New London, CT · Public · 1,108 undergraduates · urban
United States Coast Guard Academy
Highly selective
The Coast Guard Academy offers the service-academy model without congressional nominations, preparing cadets specifically for Coast Guard officer careers.
Institutional profile
Top tier Exceptional in affordability, and exceptional in career outcomes.Tuition, room, and board are fully funded and cadets receive a salary; admission carries a service commitment.
- Admission
- 24.3% admitted
- Price by income
- Varies across five income ranges
- Completion
- 89.1%
1,789 applicants in the reported year
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
The strongest comparable outcome available
What sets U.S. Coast Guard Academy apart
Academic design
Every cadet completes a liberal-arts-based core plus one of ten majors, with academics integrated alongside leadership, military, and physical development.
Admission process
Applicants compete directly for appointment without a nomination but must satisfy academic review, a physical fitness examination, and a comprehensive medical examination.
Defining experience
It is the federal service academy where congressional nominations are neither required nor considered, making its admissions route structurally different from most academies.
Can I get in?
24.3% admitted
Applicants compete directly for appointment without a nomination but must satisfy academic review, a physical fitness examination, and a comprehensive medical examination.
Recent applicant pool
1,789About 24 in every 100 applicants were admitted.
Academic range
Of admitted students, 67% submitted an SAT, and 24% submitted an ACT. Use your score when it adds strength to the application; withhold it when it does not.
In the season card
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for U.S. Coast Guard Academy, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What U.S. Coast Guard Academy weighs when it reads a file
See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.
- Course rigor
- GPA
- Test scores
- Essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Demonstrated interest
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
Clear the academic baseline
Every cadet completes a liberal-arts-based core plus one of ten majors, with academics integrated alongside leadership, military, and physical development.
Complete the specialized assessment
Applicants compete directly for appointment without a nomination but must satisfy academic review, a physical fitness examination, and a comprehensive medical examination.
Plan the process early
Do not spend time pursuing congressional nominations; instead prepare early for the required fitness and medical processes alongside the academic application.
How to apply
Rounds, route, and required materials
Do not spend time pursuing congressional nominations; instead prepare early for the required fitness and medical processes alongside the academic application.
$0 application fee
Can I afford it?
Compare annual cost by household income.
Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.
No tuition, room or board charge; cadets receive a salary and incur a five-year service commitment.
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at U.S. Coast Guard Academy
Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.
- $0–30k
- $30–48k
- $48–75k
- $75–110k
- $110k+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
Read completion, borrowing, field mix, and earnings together. For specialized training, compare those signals with the professional path you intend to follow.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
Reported 10 years after enrollment
Academic portfolio
Largest bachelor’s fields
How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.
Business Administration, Management and Operations
Political Science and Government
Mechanical Engineering
Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences
What is campus life like?
U.S. Coast Guard Academy beyond the classroom
New cadets begin with Swab Summer, then live within the Corps of Cadets under a structured military routine in New London.
The academic structure
Every cadet completes a liberal-arts-based core plus one of ten majors, with academics integrated alongside leadership, military, and physical development.
The campus rhythm
New cadets begin with Swab Summer, then live within the Corps of Cadets under a structured military routine in New London.
What changes the experience
It is the federal service academy where congressional nominations are neither required nor considered, making its admissions route structurally different from most academies.