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USAFA Quick Facts

Published June 03, 2015

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Air Force Academy Mission
  • To educate, train, and inspire men and women to become officers of character, motivated to lead the United States Air Force in service to our nation.
About The Cadet Wing/Officer Development
  • The Cadet Wing consists of approximately 4,000 cadets.
  • Cadets are organized into 40 squadrons, each containing approximately 100 cadets.
  • Cadets Squadrons each have one Air Officer Commanding and one Academy Military Trainer assigned as permanent party leadership.
  • USAFA assesses approximately 1,200 cadets each summer during Basic Cadet Training. Basic Cadet Training is a six-week program where cadets transition from civilian to military life.
  • More than half of all faculty and staff are currently serving or retired from the military. Exposing cadets to uniformed military and career civil servants enriches their understanding of AF careers and imparts the AF culture.
  • Approximately 800 - 1,000 cadets graduate each year. This equates to about an 80% graduation rate
  • Cadets must participate in an intercollegiate or intramural sport each semester.
  • All cadets receive character development training through honor lessons, seminars and Cadet Wing-wide events such as the annual National Character and Leadership Symposium, Falcon Heritage Forum and other leadership programs.
  • During academic year 2013-14, cadets provided 38,000 hours of volunteer and service learning time in the community. USAFA earned the 2013 Presidential Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll
  • Military training and leadership programs for the 4,000+ Cadet Wing are led and executed by cadets. Programs range from basic military and field combat skills in Basic Cadet Training, Expeditionary, Survival, and Evasion Training to airmanship programs in Space Operations, Cyber, Unmanned Air Vehicles, Powered Flight, Glider and Freefall Parachute programs.
  • Commissioning Education (CE) is responsible for providing USAFA cadets with the first Professional Military Education of their careers. CE instructors educate and train cadets to develop them into leaders and citizens of character to serve the nation. The CE division provides coordinated leadership and policy direction for CE instructors and students.
School Rankings
  • U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges 2015" Rankings
    •  #27 National Liberal Arts Colleges
    •  #3  Top Public Schools
    •  #2  Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (2001-2015)
    •  #3  Electrical, Electronic and Communications Engineering
    •  #3  High School Counselor Rankings
    •  #5  Undergraduate Engineering Program
    •  #6  Mechanical Engineering Program
  • TheBestSchools.org 50 Best Colleges in the U.S. - Top 10
  • Forbes "America's Best Colleges" rankings for 2015
    • #34/650 in undergraduate colleges
  • Colorado Professor of the Year - 9 of the last 12 years
  • #1 undergraduate-only institution for research and development expenditures
Academics
  • Fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
  • 31 Academic Majors
  • 8 to 1 Student to Faculty ratio
  • Average class size of 19
  • 19 Research Centers, 2 Research Institutes and an Energy Working Group
  • 700-plus international opportunities per year
Athletics
  • About 25% or 1,000 cadets are intercollegiate athletes
  • Cadet-athletes have earned 72 NCAA post-graduate scholarships, the second-most nationally in Division I athletics
  • Cadet-athletes have earned 12 Rhodes Scholarships, the most recent being Rebecca Esselstein of cross country in 2015
  • Rebecca Esselstein was named the Capital One Academic All-American of the Year for Division I Women's Track/Field and Cross Country. Esselstein, a 2015 Academy graduate and Rhodes Scholar, is the first Air Force athlete to ever receive this prestigious honor. She also is a three-time Capital One Academic All-AmericaR Division I Women's Track/Field and Cross Country Team All-American, claiming first-team honors in 2015. She was also named the 2015 Mountain West Female Scholar-Athlete of the year.
  • • Air Force has had six athletes inducted into the Academic All-American Hall of Fame, more than any other school in the country. Athletes inducted include: Brock Strom (football), Rich Mayo (football), Michelle Johnson (women’s basketball), Chad Hennings (football), Chris Howard (football) and Lance Pilch (baseball)
  • Over 500 athletes earned Academic All-Mountain West Conference honors since the fall of 2003
  • 77 athletes were awarded Capital One Academic All-American honors
  • Collectively, over 200 cadet-athletes earned CoSIDA and Coaches Academic All-American honors over 300 times
  • The Academy has produced over 200 individual national champions, six individuals NCAA Division 1
  • The Academy has had 680 individual athletes achieve athletic All-American status a total of 1,480 times
Financial Statistics
  • FY14 impact to the surrounding community: $954.9 million
  • Total Cost per USAFA Graduate: $534, 206
    • Cost of education is $50, 335 per year
  • Each cadet receives approximately $1027 monthly pay that covers the cost of uniforms, books and supplies, with a modest amount left for personal spending.
Post-Graduation Statistics
  • Total # grads – 47,901
  • Commission 23% of the officer force, yet graduates comprise 41% of the general officer ranks
  • Approximately 45-50% of Academy graduates enter flight training after graduation.
  • Number of doctors: more than 618
  • Number of general officers: 633, with 135 on active duty
  • Number of Chiefs of Staff of the United States Air Force (CSAF): 4 (Gen Ronald R. Fogelman '63; Gen Michael E. Ryan '65; Gen Norton A. Schwartz '73 and Gen Mark A. Welsh, III '76)
  • Number of astronauts: 39
  • Members of Congress: 2 (Former Rep Heather Wilson '82 from New Mexico; Rep Martha McSally, '88, Arizona)
  • Graduate scholarships given every year average between 6-8% of each graduating class
  • Types of graduate scholarships won:
    •   38 Rhodes 16 Marshall 42 Hertz
      18 Truman 76 Olmsted 47 Fulbright Hayes
      12 Holaday (to Oxford University)
  • In 2014, 18 went to Medical School
  • 3 went to Nursing School
  • 3 went to Dental School
  • 0 went to Physical Therapy School
  • 2 went to Physician Assistant Program
  • 2 went to Law School
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Class of 2019 profile

Total

 

Cadet Wing Profile (Dec 2015)

Total

Applicants

9122

 

Men

3108

Qualified Candidates

2528

 

Women

943

Total Admitted

1226

 

Minorities (%)

28.8%

Minorities

32.0%

 

African-American (%)

8.1%

Women

26.5%

 

Hispanic (%)

9.8%

Average High School GPA

3.84

 

Asian/Pacific Islander (%)

9.6%

SAT Verbal

642

 

Native American (%)

1.4%

SAT Math

672

 

Pilot-Qualified (%)

45.3%

ACT English

30

 

Navigator-Qualified (%)

11.4%

ACT Reading

31

 

Commision-Qualified (%)

43.3%

ACT Math

30

 

Prep School (%)

14.6%

ACT Science Reasoning

30

 

Falcon Foundation (%)

5.5%

Athletic Letter Award

81%

 

Enlisted (%)

5.1%

National Honor Society

66%

 

1st Gen College (%)

16.8%

Eagle Scout

10%

 

Miliary Parent(s) (%)

38%

Class President or VP

20%

 

International Cadets

78

Boys/Girls State or Nation

17%

 

Countries Represented

27

Valedictorian/Salutatorian

11%

 

Four-year International Cadets

56

JROTC

15%

 

Spring Semester Interational Cadets

5

 


Current as of 21 Mar 2016