Press Releases

Invitation to International Candidates to Apply for The United States Coast Guard Academy

September 4, 2007

The U.S. Embassy is pleased to invite Mauritian students to apply for the United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) Class of 2012.  Selected Students will enter the academy in June 2008.  A limited number of cadet candidates will be offered USCG-funded scholarships this year.  The Academy is limited statutorily to a maximum of 36 international cadets.  Presently a total of 13 international cadets are enrolled at the USCGA. Nominees must be formally sponsored by their government through the U.S. Embassy.  Government agencies/military services should provide the Public Affairs Section with a list of approved candidates. Endorsement letters from the sponsoring agency/military service is required for each applicant.  No provisions exist for attendance of unsponsored students, even those willing to pay for all expenses and fees. 

The USCGA, one of the four armed services academies, offers an outstanding four-year program with an intensive undergraduate curriculum leading to a Bachelor of Science degree.  This coupled with military training and leadership training enables graduates to assume responsible roles as officers in the USCG or in the case of international students, the comparable maritime or government service in their home countries.  The professional program consists of formal classroom training supplemented by summer programs that include general shipboard and aviation training, seagoing experience, military training and other operational experience.

The cost of instruction includes cadet pay, which is applied towards books, uniforms, food and a monthly allowance.  While at the USCGA, international cadets receive the same pay and allowance as their U.S. counterparts.  Cost of tuition may be waived for Mauritian candidates.

Applicants must meet the following requirements: 

• They must have reached their seventeenth birthday but not their twenty third by July 1, 2008
• They must not have any legal dependents.  They must not be married.
• They must take and obtain minimum scores on the Scholastic Aptitude test (SAT Reasoning).  For the SAT Reasoning, a minimum of 600 on both the Math and Verbal portions is required.  
• For Sat Reasoning, students can register via the Internet at http://www.collegeboard.com/.  The USCGA code number for the SAT Reasoning Exam is 5807.  
• Applicants must take the Test of English Language as a Foreign Language and receive a minimum score of 220 on the computer-based test.  Students must contact their local testing center to schedule an exam.  Contact information for testing centers can be obtained via the internet at http://www.toefl.org/ or by contacting the Education Advising Center of the U.S. Embassy on 202-4444.
• It is the candidate’s responsibility to verify dates that the nearest testing center will administer each examination and to register directly with the appropriate testing agency.   The USCGA must be named as one of the colleges to receive the test scores (Director of Admissions, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, CT 06320). 
 
Once all the above requirements have been fulfilled, final applicants will be interviewed by the U.S. Defense Attache or an Embassy Official prior to the submission of the applicant’s package to the USCGA.  Further information on admissions and on the USCGA are available on the website: http://www.uscga.edu/ 

Critical Dates in the Application Process:

• September 07 - February 08:  Register and take the SAT Reasoning and the TOEFL
• 14 March 08:  Deadline for submission of admission requirements, nominations and waiver requests
• 1 –  15 May 08:  Selection and notification of accepted candidates for class of 2012
• 15 – 31 May 08: Candidates travel plan coordinated by MSG
• 24 June 08: Accepted candidates report to the USCGA