United States Merchant Marine Academy

Public · Selective · NY

Photo: USMMA (Public domain)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationNY · Northeast

SettingSuburban

Undergrads962

Student:faculty13:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate75.1%

6-yr grad rate82.4%

Drop-out rate15.5%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$1k

Out-of-state tuition$1k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity24.8%

Gender diversity18.2%

International0.1%

Identity—

Overview

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York is a federal service academy where midshipmen earn a B.S. degree, a Coast Guard license, and a military commission, all tuition-free in exchange for a post-graduation service obligation. It is built around a defining feature unlike any other service academy: Sea Year, roughly a year spread across two extended periods training aboard working commercial ships around the world, often with real responsibility on deck or in the engine room rather than just observing.

Academics

Coursework centers on marine engineering, logistics, and transportation, structured to prepare graduates for licensed roles in the merchant marine as well as active or reserve military service. Midshipmen choose between deck and engine tracks, each leading toward a specific Coast Guard credential, so the academic path is more vocationally specific than at the other federal academies. The academic calendar is compressed around the two Sea Year deployments, meaning classroom terms are more concentrated than a typical four-year schedule.

Campus & student life

Life at Kings Point follows a military service-academy structure — uniforms, rank, and a Regiment of Midshipmen organize daily routine — and the extended Sea Year abroad is unlike anything at a civilian college or even the other federal academies, since much of it happens off campus entirely aboard commercial vessels. This is a demanding, structured environment suited to students who want the service-academy discipline specifically, combined with real early exposure to a working global industry.

Getting in

Admission requires a congressional or other official nomination, similar to West Point, Annapolis, and the Air Force Academy, alongside a rigorous review of academics, physical fitness, and medical qualification. Commitment to military and maritime service is a central expectation of the process, and applicants should understand the service obligation — active duty, reserve, or maritime industry service — before applying, not after acceptance.

After graduation

Graduates go on to careers in the U.S. merchant marine, the Navy or other armed services, and the broader maritime and logistics industry, with the service obligation structuring the years immediately after graduation. The academy's small size and specific mission mean alumni networks are tightly concentrated within the maritime and military-adjacent industries rather than spread broadly across sectors.

Worth knowing

Sea Year is the defining experience here — an extended period working aboard commercial vessels internationally — and prospective students should understand this hands-on, away-from-campus component before applying, since it fundamentally changes what the four years look like compared to a normal college experience. This is a genuinely different path from the other federal service academies given the maritime-industry orientation.

usmma.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate34.2%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1110–1300 · ACT 22–29

Test policyrequired

Rec letters—

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Applying (2026-27 cycle)