United States military academies

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The United States Military Academies, properly known as the United States Service academies, are federal academies for the undergraduate education and training of commissioned officers for the United States armed forces. There are five U.S. Service academies:

United States Military Academy, also known as "West Point" and "Army", founded 1802
United States Naval Academy, also known as "Annapolis" and "Navy", founded 1845
United States Coast Guard Academy, also known as "Coast Guard",founded 1876
United States Merchant Marine Academy, also known as "Kings Point", founded 1942
United States Air Force Academy, also known as "Air Force" (and infrequently as "Colorado Springs"), founded 1954

The term Service academies can be used to refer to all of the academies collectively; however, in popular use, it is more often reserved for the three academies that fall under the Department of Defense, and also play NCAA Division I-A football: Army, Navy, and Air Force. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy is under the Department of Homeland Security but the Coast Guard is an armed service which may be placed under the control of the U.S. Navy in time of war. The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy is under the United States Maritime Administration, a part of the Department of Transportation, although every student at the Merchant Marine Academy is appointed as a Midshipman, Merchant Marine Reserve, U.S. Naval Reserve, and has an eight-year military service reserve commitment upon graduation [1]. Students at the other Service academies incur a five year active duty commitment and if in the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine Corps have an additional three year reserve commitment. The U.S. Marine Corps does not have an academy of their own but instead commissions officers from the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

Students at the Military Academy, the Air Force Academy and the Coast Guard Academy are Cadets, while students at the Naval Academy and the Merchant Marine Academy are Midshipmen. While students at the academies, all Cadets and Midshipmen receive military pay, free room and board, and pay no tuition.

[edit] Preparatory Schools

These schools provide for strengthening of academic potential of candidates to each of the above-described United States military service academies. Admission is restricted to those students who have applied to an academy, failed initially to qualify either academically or physically but who have demonstrated an ability to qualify during the initial admission selection process:

United States Air Force Academy Preparatory School
- Prepares students for the Air Force Academy (Air Force)
- Also located on the campus of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Military Academy Preparatory School
- Prepares students for the United States Military Academy (Army/West Point)
- Presently located at Fort Monmouth near the City of Fort Monmouth, New Jersey but this may change in the future because of the intended closure of Fort Monmouth
Naval Academy Preparatory School
- Prepares students for the United States Naval Academy (Navy/Annapolis), the United States Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point), and also the United States Coast Guard Academy (Coast Guard).
- Located at Newport, Rhode Island