UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY
Colorado Springs, Colorado
The Academy
Established in 1954, the Air Force Academy prepares and motivates cadets for careers as Air Force officers. The Academy stresses character development, military training, and physical fitness as well as academics, emphasizing leadership in all areas.
The total enrollment is approximately 4,000; nearly 1,200 fourth class (freshman) students enter each year. The composition of the student body mirrors that of the Air Force officer corps: about 19 percent women and 20 percent minorities. Students come from all fifty states and several other countries. Their common bond is the desire to be military officers. All cadets must live in on-campus dormitories and wear uniforms.
The Academy is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Its engineering programs are approved by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, and its computer courses are approved by the Computing Sciences Accreditation Board. The chemistry and biochemistry majors fulfill the requirements of the Commission on Professional Training of the American Chemical Society.
All cadets must participate in intramural, club, or intercollegiate athletics every semester. The intramural sports include basketball, cross-country, flag football, flickerball, men's boxing, mountain biking, racquetball, rugby, soccer, softball, team handball, tennis, Ultimate Frisbee, volleyball, and wallyball. The intercollegiate teams compete in Division I of the NCAA regionally and nationally. The men's teams include baseball, basketball, cross-country, diving, fencing, football, golf, gymnastics, hockey, indoor and outdoor track, lacrosse, riflery, soccer, swimming, tennis, water polo, and wrestling. The women's teams include basketball, cross-country, diving, fencing, gymnastics, indoor and outdoor track, riflery, soccer, swimming, tennis, and volleyball. Cadets may also choose from nearly 100 extracurricular activities, which include professional organizations, mission support, competitive and recreational clubs, sports groups, and hobby clubs.
Qualified Academy graduates may enter flight training upon graduation, and approximately 75 percent of the students in each graduating class pursue graduate education at other institutions within ten years of their graduation. Each year, numerous Academy graduates receive graduate scholarships and fellowships, such as the Marshall, Rhodes, National Science Foundation, National Collegiate Athletic Association, and Guggenheim awards.
Location
The Academy campus sits in the foothills of the Rampart Range of the Rocky Mountains in a setting of natural beauty. Built on a mesa at 7,000 feet, it is one of Colorado's top tourist attractions. The Cadet Chapel, with its seventeen aluminum spires towering 150 feet into the air, highlights the contemporary architecture of the buildings in the cadet area. The space-age effect reflects the Academy's mission of preparing cadets to become officers and leaders in the Air Force of the future. The Academy borders the northern edge of Colorado Springs, which lies at the foot of the famous 14,100-foot Pikes Peak. Colorado Springs has a metropolitan population of more than 500,000. Denver, the state's capital, has a population of almost 2 million in its greater metropolitan area and is located 55 miles north of the Academy. In addition to the social, sports, and cultural activities available in these cities, cadets enjoy skiing, hunting, horseback riding, white-water rafting, and other activities in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and nearby resorts.
Majors and Degrees
Graduates of the four-year service academy receive the Bachelor of Science degree and a commission as a second lieutenant in the Air Force. The B.S. is granted in thirty-two majors: aeronautical engineering; astronautical engineering; basic sciences; behavioral sciences and leadership; biology; chemistry; civil engineering; computer engineering; computer science; economics; electrical engineering; engineering mechanics; English; environmental engineering; foreign area studies; general engineering; geography; history; humanities; legal studies; management; mathematical sciences; mechanical engineering; meteorology; military strategic studies; operations research; physics; political science; social sciences; space operations; systems engineering; and systems engineering management. The Academy also offers minors in foreign languages and philosophy.
Academic Programs
A class enters the Academy during the last week in June or the first week in July. Incoming cadets undergo a strenuous thirty-eight-day summer training program that tests both their mental and physical abilities. Upperclass cadets conduct basic cadet training; commissioned officers serve as advisers. Basic cadets who complete this program are accepted into the Cadet Wing as fourth-class cadets. The academic year starts in early August and continues through May. During the first two years, cadets concentrate on core courses in engineering, humanities, science, and social science. During the last two years, they specialize in an academic major.
The required core courses prepare cadets for a broad scope of activity as Air Force officers. The core curriculum embraces courses in academic subjects, leadership and military training, and physical education and athletics. In addition, cadets complete the requirements for any of the thirty-two academic majors. To be eligible for graduation, cadets must also demonstrate an aptitude for commissioned service and leadership, demonstrate character consistent with professional military service, maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average and core grade point average of 2.0, and complete a minimum of 141 credit hours. The curriculum includes many elective courses.
All students must begin as freshmen; however, cadets who have taken some of the core course material prior to entry into the Academy may receive transfer or validation credit for this work. They may then substitute other courses for those granted transfer credit. Cadets who maintain the required grade point average may take advanced study classes.
The Academy aviation program familiarizes all cadets with operational activities of the Air Force. Optional courses provide instruction in soaring, parachuting, navigation, and basic flying. Those who take these courses may fulfill the requirements for Federal Aviation Administration pilot or glider certificates. Cadets who qualify and are selected for pilot or navigator training may enter Air Education and Training Command flight programs following graduation from the Academy. Diversified summer programs in aviation and military training prepare cadets for officer responsibilities in the Air Force. Cadets may select their programs from several optional assignments at the Air Force Academy and other military installations.
Off-Campus Programs
Selected cadets may exchange visits with cadets from the Military Academy, Naval Academy, Coast Guard Academy, or one of fifteen international Air Force academies. The exchange program varies from one to two weeks for most of the international programs to a semester for the other U.S. service academies and the Canadian, Chilean, French, German, and Spanish Air Force academies.
Academic Facilities
The Air Force Academy's excellent facilities support the academic, military, and athletics programs. Most classrooms accommodate small class sessions, averaging 17 students. Several classes and assemblies meet in larger lecture halls. Well-equipped laboratories supplement classroom instruction. Cadets conduct experiments using the Aeronautics Laboratory's wind tunnels, shock tubes, and rocket engines. A local network connects every dorm room, faculty and staff office, classroom, and laboratory at the Academy, and all entering cadets purchase a laptop computer for academic and personal use. The Academy planetarium is a multimedia education and research facility used for cadet instruction in astronomy and navigation. The Academy library, with more than 600,000 volumes, supports all educational programs and maintains a collection of historical materials concerning aeronautics.
Costs
There are no tuition charges; the cost, including room, board, medical care, and dental care, is borne entirely by the U.S. government. In addition, cadets receive a monthly salary to pay for supplies, clothing, and personal expenses. Careful management of the money covers obligations, with a small amount remaining for personal use.
Financial Aid
All cadets are on full scholarship at the Air Force Academy, as described above.
Faculty
The Academy's faculty is composed of Air Force officers and civilian professors. A few officers from other branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, those from allied nations, and distinguished civilian visiting professors supplement the faculty. There are no graduate student instructors. Faculty members must have a master's degree, and many have earned doctorates. Their educational backgrounds represent many outstanding colleges and universities in the United States, as well as some international institutions of higher education. Faculty members sponsor, coach, and referee extracurricular activities and athletics; adopt squadrons and attend their special events; and provide academic, career, and personal counseling.
Student Government
The Air Force Academy trains cadets for future leadership by allowing them to hold positions of responsibility in the Cadet Wing, the organization to which all cadets are assigned. The wing is under the operational supervision of first-class cadets (seniors). They hold cadet officer rank and command the wing and the subordinate units of groups, squadrons, flights, and elements. Through this organization, upperclass cadets are responsible for military training of the underclasses, the honor education and honor system, character development, and ethics and human relations programs.
Admission Requirements
Each year, young men and women who are U.S. citizens may be appointed from all states and territories of the nation. Citizens of other countries are admitted in limited numbers. Applicants must be at least 17 and not yet 23 years of age on July1 of the year in which they desire to be admitted. They must be unmarried, have no dependents, be of high moral character, and in good physical health.
Applicants must receive an official nomination. Members of Congress make the majority of the nominations for residents of their states and districts. Senators and representatives nominate young men and women who have excelled academically in high school, have demonstrated leadership potential through school activities, are physically fit, are respected by associates, and want to pursue military careers. Applicants need not know their member of Congress personally. Students may be eligible in nomination categories other than congressional. Students should ask high school counselors or Air Force Admissions Liaison Officers about other categories and apply for nominations in all categories for which they are eligible.
To enter the Academy upon graduation from high school, students should apply as soon as possible after January31 of their junior year. If successful in receiving a nomination, they must take a physical fitness test, a medical exam, and either the SAT or the ACT.
Application and Information
High school juniors may obtain application forms by writing to the address below. Applicants should study the instructions included in the application package and follow the proper application procedures. The package also includes sample letters for requesting nominations. Air Force Admissions Liaison Officers, located in all states, assist students and counselors with the application and testing requirements.
