Related to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland:

The United States Naval Academy was established in 1845 by Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft as the Naval School in Annapolis, Maryland, and was renamed the U.S. Naval Academy in 1851. Known from the start for its high standards of discipline and efficiency, after the Civil War the academy added new buildings, modernized its curriculum, and began emphasizing athletics. Throughout its history it has conservatively reflected the soundest trends in U.S. engineering institutions, while keeping uppermost the fundamental mission of educating professional officers rather than technicians. Women have been admitted to the academy since 1975. The brigade of midshipmen is kept at a strength of approximately four thousand by a dozen methods of entry, of which congressional appointment supplies the greatest number.

Sweetman, Jack. The U.S. Naval Academy. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1995.

Candidates for admission must be between 17 and 22 years old and meet certain physical and educational qualifications. An applicant must obtain a nomination to be considered for an appointment. The following are the sources of nomination: the President of the United States; the Vice President; U.S. Senators and Representatives; and the representatives of the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories. Special appointment categories include children of deceased and disabled veterans or of military or civilian personnel who are prisoners of war or missing in action, foreign students, regular U.S. navy and marine corps, U.S. navy and marine corps reserve, honor graduates of military and naval schools and ROTC, and children of Medal of Honor recipients.

Approximately 4,000 midshipmen attend the academy; they receive full scholarships as well as a monthly allotment to pay for supplies, clothing, and personal expenses. The four-year course includes scientific and general studies as well as technical courses on naval subjects and practical work on cruises. Graduates receive a bachelor's degree and a commission as an ensign in the navy or as a second lieutenant in the marine corps. John Paul Jones is buried at the Naval Academy, which is a national historic site.

Bibliography

See J. Crane and J. F. Kiely, United States Naval Academy: the First Hundred Years (1945); K. Banning, Annapolis Today (6th ed. 1963); J. Sweetmen, U.S. Naval Academy (1979).

The United States Naval Academy (also known as USNA, Annapolis, or Navy) is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States. Established in 1845 under George Bancroft, it is the second-oldest of the United States' five service academies, and educates officers for commissioning primarily into the United States Navy and Marine Corps. The 338-acre (137 ha) campus is located on the former grounds of Fort Severn at the confluence of the Severn River and Chesapeake Bay, approximately 33 miles (53 km) east of Washington, D.C. and 26 miles (42 km) southeast of Baltimore, Maryland. The entire campus is a National Historic Landmark and home to many historic sites, buildings, and monuments.

Candidates for admission must both apply directly to the academy and receive a nomination, usually from a congressman. Students are officers-in-training and are referred to as midshipmen. Tuition for midshipmen is fully funded by the Navy in exchange for an active duty service obligation upon graduation. Approximately 1,300 "plebes" enter the Academy each spring with about 1,000 midshipmen graduating. Graduates are usually commissioned as ensigns in the Navy or second lieutenants in the Marine Corps, and occasionally as officers in the US Air Force and US Army. The academic program grants a bachelor of science degree with a curriculum that grades midshipmens' performance upon a broad academic program, military leadership performance, and mandatory participation in competitive athletics. Midshipmen are required to adhere to the Honor Concept.

The United States Naval Academy's campus is located in Annapolis, Maryland, at the confluence of the Severn River and the Chesapeake Bay.

Some ranking agencies, such as usnews.com, do not rank the Naval Academy directly against other colleges because "Colleges that offer most or all of their degrees in fine arts, performing arts, business, or engineering are listed here as specialty schools." Currently, however, the USNA offers a wider range of majors. Some agencies do recognize the academy's scholastic standing: Forbes.com ranked the Academy as 30th in the United States in its "America's Best Colleges" site for 2009.