United States Military Academy

United States Military Academy

Motto	Duty • Honor • Country[1]
Type	U.S. Service Academy
Established	16 March 1802; 222 years ago (1802-03-16)[2]
Endowment	$422 million (2022)[3]
Superintendent	Lieutenant General Steven W. Gilland
Dean	Brigadier General Shane R. Reeves[4]
Commandant of Cadets	Brigadier General R.J. Garcia
Academic staff	580
Students	4,294 cadets[5]
Location	West Point, New York , United States
Campus	Rural – 16,080 acres (6,507.3 ha)
Fight song	On, Brave Old Army Team
Colors	Black, gold, and gray[6]
Nickname	Black Knights
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division I – PL AHA CSFL EIGL EIWA NCA AAC
Mascot	Mule
Website	westpoint.edu
United States Military Academy
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
New York State Register of Historic Places
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Coordinates	41°23′35″N 73°57′29″W / 41.393°N 73.958°W / 41.393; -73.958
NRHP reference No.	66000562
NYSRHP No.	07103.000261
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	15 October 1966
Designated NHL	19 December 1960
Designated NYSRHP	23 June 1980

The United States Military Academy (USMA, West Point, or Army^[7]) is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort during the American Revolutionary War, as it sits on strategic high ground overlooking the Hudson River 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City. The academy was founded in 1802, and it is the oldest of the five American service academies and educates cadets for commissioning into the United States Army. The academic program grants the Bachelor of Science degree with a curriculum that grades cadets' performance upon a broad academic program, military leadership performance, and mandatory participation in competitive athletics.

Candidates for admission must apply directly to the academy and receive a nomination, usually from a member of Congress. Other nomination sources include the president and vice president.^[8] Students are officers-in-training and are referred to as "cadets" or collectively as the "United States Corps of Cadets" (USCC). The Army fully funds tuition for cadets in exchange for an active duty service obligation upon graduation. About 1,300 cadets enter the academy each July, with about 1,000 cadets graduating.

The academy's traditions have influenced other institutions because of its age and unique mission. It was the first American college to have an accredited civil engineering program and the first to have class rings, and its technical curriculum became a model for engineering schools. West Point's student body has a unique rank structure and lexicon. The academy fields 15 men's and nine women's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sports teams. Cadets compete in one sport every fall, winter, and spring season at the intramural, club, or intercollegiate level. Its football team was a national power in the early and mid-20th century, winning three national championships. Among the country's public institutions, the academy is the top producer of Marshall and Rhodes scholars.^[9][10] Its alumni are collectively referred to as "The Long Gray Line," which include U.S. Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ulysses S. Grant; Confederate President Jefferson Davis; Confederate general Robert E. Lee; American poet Edgar Allan Poe; U.S. generals Douglas MacArthur and George Patton; presidents of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and the Philippines; and 76 Medal of Honor recipients.