As the smallest of the five U.S. service academies, the Coast Guard Academy offers the elite higher education, rigorous profe ... ssional development, and honor and tradition of a military academy but with a more personalized approach. The Coast Guard Academy offers an integrated life experience which emphasizes academics, physical fitness, character and leadership, in order to graduate officers of the highest caliber. Graduates go directly to positions of leadership in "The Shield of Freedom," one of the most admired organizations in the world. The Academy also features an impressive teacher-student ratio and picturesque waterfront campus that instills a traditional small college feel. Coast Guard cadets devote themselves to an honor concept and graduate to work at sea, on land, in the air, and even in space, in meaningful careers of selfless service to others. A great number also go on to graduate level study, many at the expense of the Coast Guard. The program is more rigorous than a non-military college – but for the right candidates – USCGA is the opportunity of a lifetime. read more