The Coast Guard Academy is one of the five military service academies. Located in New London, CT, the Academy's mission is to produce leaders of character for service to the nation. About 300 High School graduates enroll annually, leaving four years later with a Bachelor of Science degree and commission as an Ensign.
The Academy is one of the top ten academic experiences in America (Princeton Review 2003). Graduates experience much more than intellectual growth. The opportunity to develop physically, morally, and spiritually sets the Academy apart. Two-thirds typically graduate in technical majors, which include Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Operations Research and Computer Analysis, and Marine Environmental Science. Seventy percent compete in Division I and II intercollegiate sports.
The Academy is tuition free. Cadets also earn a modest paycheck. Graduates are obligated to serve for five years upon graduation. Applications are accepted on-line. The annual application deadline is February 1. There are no congressional nominations. We encourage you to talk personally with your Admissions Officer.
Director of Admissions
U.S. Coast Guard Academy
15 Mohegan Avenue
New London, CT 06320-9807 E-mail: admissions@uscga.edu
For more information about the Academy, please visit the Academy's Web Site
In order to join the Coast Guard, you must not only meet qualification criteria, but also meet a "whole person" evaluation. You must sincerely desire to serve your country and develop your leadership and professional potential.
Think of your meeting with a recruiter as a "job interview", where your personal skills and attributes will be evaluated and compared with other eligible job applicants. Your recruiter will work with you to fill out a variety of forms that validate your eligibility. You must honestly answer all questions and provide supporting documentation/ information.
The qualification criteria include:As part of the recruitment process, you will have to pass the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test and a military entrance medical exam. We are now currently accepting minimum qualification scores of 45 or higher in the ASVAB.
You will also be subject to a police background check and as with other military services; felony convictions will disqualify you from consideration. Your credit will also be evaluated.
The "whole person" evaluation considers your attitude, professionalism, honesty, respect, language proficiency, weight/physical abilities and work ethic.
As the first step in the process, we recommend you complete the "Get More Information" form on gocoastguard.com. Your information will be forwarded to your local recruiting office. You will also receive an email verifying that your information has been forwarded. Our recruiters are very busy and it may take up to 72 hours for them to contact you.
The United States Coast Guard is a military, multi-mission, maritime service within the Department of Homeland Security and one of the nation's five armed services. Its core roles are to protect the public, the environment, and U.S. economic and security interests in America's coasts, ports, and inland waterways.
The Coast Guard provides unique benefits to the nation because of its distinctive blend of military, humanitarian, and civilian law enforcement capabilities. To serve the public, the Coast Guard has five fundamental roles:
For more detail on each mission, please see Coast Guard Missions within this site.
Following are the basic requirements for becoming a member of the Coast Guard:
Advancement:
You are promoted based on your knowledge of your chosen career field, your performance, time in pay grade, and service requirements.
Paid Vacation:
You earn 2.5 days paid vacation per month for a total of 30 days each year.
Training:
You choose your career path based on your aptitude, physical abilities, security clearance, motivation, and determination. Unlike other military services, the Coast Guard offers all specialties to both men and women equally - including combat roles.
Healthcare:
While on active duty, you will receive complete medical and dental care at no cost.
Life Insurance:
As an active duty member, you are covered for $400,000 in term life insurance at a minimal cost. You may select a lower amount of coverage.
Allowances:
You'll receive additional tax-free money for Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) if government housing is not available in the area you are stationed; Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS), if government dining facilities are not available in the area you are stationed; and a uniform allowance (for enlisted personnel only) to help maintain your uniform. Tax Advantage:
All existing allowances for food, housing, and clothing are not subject to federal or state income taxes.
GI Bill:
The Post 9/11 GI Bill will help pay for your college education or vocational technical training.
Additional Benefits:
There are exchange and commissary privileges, moving allowances, temporary lodging expenses, travel, survivor benefits, Veterans Administration home loans, and more.
The Coast Guard is hiring prior-service people. Call 1-877-NOW-USCG and speak with the recruiter nearest you to determine eligibility and pay grade upon entry.
Enlistment into the U.S. Coast Guard, or any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, by citizens of other countries is limited to those foreign nationals who are legally residing in the United States and possess a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Alien Registration Card (USCIS Form I-151/551 - commonly known as a "Green Card"). Applicants must speak, read, and write English fluently.
The U.S. military branches cannot assist foreign nationals in obtaining admittance into the United States. Questions concerning immigration to the United States should be asked of the U.S. Embassy. Only after immigration procedures are completed and an applicant is legally in the United States may an application for enlistment be accepted.
Enlistment contracts are for 8 years. The most common contracts consist of 4 years active duty and 4 years in the inactive reserve component. Three, four or six year active duty contracts may be offered in some cases.
Boot camp is tough, both mentally and physically! Its purpose is to prepare you for life in the Coast Guard. Much of your training will take place in a classroom where you will learn valuable skills such as first aid, fire fighting, weapons handling, practical seamanship, and general Coast Guard knowledge. You will have daily physical fitness classes and spend time at the pool learning water-survival techniques. You will meet your Company Commander (CC) on the first Friday of your training. The CC has the responsibility to make a hard-working, efficient team out of 50 or 60 strangers. The CC will teach you military drill, which includes marching, handling the M-1 Garand rifle, and showing you the "ropes" of U.S. Coast Guard life.
After you enter the Delayed Entry Program (DEP), you will receive a copy of the "Helmsman, " a recruit guidebook. Study the entire book. There is a lot of very important information in it. Pay particular attention to the list of items you cannot bring to boot camp, the 11 General Orders, and the Position of Attention. Also, prepare yourself for physical fitness training.
To meet minimum qualifications for graduation, you must be able to perform the following:
PUSH-UPS:
(in 1 minute)
male: 29 female: 15
SIT-UPS:
(in 1 minute)
male: 38 female: 32
1.5 MILE RUN:
(minutes)
male:12:51 female: 15:26
SIT AND REACH:
male: 16.50 female: 19.29
COMPLETE SWIM CIRCUIT:
Jump off a five foot platform into the pool, swim 100 meters, and tread water for five minutes.
No, but you will be tested on your ability to enter a swimming pool from a 1.5 meter platform and safely swim 100 meters in five minutes without touching the side or the bottom of the pool and without any goggles. You'll then have to tread water for five minutes without a life jacket. If you fail to complete this test, you'll be required to get up earlier and attend an additional swim class in the morning before your regular classes.
This is a mandatory requirement for you to graduate from basic training. You should come prepared. The more abilities you have, the more comfortable you'll be. The training staff at Cape May will help you, but time is short.
If you are afraid of being in, on, or near the water, you are not eligible to apply.
There are various types of pay. Basic pay is received by all and is the main component of an individual's salary. There are other allowances, often referred to as special pays, for specific qualifications or events, including dangerous or hardship duties unique to an individual assignment. Click the link below to find the basic pay scales.
There are several ways to become an officer in the Coast Guard: By successfully graduating from the Coast Guard Academy, successfully completing Officer Candidate School (OCS), or through one of several Direct Commissioning Programs. You must have normal color vision for all officer programs.
Officer Candidate School (OCS) is 17 weeks of training in New London, CT. Studies include nautical science, law enforcement, seamanship, and leadership. When you graduate, you will be commissioned as an ensign (O1) with a three-year, initial active-duty obligation. Upon completion of your initial three years of active duty, you and the Coast Guard will decide if you can extend on active duty.
If you have a four-year college degree from an accredited college and meet the age, physical, and moral requirements, you may apply for OCS. Upon completion of your officer package, you will have an interview with three Coast Guard officers. The completed package will be submitted to a board who will select the top candidates from the packages they receive. For more information, please visit the OCS Home Page or visit your local recruiter.
The Coast Guard is also seeking qualified health professionals. If you are a physician, dentist or pharmacist and would like more information about active duty positions for health care professionals, please contact:
CDR Wade McConnell
Commandant (CG-1122)
USCG Headquarters
2100 2nd Street, SW
Washington, DC 20593-0001
In the Coast Guard, you can attend any training school you want, permitted you qualify for it. The results of your ASVAB will determine what schools you qualify for. Also, in order to enter into the aviation rates, your vision can be no worse than 20/100 uncorrected, corrected to 20/20. In addition, you need normal color vision to enter into the aviation rates, and any rate that requires you to navigate or work with electricity. It is important to know that all of our schools have waiting lists. They range from a few months to over two years for some ratings. You must have a minimum of 30 months remaining on your enlistment before you can enter any Class A school. If the school you want has a very lengthy wait, you may need to extend your enlistment a number of months to bring the total left on your enlistment up to 30 months.
This is training for a specialty you have chosen. It may involve work details and duty, but the main focus is on technical and professional training.
You will be paid for every day you are in the Coast Guard. You will receive pay according to published pay schedules for your pay grade, in addition to any temporary duty or travel allowances due you.
For Reserve, depending on the program, you will receive boot camp and maybe A-school training. Weekend or weekday drills are considered training. Active Duty for Training (ADT) is 12 days of active duty at a Coast Guard unit or Coast Guard school, and is required annually.
They are a small group within the U.S. Coast Guard, only about 300 of them service-wide. To join their ranks, candidates must endure physical and mental challenges that rival those facing any potential Army Ranger, Navy SEAL, or Air Force Pararescueman.
The Coast Guard's rescue swimmers are the brave young men and women who hoist or free fall from a helicopter into dangerous seas to perform daring rescues.
The rescue swimmer training school has one of the highest student attrition rates of any special operations school in the military. Roughly 75 students go through the school each year, and fewer than half complete the training.
Active-duty Guardians serve where the Coast Guard needs them. Assignments could be aboard one of the many cutters, at a support station, on a flight crew, or at an air station.
Reserve Guardians generally serve at a Coast Guard unit within 100 miles of their residence. A recruiter can provide details of possible reserve opportunities.
Coast Guard personnel can be called upon to serve overseas during time of national emergency or on routine deployments of cutters overseas. In fact, Coast Guard personnel have served in every major conflict including Desert Storm and the Iraq war.
However, as a member of the Department of Homeland Security, the majority of Coast Guard assets are used to enforce the law on the seas, protect natural resources and the environment in the nation's ports, major waterways, and homeland coastal waters.