AIR FORCE ACADEMY ADMISSIONS 

MISSION: Develop and Inspire Air and Space Leaders with Vision for Tomorrow. 

ELIGIBILITY: To be eligible to enter the Academy, you must be: 

      • a citizen of the United States 
      • unmarried with no dependents 
      • of good moral character 
      • at least 17, but less than 23 years of age by July 1 of the year you would enter. 
SELECTION: It takes a well-rounded program of leadership, academic, and athletic preparation to be one of the few who can meet the Academy's high admission standards and the fierce competition for appointment. 

Carefully consider the characteristics of dedication to duty, desire to serve others, ability to accept discipline, morality, and the enjoyment of challenge in deciding if you want to pursue an Air Force Academy education. 

You must obtain a legal nomination to receive an appointment. 

ACADEMIC DATA

We evaluate you on academic, extracurricular and physical fitness criteria. 

Academic performance constitutes the major portion of our evaluation. The composite includes grades in high school and any college courses you may have taken, rank in class, and your college admission test scores. The math SAT and ACT scores count more heavily than English. You receive extra credit for honors and advanced placement courses.  

                        Mid-50% Range           Mean

    SAT

    Verbal Aptitude     580-670                 626

    (recentered)*



    Math Aptitude       610-690                 649

    (recentered)*
*SAT ranges and averages are based on historical scores for those entering the Air Force Academy, recomputed to reflect the 1995 SAT recentering, using equivalence tables provided by the College Board. Beginning with the April 1995 test administration, SAT scores will reflect the recentering. We will accept scores from eariler tests.  
    ACT

    English             26-29                   28

    Reading             27-31                   30

    Mathematics         27-31                   29

    Science reasoning   27-31                   29



    Rank in High School Class (Typical Class)

    First Fifth                 90%

    Second Fifth                 9%

    Third Fifth                  1%
Extracurricular activities make up a major portion of our evaluation. We consider all activities in which you may be involved to include athletics, all-league or all-state recognition, selection as a team captain, leadership in a school club or student government, participation in scouting or the Civil Air Patrol, and involvement in church or community activities or an after-school job. We assess your physical fitness based on your performance on the Candidate Fitness Test (CFT). 

CANDIDATE FITNESS TEST DATA

                                Minimum                         Average

Exercise                Men             Women           Men             Women

Pull-ups                4               1               10              2

Sit-ups                 49              46              69              68

 (2 minutes)

Push-ups                24              9               41              24

 (2 minutes)            

300 Yard                *65 Sec         *79 Sec         *60 Sec         *69 Sec

 Shuttle Run    



* Maximum Time Limit    
All these criteria assure that our candidates can succeed at the Academy if offered an appointment. 

PREPARE: To be competitive for an Air Force Academy appointment, we recommend you complete a minimum of the following high school courses: 

      • four years of English 
      • four years of college-prep math 
      • four years of laboratory sciences 
      • three years of social sciences 
      • two years of foreign language 
      • one year of computer science 
      • (we give special consideration to students with honors and advanced placement.) 
NOMINATIONS: All students are eligible to apply for a nomination from their two Senators, their Congressional Representative, and the Vice President. You should apply to all nominating sources. Be sure to contact the Academy and your member(s) of Congress starting in the spring of your junior year! 

Be sure to take the PSAT or PLAN!
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