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Home / Admissions / International Cadet Admission And Tuition

International Cadet Admission & Tuition

The admission process for international applicants is different from the admission process for U.S. citizens and those with dual citizenship. This is because the Academy works through American embassies to identify, interview, and enroll foreign nationals. You must:

  • Contact the U.S. Defense Attaché Officer or Coast Guard Liaison Officer stationed in the U.S. embassy to request an application
  • Gain the support of your host country, via the U.S. embassy
  • Interview with your embassy official
  • Demonstrate English proficiency
  • Apply on paper, not online
  • Take the SAT or ACT exam

International applicants will be guided by the International Cadet Admission Officer once notified by the embassy you are working with.

Key Dates and Deadlines

  • August: Contact the U.S. embassy & open your application
  • August – January: Take the SAT or ACT, and TOEFL (if required)
  • 1 February: Deadline to submit all application requirements
  • March: Admission Office notifies applicants of decision
  • 1 May: Deadline to accept an appointment

Application Requirements

  • Take and pass a medical exam after you report to the Academy. Candidates who do not meet medical standards when they arrive will be sent home. A list of common disqualifiers should be reviewed in advance to help you assess your medical eligibility.

  • Submit the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam by the application deadline, if English is not the language primarily spoken in your country. The English Comprehension Level (ECL) exam may be substituted with prior written permission from the Admissions Office. Required minimum scores:

  • Submit SAT or ACT test scores. To send your scores from the testing agency, contact SAT or ACT, or list our code when you take the test. Our SAT code is 5807 and our ACT code is 0600. Please visit the College Board or ACT websites to register:
SAT
ACT
  1. TOEFL (paper test): 560
  2. TOEFL (computer test): 90
  3. ECL: 80

Additional information about the TOEFL exam can be found on the TOEFL website.

  • Complete an interview with the U.S. Defense Attaché Officer or embassy official stationed in your U.S. embassy. Bring a certified copy of your high school transcript to the interview, which will be conducted in English. The Defense Attache submits an interview report to the Admissions Office on your behalf before the application deadline.

Tuition

The cost of tuition, room and board is born by your host country. These fees are reviewed and updated annually. Currently:

  • $97,000 per year (for nations not on the World Bank List)
  • $24,000 per year (for nations on the World Bank List)

Your nation is also responsible for the cost of your travel to and from the Academy.

Out of pocket expenses for international cadets vary. Each cadet, however, receives a stipend of $975 per month, portions of which are discretionary and for personal use.

New international cadets are required to make a non-refundable, one-time $3,000 deposit to cover the cost of issued items, such as a computer or tablet, and uniforms.

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Sponsor Family Application

Thank you for submitting your application to be part of the Sponsor Family Program. Your application will be processed in the upcoming week. Coast Guard Academy’s policy on background screening now requires all adults (everyone 18 and older living in the home) who volunteer to mentor, teach, coach or sponsor cadets, whether on or off Coast Guard Academy grounds, to be screened every 5 years. They are required to provide personal information (name, birth date and social security number) for the purpose of conducting a criminal background check.

The Security Officer at the Coast Guard Academy, CWO2 Gina Polkowski, is overseeing this process. Her email is: Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.

Sponsor Family designations fall into several different categories. Below are the guidelines to help you determine how best to meet the background screening requirement:

  1. If you are Coast Guard active duty you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
  2. If you are a Civilian working for the Coast Guard you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
  3. If you are non-Coast Guard Active Duty, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at  Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
  4. If you are non-Coast Guard civilian who has a current security clearance or National Agency check, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at  Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
  5. All civilians in the families who are 18 years or older and do not have a security clearance or a National Agency Check are required to be vetted through Mind Your Business, the third party vendor hired by the Coast Guard Academy for the vetting process.

After you complete your application, please e-mail the Sponsor Family Program Coordinator at CadetFamilySponsorProgram@uscga.edu. In your e-mail, you must include the e-mail address and phone number of every adult living in the home. The Sponsor Family Coordinator will then initiate the background check process and you will receive an email with further instructions.

Important things to note:

There is a Sponsor Family Training that is a one-hour training which we ask sponsors to attend once every four years. This training is designed to give you an overview of the program, what is expected of you as a sponsor, and what you can expect from your cadets. This training will also help familiarize you with the cadet regulations onboard CGA. You will be notified via e-mail once the training is scheduled.

The matching process of swabs to families will occur during July and August. Please bear with us and remain flexible through this process. There will be a meet and greet scheduled on Campus, typically in late August. This will give families an opportunity to formally meet their cadet if they have not already done so. Details on this will also be via email.

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