Eligibility and Requirements
Eligibility Requirements
Admission is open to U.S. citizens or to non-citizens who live in and are attending or have attended secondary school in the United States or its possessions or territories. Applicants who are not U.S. citizens must apply from a domestic address and must hold a Green Card showing permanent residency. Typically our students are unmarried and between the ages of 16 and 24 on the date of admission. Selection is made without regard to race, religion, creed or gender.
Academic Requirements
Candidates should have the following units of high school credit:
- physics: 1
- chemistry: 1
- college preparatory mathematics: 4
- English: 4
- history or social studies: 2
- electives: 4
- TOTAL: 16
We also recommend you take calculus and mechanical drawing. You should have a B average (85 percent) in physics, chemistry, and mathematics, as well as a generally satisfactory high school record.
Health Requirements
An applicant must be physically and mentally capable of performing all work required in the academic courses and in the annual practical work periods. All students will be issued a United States Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document with Student Observer classification. To meet the document’s requirement, an applicant must have the agility, strength, and flexibility to climb steep or vertical ladders; maintain balance on a moving deck; pull heavy objects, up to 50 lbs in weight, distances of up to 400 feet; rapidly don an exposure suit; step over doorsills of 24 inches in height and open or close watertight doors that may weigh up to 56 pounds. Any condition that poses an inordinate risk of sudden incapacitation or debilitating complication, and any condition requiring medication that impairs judgment or reaction time are potentially disqualifying. Students with disabilities should contact the Office of Admissions to determine if they can complete the academic and practical aspects of the program with reasonable accommodation. The Institute reserves the right to exclude from continued class attendance or enrollment any student who, in the judgment of the authorities, is not physically or mentally qualified to follow the regular curricular program.
