Public
Accredited ·
Annapolis, Maryland
9.4% Acceptance Rate
United States Naval Academy — Admission Snapshot 2026
A complete at-a-glance picture of every metric that matters for your 2026 application
9.4%Acceptance Rate
3.8Avg GPA
1308Avg SAT
28Avg ACT
Acceptance Rate
9.4%
Avg GPA
3.8
Avg SAT
1308
Avg ACT
28
Selectivity
Extremely Competitive
Institution Type
Public
Campus
Main Campus
SAT Middle 50%
1200–1420
ACT Middle 50%
24–31
The United States Naval Academy (USNA), founded in 1845, trains officers for the Navy and Marine Corps. Located in Annapolis, USNA combines rigorous academics, physical training, and leadership development. The academy's engineering and cybersecurity programs are nationally ranked. Midshipmen graduate with bachelor's degrees and commissions as ensigns.
USNA's historic campus features the Bancroft Hall dormitory and Naval Academy Chapel. The institution's honor code midshipman does not lie, cheat, or steal shapes character. Alumni include astronauts, presidents, and admirals. For those committed to service and leadership, USNA offers an unmatched education.
United States Naval Academy Acceptance Rate
With a 9.4% acceptance rate, United States Naval Academy sits firmly in the elite tier of US admissions; only 9 in 100 applicants are offered a seat.
What USNA Admissions Looks For
- Class Rank: Admitted students typically finish in the top 2–5% of their graduating class.
- Curriculum Rigor: AP, IB, or Honors coursework is treated as a baseline, not a bonus.
- A Defined Strength: Leadership, original research, or a national-level achievement carries more weight than a long activity list.
Selectivity at a Glance
Extremely Competitive
Selectivity scale: Extremely Competitive — 9.4% acceptance rate
Most Selective (0%)Open Enrollment (100%)
At this tier, meeting the average GPA and test scores is the baseline, not the differentiator — your essays and recommendations are what separate you from the rest of an already-strong pool.
Recommended Academic Profile
Candidate GPA Range
Admission Category
Strategic Requirement
3.80 – 4.00
Target Match
Maintain Rigor & High Testing
3.60 – 3.79
Competitive Reach
Focus on Score Compensation
Below 3.35
Secondary Reach
Requires Contextual Support
Source: IPEDS & College Scorecard (Nov 2025).
United States Naval Academy Application Deadlines & Admission Dates 2026
The application deadline for United States Naval Academy is January 31. Admission decisions are typically released by April 15.
Key Admission Dates
⏳ 185 days left — Regular
Regular
January 31
Decision by: April 15
💡 The scholarship deadline (January 31, 2027) often falls before the regular admission deadline. Submit your application and FAFSA early to be considered for maximum aid.
Deadlines are verified from official institutional sources but may change each cycle. Always confirm final dates on the official website.
USNA GPA Requirement
The average GPA of admitted students at USNA is 3.8. That makes admissions here extremely selective. Most admitted students carry straight A's, with very little room for a B.
If your GPA sits between 3.50 and 3.8, a high SAT or ACT score is the most reliable way to compensate.
Most schools report GPA on a weighted or unweighted 4.0 scale differently — for an unweighted profile like this, students with AP/IB coursework typically carry a weighted GPA of 4.00–4.20.USNA GPA & Admission Outlook
Assessment: Highly selective; GPA is within the typical admitted range.
Recommended Strategy: Standardized Test Scores (SAT/ACT) in the top 5th percentile.
Where your GPA falls in this range shapes what the rest of your application needs to do:
Candidate GPA Range
Admission Category
Strategic Requirement
3.80 – 4.00
Competitive Reach
Maintain Rigor & High Testing
3.60 – 3.79
Competitive Match
Focus on SAT/ACT Compensation
3.40 – 3.59
Secondary Reach
Personal Statement & Impact
Below 3.39
Institutional Reach
Requires Significant Contextual Factors
Evaluation Metrics That Matter Here
- USNA's acceptance rate runs roughly 7-10% depending on the cycle, but this figure doesn't fully capture the process, since applicants compete primarily within their state or congressional district for a nomination before competing nationally for an appointment.
- There is no minimum GPA, SAT/ACT, or transcript requirement published by USNA, but the more rigorously a student challenges themselves academically in high school, the more competitive their Whole Person Multiple score becomes under the newly disclosed weighting system.
- USNA uses rolling admissions, so candidates who complete their application earlier in the cycle generally have a better chance, and all new applications close after December 31 for a given entering class.
- Rigor Over Raw Number: A slightly lower GPA (say 3.8) paired with multiple AP or IB courses often outweighs a flat 4.0 from a standard curriculum.
- Trajectory Matters: A lower start in 9th or 10th grade, followed by a clear upward trend senior year, reads as academic resilience rather than a weakness.
Data verified via IPEDS, College Scorecard (Nov 2025) and the Common Data Set (CDS). Expert Review led by Sohaib Khan and Dr. Waseem.
Check Your Admission Chances at USNA
Admission Chance Predictor
Real-Time Sensitive Analysis — based on United States Naval Academy's verified institutional data
--%
Calculating Profile...
Adjust the sliders to see how every decimal point affects your outcome.
Your SAT Score 1200
Your Unweighted GPA 3.00
✅ Verified Data: Institutional records for 2026.
Calculated via College Portal's Human-Intelligence (HI) Methodology & Editorial Standards. Verified by Sohaib Ahmad Khan.
United States Naval Academy (USNA) Test Requirements
Standardized scores still matter here: aim for the middle 50% range of the 2026 admitted class below, and if USNA is test-optional, a high score submitted voluntarily still helps with merit scholarships.
Can I Get Into USNA Without SAT or ACT?
USNA considers scores when submitted, without requiring them. Prepare well and submit your best attempt — most applicants test 2–3 times.
United States Naval Academy Average SAT Score: 1308
The average SAT score of admitted students at United States Naval Academy is 1308 on the 1600-point scale.
SAT Competitiveness
SAT 1308 — Competitive
This average is solidly above the national mean, without being in elite-tier territory.
Key Insight: Aim for the 75th percentile (1420 SAT or 31 ACT) to stand out. Below average? United States Naval Academy allows Score Choice for the SAT, so a retake only helps — a low sitting never has to be sent.
If your score is below 1200, retaking the SAT is strongly recommended to improve your chances at USNA. Retaking multiple times is completely normal — most competitive applicants sit for it two or three times. There's no official limit on attempts.
SAT Scores Breakdown by Sections
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Math | 660 | 600 | 720 |
| SAT Reading | 650 | 600 | 700 |
| SAT Composite | 1308 | 1200 | 1420 |
Below 1200, you're behind most admitted students; at 1420 or above, you're ahead of 75% of them. (25th/75th percentile = the score below which that share of admitted students fall.)
View list of all colleges with average SAT score of 1300
Can I get into United States Naval Academy (USNA) with a 1400 SAT?
A 1400 SAT puts you ahead of most of USNA's admitted class — but admissions still weighs GPA, course rigor, and essays alongside it. A strong score opens the door; the rest of your profile decides what happens next.
United States Naval Academy (USNA) ACT Requirements
The average ACT score at USNA is 28.
ACT Competitiveness
ACT 28 — Competitive
This average is solidly above the national mean without being elite-tier.
ACT Scores Breakdown by Sections
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACT Math | 28 | 25 | 30 |
| ACT English | 29 | 24 | 33 |
| ACT Composite | 28 | 24 | 31 |
Can I get into United States Naval Academy with a 31 ACT?
A 31 ACT puts you ahead of 75% of USNA's admitted students — a strong position, though the ACT is only one benchmark among several admissions weighs.
Unlike the SAT, the ACT scores four separate sections — English, Math, Reading, and Science — each on a 1–36 scale. A noticeably weak section (Science, especially, at STEM-focused schools) stands out to reviewers, so it's worth checking your section breakdown for outliers before applying.
Your ACT score clears the first filter, but GPA, course rigor, extracurricular depth, recommendations, and essays are what carry an application the rest of the way at USNA.
Your 2026 Admissions Roadmap for USNA
Elite Strategy: The 'Spike' Approach
USNA isn't looking for well-rounded — it's looking for 'pointy.' The strategy here is to make your one strongest area impossible to overlook.
Apply to Every Nomination Source You're Eligible For - Simultaneously
A nomination from an official source (your two Senators, your House Representative, or the Vice President) is required to receive an appointment, and applying for a nomination is a separate process from applying to USNA itself. Apply to all eligible sources at once early in the process - each can have only about one Naval Academy slot per year on average, so breadth across sources meaningfully increases your odds, even though holding multiple nominations doesn't provide extra benefit beyond receiving one.
Understand the Published Whole Person Multiple Weighting and Prioritize Recommendations and Math Scores
In March 2026, USNA became the only service academy to publish the exact weighting of its Whole Person Multiple: recommendations are the single largest component at 24%, while SAT/ACT subscores drive 28%, with the math subscore alone carrying 18%. Given this unusually specific disclosure, prioritize securing strong, detailed recommendation letters and pushing your math subscore higher through retesting, since these two factors now have transparently outsized influence.
Ground Your Two Required Essays in Specific, Lived Leadership and Integrity Moments
USNA's personal essays ask what led to your interest in naval service and how the Academy will help you achieve long-range goals, plus a personal experience that contributed to your character development and integrity. Avoid abstract statements about wanting to serve; instead, describe a specific moment of selfless service or ethical decision-making, and connect it concretely to a long-range goal the Academy's specific structure would help you reach.
Recognize That a Nomination Doesn't Guarantee an Appointment - Build a Genuinely Competitive Academic and Physical Profile
In a typical year roughly 5,000 candidates receive nominations, but only about 1,400 appointments are ultimately given out - meaning the nomination is necessary but far from sufficient. Treat your academic rigor, physical fitness preparation, and extracurricular leadership with the same seriousness as the nomination process itself, since these factors determine who advances among thousands of nominated candidates.
Expert Insight: Do not assume that securing a nomination from your Representative or Senator significantly improves your odds relative to other nominated candidates nationally - nominations are evaluated within a competitive national pool against the published Whole Person Multiple criteria, and approximately 3,600 nominated candidates will not receive an appointment in a typical year regardless of which official nominated them.
USNA Profile
Full Name
United States Naval Academy (USNA)
City
Annapolis
State
Maryland
ZIP Code
21402-1300
Type
Public
Campus
Main Campus
Official Website
Is a USNA Degree Worth It?
Whether USNA is worth it depends less on its reputation and more on your program choice, financial aid package, and career goals — here's the data to weigh it against.
Compare Similar Colleges
Less Competitive Schools
These schools have lower average SAT or ACT scores than United States Naval Academy. If your SAT or ACT score is slightly lower, you'll be competitive for these schools.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL | 1287 | 28 |
| University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ | 1261 | 26 |
| Biola University | La Mirada, CA | 1258 | 27 |
| Point Loma Nazarene University | San Diego, CA | 1278 | 26 |
| Thomas Aquinas College | Santa Paula, CA | 1277 | 29 |
| United States Coast Guard Academy | New London, CT | 1290 | 28 |
| University of Delaware | Newark, DE | 1297 | 29 |
| University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL | 1277 | 27 |
| Florida Southern College | Lakeland, FL | 1263 | 28 |
| Agnes Scott College | Decatur, GA | 1296 | 29 |
Equally Competitive Schools
These schools have the same range of average SAT or ACT scores as United States Naval Academy. If your SAT or ACT score is competitive, you'll be competitive for these schools also.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn University | Auburn, AL | 1318 | 28 |
| University of the Pacific | Stockton, CA | 1303 | 27 |
| University of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA | 1313 | 29 |
| Rollins College | Winter Park, FL | 1304 | 29 |
| University of Georgia | Athens, GA | 1301 | 29 |
More Competitive Schools
These schools have higher average SAT or ACT scores than United States Naval Academy. If you improve your SAT or ACT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chapman University | Orange, CA | 1353 | 30 |
| Pepperdine University | Malibu, CA | 1367 | 29 |
| Westmont College | Santa Barbara, CA | 1367 | 32 |
| University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, CO | 1353 | 31 |
| University of Denver | Denver, CO | 1344 | 31 |
Degree Programs at USNA
Bachelor Degree Programs
Frequently Asked Questions About USNA Admissions
At 9.4%, United States Naval Academy admits a very small share of applicants — this is elite-tier selectivity.
Admitted students at United States Naval Academy average a 3.8 GPA.
United States Naval Academy doesn't publish a hard GPA floor — but landing at or above 3.5 keeps you in the typical applicant range; below it, lean on essays and recommendations.
Below 3.4, United States Naval Academy becomes a harder reach — though a strong test score, meaningful activities, and AP/IB coursework can still make a real case.
A strong SAT score matters at United States Naval Academy — aim above 1308, ideally within the 1200–1420 range admitted students typically fall in.
The application deadline for United States Naval Academy is January 31. Admission decisions are released by April 15.
The scholarship/financial aid priority deadline is January 31, 2027. Submit FAFSA before then for maximum consideration.
Yes — transfers are common. Have transcripts, recommendation letters, and a solid personal statement ready to make your case.
Strong academics, a focused extracurricular profile, and standout essays move the needle most — along with a competitive SAT/ACT score where relevant.
Explore Other Options
Acceptance Rate of all Maryland Colleges
Average SAT Score of Maryland Colleges
Average ACT Score
Admissions deadlines of Colleges in Maryland
Bachelor Programs in Maryland
Test Optional Colleges in Maryland
SAT Score Wise Best Colleges
ACT Score Wise Best Colleges
Rolling Admissions Colleges in Maryland