into the United States.
…against threats and disruption to critical infrastructure.
The Coast Guard provides training and information sharing to help developing countries establish and sustain maritime service capabilities.
As activity in the Arctic region continues to evolve and grow, the Coast Guard ensures the safety, security and stewardship of our nation’s arctic waters.
…the Coast Guard ensures freedom of navigation and the rule of law in arctic waters.
The Coast Guard experience is woven into the fabric of the sea – as an afloat officer in the Coast Guard, you lead in this vast realm.

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

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Links from these pages to non-Coast Guard sites are provided as a customer service and do not represent any implicit or explicit endorsement by the United States Coast Guard of any commercial or private issues or products presented there.
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