WHY APPLY EARLY?

If you’ve been around Academy admissions long enough, you’ll hear this a lot.

But rarely will you hear a solid reason why.

Here’s 3 good reasons to submit early:

1) Letters of Assurance. LOAs are acceptance letters contingent upon obtaining a nomination and medical clearance. Very few (~100 per Academy) are given out each year, and only to those who submit early in the process (usually before mid-Sept).

2) Medical clearance: The DODMERB process can take awhile, so if you get into a medical waiver situation, you have much more time to fight the waiver. Some applicants, unfortunately, get stuck in waiver status late in the spring and don’t get cleared before basic training starts.

3) “Rolling” admissions. USAFA & USNA do “rolling” admissions, which means they give out appointments as time goes on. The longer you wait, the less slots they have available to give out.

All this said, it’s most important to have the best possible product. Don’t hurry, and submit a poor application. Instead, work swiftly and submit as early as possible.