(a) Nominating officials.

(1) Each Senator and Member of the House of Representatives (including delegates from Guam, the Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia and the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico), the Panama Canal Commission, the Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Delegate to the House of Representatives from American Samoa may nominate ten (1) candidates to compete for admission to the Academy.

(2) In accordance with the Act (46 U.S.C. 1295b (b)(1)), nominating officials may only nominate candidates who are residents of the State or other geographic area which the particular nominating official represents, as follows:

(3) Individuals must be residents of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands to qualify for designation by the Secretary of the Interior.

(4) Nominating officials may select nominees, and the Secretary of the Interior may select designees, by any method they wish, including a screening examination.

(5) Candidates from nations other the United States must be nominated by an official of their home government and have their applications approved by the United States Government official specified in §310.66 (a), or (c) or (d).

(b) Vacancies.

(1) The number of vacancies in each entering class allocated to each State is in proportion to the representation in Congress from that State.

(2) In each entering class, two vacancies shall be allocated each year for individuals nominated by the Panama Canal Commission; one vacancy each to nominees from Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands, Northern Marian Islands and American Samoa; and four vacancies to nominees from the District of Columbia.

(3) Not to exceed four (4) individuals at any one time may be admitted from the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands and twelve (12) individuals from nations located in the Western Hemisphere, other than the United States, but not more than two (2) individuals from any one of such nations shall receive training at the same time.

(4) The Administrator may permit, upon approval of the Secretary of State, not more than thirty (30) individuals at one time from nations other than the United States to receive instruction at the Academy, subject to the condition that the foreign nations reimburse the Administrator for the cost of such training.

(5) The distribution of each entering class by State is:

• Alabama4
• Alaska1
• Arizona3
• Arkansas2
• California19
• Colorado4
• Connecticut4
• Delaware1
• Florida10
• Georgia5
• Hawaii2
• Idaho2
• Illinois9
• Indiana3
• Iowa4
• Kansas3
• Kentucky2
• Louisiana4
• Maine2
• Maryland5
• Massachusetts5
• Michigan7
• Minnesota3
• Mississippi3
• Missouri3
• Montana2
• Nebraska2
• Nevada2
• New Hampshire2
• New Jersey6
• New Mexico2
• New York15
• North Carolina6
• North Dakota1
• Ohio8
• Oklahoma2
• Oregon3
• Pennsylvania10
• Rhode Island2
• South Carolina4
• South Dakota1
• Tennessee4
• Texas13
• Utah2
• Vermont1
• Virginia5
• Washington5
• West Virginia2
• Wisconsin4
• Wyoming1

(6) The distribution of each entering class otherwise provided under the Act is:

• Northern Mariana Islands1.
• Puerto Rico1.
• District of Columbia4.
• Republic of Panama2.
• Guam1.
• American Samoa1.
• Virgin Islands1.
• AdministratorNot to exceed 40.

(7) The distribution of students provided for under the Act without reference to entering class is:

(c) Request for nomination. A person interested in admission to the Academy who feels that he or she meets the requirements in this subpart should request a nomination from his or her Senator or Representative or other appropriate nominating official listed in paragraph (a) of this section.

(d) Date for nominations. The nominating official will send a nomination form for each nominee to the Admissions Office, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, Long Island, New York 11024, normally between August 1 and December 31 of the school year preceding that in which admission to the Academy is desired.

(e) Appointments.

(1) The Administrator shall make appointments to fill the vacancies allocated pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section from among qualified nominees, in order of merit, from each geographical area. The order of merit shall be established according to the procedure as specified in §310.57(b). Such appointments first shall be made from among residents of each geographic area listed in paragraph (b) of this section. Thereafter, appointments shall be made from among residents of each geographic area listed in paragraph (b) of this section. Thereafter appointments shall be made from among remaining qualified nominees (national alternates) in order of merit regardless of the area of residence.

(2) The Administrator may appoint, without competition, not more than forty (40) qualified citizens who possess qualities deemed to be of special value to the Academy. In making these appointments, the Administrator shall give special consideration to achieving a national demographic balance and to recognizing individuals with qualities deemed to be of special value to the Academy.

[47 FR 21812, May 20, 1982, as amended at 51 FR 17741, May 15, 1986; 60 FR 44438, Aug. 28, 1995]