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AIM Summer Program

Lazy summers are for lazy people, not you. You’re driven to do something greater.

The Academy Introduction Mission (AIM) is a one-week summer program where you’ll immerse yourself in Academy life. AIM is exclusively for students entering their senior year of high school and is regarded as the most realistic of the service academy summer orientation programs.

AIM will test and inspire you. It will push you to your limits. You’ll rise early. You’ll study. You’ll compete. For six nonstop days, you’ll test your mind, body, and spirit in every way as you learn the meaning of college exceeded.

Intense and rewarding, AIM will help you to discover whether the Academy experience is truly what you want from college and whether you have what it takes to succeed.

2025 Session Dates

I: 6-11 July
On Campus
II: 13-18 July
On Campus
III: 20-25 July
On Campus
IV: 29-30 July
Virtual AIM
I: 6-11 July
On Campus
II: 13-18 July
On Campus
III: 20-25 July
On Campus
IV: 39-30 July
Virtual AIM

“I learned at AIM that, with will and determination, anything can be accomplished. I now see how physical and mental fortitude are key to becoming successful.” – Dante, Texas

Key Dates

Cost

Participants are responsible for tuition, travel expenses, and spending money.

Tuition Sessions I-III (In-person): $750
Tuition Session IV (Virtual): Free

Spending money: $25-$50 for snacks and souvenirs recommended

Refunds: Tuition will be refunded with written/email request received by 4 PM ET of deadline

Explore

What to Expect
AIM
The AIM Experience
Apply

Apply online by 01 April of your junior year in high school.

Get Set

Coming to AIM? Ready, Set, Go!

Explore

What to Expect
AIM
The AIM Experience
Apply
Apply online by 01 April of your junior year in high school.
Get Set
Coming to AIM? Ready, Set, Go!

AIM Blogs

AIM Blogs

Contact Information

During AIM
Admissions
(860) 444-8503
Admissions@uscga.edu
M-F 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST
AIM Watch Office
(860) 701-6284
24 hours
DURING AIM WEEKS ONLY

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.