06/18/2026
Curious how USNA scores their applicants?
Let’s dive in!
The Naval Academy admissions decisions are influenced by an algorithm called the Whole Person Multiple (WPM). Based on research from the US Government Accountability Office and the Naval Postgraduate School, this score is calculated as a composite of three areas: Academics, Leadership, and Fitness. Let’s look more closely at each component, so you can spend your time and energy where it matters the most.
The following is the WPM formula:
74% Academics
26% Leadership
5% Fitness
Academics:
SAT/ACT. Your SAT/ACT score counts as 28% of the score.
Transcript. Your transcript counts as 22%.
Recommendations. Your teacher recommendations count as 24%.
Leadership:
Athletics. 16% of your score comes from your athletic activities.
Extracurricular. Another 10% is derived from your non-athletic extracurricular activities.
Fitness.
The CFA comprises 5% of your admissions score. The test includes 6 exercises for a total of 40 minutes.
Everything you do is quantified, and put into this WPM score. The higher your score, the higher your chances. But rest assured, admissions is made up of people, not computers. This is one tool that admissions uses to admit candidates. Its not the only one. They also factor in your DODMERB, your congressional district/state, your gender, recruited athlete status, etc. Admissions is comprised of 20 people who meet weekly from Sept to May to make decisions. Boost your WPM score, and it will be a factor that admissions looks that! Get to work!!!
