United States Service AcademiesWhat? These academies are seeking students for enrollment in the class of 2016. Each academy is a degree-granting, commissioning institution for the United States Army, Navy, and Air Force, and Coast Guard. Admission to any of these academies is free to qualified candidates who accept an appointment. Each academy has a strict honor code forbidding students from lying, cheating, or stealing.

Who? Up to six Kazakhstani citizens, at least 17 and less than 23 years of age by July 1 of 2012, unmarried and without legal dependents, may compete for appointments to each academy per year, although each academy typically will select only one per country per year. Academy graduates from Kazakhstan would sign a contract with the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan to return and serve their countries for a specified period of time, would earn a Bachelor of Science degree and a diploma of one of the most successful and prestigious colleges in America. Foreign students get the same training, pay, and allowances as US citizens, and are subject to the same rules and regulations.

Why? These academies offer some of the most challenging, excellent, and time-tested education programs in the world. They have educated U.S. leaders such as Presidents Grant, Eisenhower, and Carter, most of the military’s five-star generals and admirals, astronauts, and many other U.S. national figures (Lee, Patton, MacArthur, Ridgway, Schwarzkopf, McChrystal, Petraeus), etc.

In 2008, the U.S. Military Academy (USMA) at West Point was rated by Forbes Magazine as the best public college 1 in the U.S. In 2009 West Point was rated the best university2 in the U.S. overall. The Air Force and Naval Academies are usually in the top ten or twenty (out of over 4000), and the US Coast Guard Academy was ranked #1 in the Regional Colleges (North) category in the 2012 edition of U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges issue, earning a perfect overall score of 100, highest among the more than 300 colleges ranked in that category.How? Interested applicants must pass the Test of English as a Second Language (TOEFL), the American College Test (ACT) or Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), an Embassy-administered physical fitness test measuring coordination, strength, speed, and agility; a medical exam showing they are free of communicable diseases, and pass an interview administered by the U.S. Embassy in Astana. To sign up for the SAT and TOEFL, please visit http://sat.collegeboard.com/register ; http://sat.collegboard.com/ http://sat.collegeboard.com/register/sat-international-dates?decorator=print#http://www.toeflgoanywhere.org/asu-search-results#keywords=kazakhstan ; http://www.toefl.org http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/tclists/IBT_k.html

How much? Applicants must complete and pay for all entry requirements themselves, including the TOEFL (appr. $160) the SAT (appr. $75), medical fees for their exam and certificate, and any travel-related expenses during application procedures. Prices are estimates.

When? Applicants who have not yet taken the ACT or SAT must register immediately to take the SAT. Academies must receive nominations by late January, and packets must be complete in March for admission in late June, 2012. TOEFL paper-based test (PBT ) will be offered around mid-January; internet based test (IBT) 3-4 times a month at 6 educational centers in Almaty. Registration for PBT will likely be early December; for the IBT no later than 7 days prior to the test date.

Where? The SAT will be given in Almaty. The TOEFL PBT will be given in Almaty, Astana, Karaganda, and Aktobe.

Anything Else? Applicants will likely need to submit their names and dates of birth no later than 1 December 2011 to ZhamkenovaR@state.gov and ostrovenkoi@state.gov to ensure registration and eligibility for selection to a military academy.

1http://www.forbes.com/2008/08/13/best-public-colleges-oped-college08-cx_mn_de_0813public_slide.html2http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/02/best-colleges-ratings-opinions-ranking-2009_land.html