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Public 4-Year Highly Selective USAF Academy, CO

United States Air Force Academy

USAF Academy, CO

14.1%
Acceptance Rate
87.8%
6-yr Grad Rate
4,114
Undergrads

About United States Air Force Academy

The United States Air Force Academy is a federal service academy in Colorado that educates cadets for commissions as military officers. It enrolls 4,114 undergraduates with a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio and reports an 87.8% six-year graduation rate.

Type
Public 4-Year
Undergrads
4,114
Avg Faculty Salary
$104,490
Endowment
$151.9M
What United States Air Force Academy Is Known For
Majors far more concentrated here than at colleges nationally
Astronautical Engineering 49 graduates · 5% of degrees here vs 0% nationally 2028×
Geospatial Intelligence 33 graduates · 3.4% of degrees here vs 0% nationally 2028×
Military Applied Sciences 63 graduates · 6.5% of degrees here vs 0.01% nationally 1121×
Systems Engineering 67 graduates · 6.9% of degrees here vs 0.03% nationally 228×
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and... 125 graduates · 12.8% of degrees here vs 0.32% nationally 40×
SOURCEIPEDS Completions 2023, against the national share at the same degree level
Admissions
14.1%
Acceptance rate · Highly Selective
9,543
Applicants
Can I Get In? →
Cost & Aid
No published price data
$151.9M
Endowment
Can I Afford It? →
Outcomes
87.8%
Six-year graduation rate
87.8%
6-yr Grad Rate
Is It Worth It? →

United States Air Force Academy Acceptance Rate & Admissions

Acceptance Rate
14.1%
9,543 applicants
Student:Faculty Ratio
7:1
Undergrad instruction

Candidates apply for an appointment, and most need a nomination — typically from a member of Congress — along with fitness and medical qualification. The academy admitted 14.1% of applicants in the Fall 2023 cycle.

How Selective Is That, Really?
Each dot is one of 100 applicants · Source: school's Common Data Set, else College Scorecard
1 in 7 applicants is admitted · 9,543 applied
10-Year Acceptance Rate Trend
10-year trend · Source: College Scorecard
10 years

SAT & ACT Score Ranges

Where Admitted Students Score
Middle 50% of enrolled students, on the full SAT scale · Source: College Scorecard (IPEDS)
Fall 2023
1230–1440
40080012001600
Who Applies, and Who Gets In
First-year applicants, admits and enrollees by gender
Applied Admitted Rate Enrolled
Men 6,532 927 14.2% 751
Women 3,011 402 13.4% 303
SOURCEIPEDS Admissions — Fall 2023 admissions cycle
How These Admissions Numbers Compare
Against the colleges this school should be measured against
Median

United States Air Force Academy admits 14.1% of applicants — a typical similar college admits 83%.

Acceptance rate
This school
14.1%
Similar colleges (532)
83%
CO (24)
87.5%
National (1,934)
78.1%

Each bar is the median of that group, with the number of schools in brackets. “Similar colleges” means the same control and the same predominant degree awarded. Groups of fewer than 15 schools are not shown.

United States Air Force Academy Tuition, Fees & Cost of Attendance

Cadets pay no tuition or room and board; the Air Force Academy is tuition-free, and graduates owe a period of military service as commissioned officers.

What You'd Actually Pay by Family Income

Full Cost of Attendance
Source: College Scorecard
2023-24

Student Loan Debt

United States Air Force Academy Graduation Rate & Student Outcomes

6-yr Grad Rate
87.8%

The Air Force Academy reports an 87.8% six-year graduation rate, and graduates commission as officers upon completing their degrees.

Graduate Earnings After College

Median Graduate Earnings Over Time
6 and 10 years after entering · includes all students, not just graduates · Source: College Scorecard
Median Earnings by Gender · 6 Years After Entering
Students working 6 years after entering · Source: College Scorecard

Top Majors & Programs

Top Majors by Graduates
Most recent year available · bachelor's degrees only · Source: IPEDS Completions 2023
MajorGraduates
Business Administration and Management,...138
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and...125
Biology/Biological Sciences, General72
Systems Engineering67
Military Applied Sciences, Other63
Behavioral Sciences54
Astronautical Engineering49
International Relations and Affairs46
Civil Engineering, General39
Economics, General38
Graduation Rate by Race & Ethnicity
Completing within six years
White
90.3%
Asian
83.8%
Black
83.3%
Hispanic
82%
SOURCECollege Scorecard — groups with too few students to report are omitted
How These Outcomes Compare
Against the colleges this school should be measured against
Median
Graduation rate
This school
87.8%
Similar colleges (566)
51.7%
CO (33)
41.8%
National (2,168)
52.3%
Freshman retention
This school
96%
Similar colleges (567)
76%
CO (22)
72.4%
National (1,841)
75.7%

Each bar is the median of that group, with the number of schools in brackets. “Similar colleges” means the same control and the same predominant degree awarded. Groups of fewer than 15 schools are not shown.

United States Air Force Academy Campus & Faculty

The Air Force Academy enrolls 4,114 cadets on its Colorado campus with a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio; 29.5% of cadets are women.

Student Demographics
Undergraduate enrollment · Source: College Scorecard / IPEDS
Race & Ethnicity
White
63%
Asian
8.4%
Hispanic
11.4%
Black
5.2%
Other Indicators
Women
29.5%
Academic Resources
215
Full-time faculty
$104,490
Avg faculty salary
1,540
FT staff
$151.9M
Endowment
Faculty Salary by Gender
All instructional ranks combined · Source: IPEDS Human Resources
Men (avg)
$106,748
Women (avg)
$99,279
Overall avg
$104,490
Who Is on Campus
Beyond the undergraduate headcount
SOURCEIPEDS enrollment; Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act filings
Online & Distance Learning
How much of the teaching happens remotely
Undergrads fully online
0%
Undergrads taking any
0%

0 of 4,124 undergraduates study entirely at a distance.

SOURCEIPEDS Fall Enrollment, distance education status

United States Air Force Academy is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and operates its own teaching hospital.

How This Campus Compares
Against the colleges this school should be measured against
Median
Students per faculty member
This school
7:1
Similar colleges (595)
16:1
CO (74)
16:1
National (5,427)
15:1

Each bar is the median of that group, with the number of schools in brackets. “Similar colleges” means the same control and the same predominant degree awarded. Groups of fewer than 15 schools are not shown.

Every Major at United States Air Force Academy
30 fields of study, bachelor's degree level, grouped by subject area
974 graduates
Engineering 345 grads · 8 majors
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and... 125
Systems Engineering 67
Astronautical Engineering 49
Civil Engineering, General 39
Operations Research 26
Mechanical Engineering 20
Electrical and Computer Engineering 18
Engineering, General 1
Business and Marketing 138 grads · 1 major
Business Administration and Management,... 138
Social Sciences 102 grads · 4 majors
International Relations and Affairs 46
Economics, General 38
Political Science and Government, General 17
Social Sciences, General 1
Multidisciplinary Studies 87 grads · 2 majors
Behavioral Sciences 54
Data Science, General 33
Military Technologies 76 grads · 3 majors
Military Applied Sciences, Other 63
Cyber/Electronic Operations and Warfare 9
Space Systems Operations 4
Biological and Biomedical Sciences 72 grads · 1 major
Biology/Biological Sciences, General 72
Physical Sciences 36 grads · 3 majors
Chemistry, General 26
Physics, General 6
Meteorology 4
Homeland Security and Protective Services 33 grads · 1 major
Geospatial Intelligence 33
Computer and Information Sciences 26 grads · 1 major
Computer Science 26
Legal Professions 15 grads · 1 major
Legal Studies 15
History 12 grads · 1 major
History, General 12
Mathematics and Statistics 12 grads · 1 major
Mathematics, General 12
English Language and Literature 9 grads · 1 major
English Language and Literature, General 9
Philosophy and Religious Studies 9 grads · 1 major
Philosophy 9
Science Technologies 2 grads · 1 major
Science Technologies/Technicians, General 2
SOURCEIPEDS Completions 2023 — first majors only, so a student with a double major is counted once

United States Air Force Academy Location & Campus Safety

United States Air Force Academy is in Air Force Academy, CO, in what IPEDS classifies as a rural, near a city setting. The campus sits about 1.9 miles from the center of Air Force Academy. There are 2 other colleges within 25 miles, and Colorado Springs, CO is 12.2 miles away.

United States Air Force Academy
Rural, near a city
Campus Setting
1.9 mi
To City Center
2
Colleges Within 25 mi
6,701
Air Force Academy Population
Living in Air Force Academy
Cost of living and getting around, for the whole city — not the campus
ACS 2023
$2,223
Median Rent / mo
$93,889
Median Household Income
27.5%
Rent as % of Income
How People Commute
Drive alone
18.6%
Walk
77.5%

El Paso County scores 10.3 out of 20 on the EPA National Walkability Index — below average walkable. The index is a county-wide average of block groups, so it describes the surrounding area rather than the campus itself.

Undergraduates make up about 63.9% of Air Force Academy's residents.

SOURCEU.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year estimates; EPA National Walkability Index

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about United States Air Force Academy admissions, costs, and outcomes.