Academy nominations

Each year, hundreds of Louisiana’s best and brightest young men and women contact my office about a nomination to a service academy. The five service academies include the U.S. Military Academy (West Point), U.S. Naval Academy, U.S Air Force Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Nominations are required for every service academy except the Coast Guard Academy. Please note thatacceptance at an academy involves at least a nine-year obligation: four years at the academy and five years of military service.

Applicants are encouraged to visit the websites for each academy to determine the entrance requirements as well as the respective deadlines for applications. Every applicant must meet the requirements listed below to be eligible to receive a nomination from one of the authorized nominating sources. Nominating sources available to each applicant are their two U.S. Senators, their U.S. Representative, the vice president, and the president.

Members of Congress may have no more than five people attending each service academy at any given time. For each vacancy, 10 nominations may be submitted to the respective academy admissions office. Each academy makes offers of appointment on a competitive basis according to the eligibility of all 10 nominees.

An applicant must meet the following eligibility requirements by July 1 of the year of admission to a Service Academy unless otherwise stated:

To receive a nomination from Sen. Kennedy’s office, applicants must have an ACT score of at least 25 or an SAT score of at least 1200.
Sen. Kennedy’s office accepts applications every year beginning in September and ending in November.The application period for 2024-2025 is currently closed. The application period for 2025-2026 opens on September 1, 2025 and closes at 11:59 p.m., November 1, 2025.
In order to be considered to interview for a nomination from Sen. John Kennedy, an applicant must have an open application with at least one of the four service academies prior to November 1, 2025. Applicants requesting more information or having questions about academy nominations should contact Sen. Kennedy’s Academy Nominations Coordinator by email atacademy_kennedy@kennedy.senate.gov.

Access to the online application opens September 1, 2025and closes at 11:59 p.m., November 1, 2025. An incomplete application account will not be considered, and no exceptions will be made.
For high school seniors, college students, active-duty military members:
1.    Sen. Kennedy’s application process is completed entirely online including the submission of all transcripts, letters of recommendations, and other required materials. If required materials need to be submitted directly to Sen. Kennedy’s Service Academy Coordinator, Hannah Livingston, the applicant will need to provide permission via an email toAcademy_Kennedy@kennedy.senate.govto have these files submitted into their online portal on their behalf without the ability to review them once submitted.
2.    Applicants will not be allowed to create an account until the application process opens on September 1, 2025. During the application window, applicants can clickhereto create an account for the online application. Each applicant will be given a password to this account so that he or she can update data on the online application as the applicant works towards completion. The following items are required to complete the online application:

After the November 1, 2025deadline, Sen. Kennedy’s office will work with the Academies' Admissions Offices to determine the interview status of each candidate who submitted a complete file by the deadline. Submitting a complete file does not guarantee an applicant an interview.
Candidates who are scheduled for an interview must sit for an interview with Sen. Kennedy’s Service Academy Nominations Board to be considered for a nomination from the senator’s Office. Interviews are usually held the first Thursday and Friday of December in Baton Rouge, but this is subject to change. Interviews are mandatory, and each candidate will be given the opportunity to select an interview time.
You will be notified by no later than November 20, 2025 if you moving to the interview phase.Those applicants moving to the interview phase will then be allowed to select their interview time during one of the interview days. Once interview times are selected, applicants may not request their interviews be rescheduled. An interview will only be rescheduled for a documented family illness or emergency. Applicants should mark these dates on the calendar now to avoid any conflicts with school or extracurricular activities.

It is in an applicant’s best interest to complete the application file at his or her Service Academy of choice as soon as possible. The academy will notify each applicant about a medical examination, which is administered by the Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board (DODMERB), and a candidate fitness test.
It is in an applicant’s best interest to request a nomination through all sources available: presidential, vice presidential, senatorial, and Congressional. Please contact the individual service academy for more information. It is strongly recommended that each candidate apply to both U.S. Senators and his or her Congressional Member in Louisiana. Each nomination source has its own individual application process, and candidates should work with each nomination source to complete their process to receive a nomination.Remember, applicants are responsible for submitting all application requirements via their online account no later than 11:59 p.m., November 1, 2025.
Receiving an offer of appointment is an extremely competitive process. Therefore, applicants may wish to consider one of the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs at their colleges or universities of choice. ROTC can offer the same officer commission and military career opportunity as a service academy. In addition, ROTC offers a variety of tuition and fees scholarships. For more information, please visit the ROTC website:www.rotc.com
For more information on the service academies, applicants may check their respective websites:
U.S. Military Academy at West Point
U.S. Naval Academy
U.S. Air Force Academy
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
U.S. Coast Guard Academy
Office of U.S. Senator John N. Kennedy
Attn: Hannah Livingston, Academy Nominations Coordinator
1651 Louisville Avenue, Suite 148
Monroe, LA  71201
Phone (318) 361 1489
academy_kennedy@kennedy.senate.gov