United States Air Force Academy

Public · Highly Selective · CO

Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA (CC BY-SA 2.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationCO · West

SettingRural

Undergrads4,114

Student:faculty7:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate83.5%

6-yr grad rate87.5%

Drop-out rate3.5%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition—

Out-of-state tuition—

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity37%

Gender diversity29.5%

International1.4%

Identity—

Overview

The Air Force Academy, founded in 1954 as the youngest of the service academies, is set against the Rocky Mountain foothills north of Colorado Springs at a high altitude that makes physical training genuinely more demanding than at sea level. Cadets pay no tuition and commit to a period of officer service after graduation, and the soaring 17-spire Cadet Chapel, designed by Walter Netsch, is one of America's most recognizable pieces of modern architecture, symbolic of the campus's distinctive character.

Academics

The academic core is engineering-heavy and demanding, run alongside a full military and athletic regimen, so cadets are simultaneously students, athletes, and trainees from day one. Class sizes are small and structured around leadership development as much as technical content, taught by a mix of active-duty officer-instructors and civilian faculty. Cadets select majors partway through while continuing full military training, and academics never let up in favor of the military side of the schedule or vice versa.

Campus & student life

Life is organized by military structure and discipline rather than conventional dorm and club culture, with physical training and formations built into the daily schedule. The Cadet Honor Code -- 'We will not lie, steal, or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does' -- governs daily conduct. The academy's falconry program, in which cadets train and fly live falcons as the school's mascot, is one of the most distinctive traditions of any American college. Division I athletics and the annual Commander-in-Chief's Trophy rivalry with Army and Navy carry major institutional pride.

Getting in

Admission requires a congressional or other official nomination in addition to competitive academics, physical fitness testing, and a medical examination, making this a fundamentally different process than a typical college application. A preparatory school option exists for promising candidates who need an extra year to become competitive academically or physically.

After graduation

Graduates commission as Air Force or Space Force officers with a service obligation, entering a career path and alumni network tightly bound to military and aerospace careers. Many pursue pilot training, a particularly competitive and sought-after track available at commissioning for those who qualify.

Worth knowing

As with the other service academies, tuition, room, and board are fully covered in exchange for the service commitment, and cadets are paid a stipend while enrolled. The high-altitude Colorado Springs setting and the schedule's constant demands are a genuine departure from ordinary undergraduate life, worth understanding well before applying.

usafa.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate14.1%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1230–1440 · ACT 26–33

Test policyrequired

Rec letters3

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Regular decisionDec 31

Applying (2026-27 cycle)

Apply through Own application.

Interviews: A personal interview with an Admissions Liaison Officer (ALO) is required as part of the application, alongside the required writing sample; candidates are directed to contact their assigned ALO to schedule it.

Verified from the school’s admissions pages ↗