The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) permits the appointment of Midshipmen from nations other than the United States.  To apply to the United States Merchant Marine Academy, please use the online application.

All applicants for admission must take either the SAT or the ACT (standardized, timed test). For those international applicants who live in a country where English is not their native language, you are also required to take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) examination.

All completed international applications must be received no later than 1 January of the year in which admission is sought. In order for the application to be complete, the Academy must have received Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of the application; your biographical essay; all high school/secondary school (pre-university) and college/university transcripts (in English); a total of at least three (3) letters of recommendation; your passing (at or above minimum) SAT and/or ACT scores; and your passing (at or above minimum) TOEFL scores (if required). Applicants scoring below a 550 on either the Math or Reading and Writing sections of the SAT or below a 23 on the ACT Math or below a combined 43 on the ACT English + Reading sections will generally not be competitive for admission.

All international candidates who have also attended university must provide the Academy with an official, certified copy of their transcript(s) from all universities where they have studied, and at least two (2) of those candidates' Letters of Recommendation must be from university instructors/professors. They must have earned at least a 2.5 cumulative grade point average in their university coursework (on a 4.0 scale) in order to be considered for admission. All transcripts from university coursework must be in English, or accompanied by an official, certified translation into English.

All candidates for admission to the Academy must be at least 17 years of age and must not have passed their 25th birthday before 1 July in the year they wish to enter the Academy.

All applicants must also supply the Admissions Office with the results of a full medical examination. Those results must be reported in English; if they are not in English, then they must be sent to the Academy with a certified translation into English. All Midshipmen at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, in accordance with U.S. Coast Guard regulations, must be physically qualified to sit for the U.S. Coast Guard License examinations before completing their studies and graduating from the Academy. Medical disqualification is a cause for rejection of admission to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

The United States does not offer any scholarships, grants, or other financial assistance or aid for international students to attend the Academy. All expenses of international students are the responsibility of those students. All international applicants who are found to be academically qualified to attend the Academy must also demonstrate their ability to pay for their education in order to receive an Appointment to the Academy. The Academy does provide international students attending the Academy all required uniforms and textbooks, and allowances for transportation that are provided to U.S. citizens who are Midshipmen.

International candidates must be approved by their government and endorsed by the appropriate offices in the United States Department of State or of the Interior, as applicable, to be considered for admission.

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy awards Bachelor of Science degrees only to graduates in the following academic majors: Maritime Logistics and Security; Marine Engineering; Marine Transportation; Marine Engineering Systems; Marine Engineering & Shipyard Management.

International Student Point of Contact:
CDR Keith Watson
watsonk@usmma.edu