2021-22 Impact Report: Admissions Excellence

ADMISSIONS EXCELLENCE

ADMISSIONS EXCELLENCE

SUMMARY

In support of the Naval Academy’s mission to graduate morally, mentally and physically exceptional leaders, the USNA Office of Admissions conducts a wide range of marketing, education and outreach programs each year designed to connect with high school students and their families, guidance counselors and community leaders, congressional offices, volunteers and more. Along with annual admissions summer events, these programs ensure a pipeline of promising potential applicants, with a particular focus on the recruitment of candidates interested in the STEM disciplines. Admissions Excellence supports Naval Academy Admissions strategic initiatives and outreach.

CLASS OF 2026

Battling through the many challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, which largely precluded in-person outreach, the Office of Admissions received 12,927 applications for admission to the Class of 2026. Applications were received from every state, U.S. territory, and several international partners. Approximately 28% of

all applicants were female and over 40% were students representing diverse backgrounds.

The Class of 2026, which was inducted on June 30, 2022, included 1,184 students from every state in the nation as well as 12 international students from 11 countries, and the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands. The class included 332 (28.3%) female students and 481 (40.6%) minority students.

The class included 39 sons and 21 daughters of alumni. Prior enlisted service members included 57 sailors and 15 marines. Of the enlisted personnel admitted, 46 were admitted through the Naval Academy Preparatory School (NAPS) and 19 admitted through Nuclear Power School.

The class included 336 students who entered the Naval Academy after at least one year of college or a preparatory program including 197 students from NAPS, 44 from the Naval Academy Foundation or civilian preparatory programs and 97 who completed at least one semester of college or a post-high school preparatory program.

USNA continues to be recognized as one of the most selective undergraduate institutions in the nation. It seeks well-rounded individuals who have achieved academic excellence and demonstrated leadership potential in a wide array of extra-curricular activities and athletics. The “yield” (a comparison of offers of appointment to the number of candidates who reported on Induction Day) has remained extremely high over the past decade. The accept rate for the Class of 2026 was 85.2% which reflected an improvement over the prior year and was the highest among the service academies.

Like many recent classes, the Class of 2026 was exceptional with nearly 90% having participated in varsity athletics and over two-thirds of the class having demonstrated leadership as a sport team captain or student body leader. Strong resumes in community service, religious group participation, military organizations such as Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC), Sea Cadets or Young Marines, and musical activities are included in the class’s credentials at admission. It is noted that almost 12% of the class included students who were considered First Generation Americans, 11% first in family to attend college and 10% from families where the primary language spoken at home was not English.

SUMMER PROGRAMS

SUMMER STEM CAMP

In June 2022, 778 students attended the Summer STEM Program held at the U.S. Naval Academy. Attendees were selected from a pool of 3,620 rising 9th to 11th graders who applied from every state in the nation, U.S. territories and overseas locations. The STEM curriculum provided attendees with exposure to world-class laboratories, authentic learning experiences presented at a collegiate level, and hands-on interactions with real world applications. Most important, STEM attendees resided in Bancroft Hall, had first hand exposure to all the facilities at USNA, received information concerning preparation for college and admission to USNA, and were mentored by 141 current midshipmen.

This year, 22 faculty and staff and 36 midshipmen led the instructional phase of the STEM Program. Subjects included Robotics, Machine Learning, Bioterrorism, Applied Mathematics, Operations Research, Chemistry, Aviation and Aerospace, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Electronics, Computer Programming, Cybersecurity, Operations Research, Oceanography, Weather and Climate and Aquaculture Engineering.

SUMMER SEMINAR PROGRAM

This year, summer seminar was held in-person for the first time in three years, and was considered tremendously successful. With 5,249 applicants from every state and territory in the nation, 2,417 attended this important weeklong program designed to give rising high school seniors a glimpse into the day-to-day lifestyle of a midshipman by giving the students five days of physical evolutions, academic modules and camaraderie-building experiences.

The cornerstone of the Summer Seminar program is that it is also a developmental and leadership experience for midshipmen. This year, 259 midshipmen planned, executed and led the program.

Summer Seminar also has a strong academic focus, with students attending workshops which include the following topics: Information Technology, Naval Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, Ocean Engineering, Aerospace Flight Testing, Systems Engineering, Microcomputer Design, Seamanship and Navigation, Oceanography, Mathematics, History, Meteorology, Literature, Chemistry, Political Science, Language Studies, Economics, Martial Arts, Yard Patrol Craft (YP) Cruise, and Ethics and Character Development

ADMISSIONS INITIATIVES

In addition to both Summer Programs, several highlights from the Naval Academy Admissions initiatives over the 2021–2022 year follow below.

STRATEGIC OUTREACH

The Office of Admissions employs a wide variety of methods to strategically seek out and connect with promising potential future midshipmen across the country.

The Office of Admissions conducted extensive outreach over the last year albeit in a flexible and dynamic environment. The strategic focus of the Office of Admissions was to return to in-person outreach, and the Office of Admissions was largely successful in many efforts. However, local conditions dictated by the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic forced the staff to be flexible in using virtual outreach in many circumstances. Regardless, the staff and our Blue & Gold Officers (BGOs) leaned forward to represent USNA across the nation through direct contact with school officials, community leaders and influencers. Admissions Counselors and BGOs represented USNA at national college fairs, outreach

programs and events designed to promote interest and awareness among students.

CANDIDATE VISIT WEEKEND

Despite challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Admissions was able to host nine Candidate Visit Weekend (CVW) programs with a total of 1,419 candidates attending. Competitive, vaccinated juniors and seniors were invited to visit the Academy on a Thursday evening to Saturday morning program that included berthing with a current midshipman and attending class. The ability to run this program in-person this year reflected outstanding results with 68% of those attending highlighting the program as a very important factor in their decision to attend USNA. Scholarships were provided to several students who required assistance to travel to/from USNA.

Knowing that many students would be unable to attend a CVW due to personal schedules or vaccination status, the Office of Admissions initiated a Candidate Day Tour (CDT) program for seniors in the admissions cycle. This program included a personal escort of the facilities by a TDY 2LT or Ensign, and 52 candidates took advantage of the opportunity.

CENTERS OF INFLUENCE

The Office of Admissions also hosted three inperson Centers of Influence (COI) programs with 183 administrators, college admissions counselors, educators and community leaders from around the nation participating in a two-day comprehensive seminar involving exposure to the academy’s leadership and exposure to midshipmen, including how they live, study and train to be future leaders upon graduation. This program is by invitation and is meant to engage influencers from underrepresented areas and underserved groups across the nation. It is funded through the generous support of private philanthropy provided by USNA classes and individual donors.

CONGRESSIONAL ACADEMY DAYS

Throughout the year, the Office of Admissions actively marketed USNA through participation in 165 Congressional Academy Days, many of them virtually due to local COVID-19 restrictions. When possible, midshipmen travel was supported through private philanthropy.

VIRTUAL OUTREACH

Virtual outreach, which expanded dramatically during the height of the pandemic, continued this last year and was leveraged extensively by the Admissions staff. This included 31 webinars using an online platform, and resulted in engagement of 20,378 students, parents and educators.

Social media platforms continued to be utilized extensively for advertising forums, summer programs and other admissions activities. By June 2022, there continued to be a substantial increase in followership across all social media platforms to include 41,436 followers on Facebook, 20,100 followers on Instagram and 1,803 followers on Twitter. By implementing robust social media campaigns, USNA Office of Admissions social media accounts have combined to host events resulting in over 600,000 engagements and over 6 million impressions.

OPERATION INFORMATION EVENTS

This last year, we were able to return to an in-person Operation Information (OPINFO) program with 492 midshipmen traveling back to their home towns the week before or after Thanksgiving. They supported numerous in-person and online engagement events, including school visits, information sessions, and radio and TV spots which centered on Academics, Athletics, Extracurricular Activities, A Day in the Life and Service Opportunities at USNA. Groups of midshipmen were sent to several different key geographic regions across the county and engaged with hundreds of students during the various trips. Overall, midshipmen scheduled 2,767 events and engaged 25,538 prospective applicants.

STEM EVENTS

The Naval Academy STEM Camp is augmented during the academic year by smaller scale “Mini-STEM” programs which provide opportunities for students from grades 9-11 to participate in an overnight program at USNA. Students are exposed to STEM concepts and have the opportunity to interact with midshipmen as well as USNA faculty members. During academic year 2022, the Office of Admissions conducted Mini-STEM program events with students from New York City and Detroit. Remote events, held in localities across the nation, were held in Chicago, Pascagoula and Dallas. All of these programs benefitted from private philanthropy from USNA partners.

INSPIRE PROGRAM

With the assistance of private philanthropy, the Office of Admissions launched this new program for the first time in the fall of 2021. The program is designed to bring minority students from around the country to the Yard for a unique overnight experience. Early results have been very promising with 98% of the 53 students attending the first program last fall completing their applications for admissions. Subsequent programs were held in February and this last September for promising juniors, and early results reflect strong application completion rates for the Class of 2027.

LOOKING AHEAD

In summary, the Class of 2026 admission cycle was challenging but successful thanks to the impact of private support. Trends in College Admissions/American society over the last two years have impacted USNA outreach as well as the other service academies and recruiters, resulting in a decline in interest for students both starting and completing an application for admission. Nationally, declines in students graduating from high school have contributed to a 9% drop in enrollment in college, and Department of Defense surveys indicate that only about 2% of the youth market today is of sufficient quality and propensed to serve.

The way forward to attracting today’s youth will involve reestablishing connections lost in the COVID-19 pandemic in local communities with students, parents and influencers. It will also involve a substantial commitment to expand our outreach in the electronic/internet domain and social media to reach today’s youth and stay abreast of college admissions trends. We have made initial steps through integration of a marketing consultant that specializes in this domain, but we understand there is additional work to do to meet the strategic needs of the Navy’s leadership.

THANK YOU

Thank you for your support for Admissions Excellence and its continued mission to engage students across the country, inspired and prepared to be our future leaders in the Navy and Marine Corps.