Quad

Head-to-head

United States Air Force Academy
United States Naval Academy

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    United States Naval Academy is more diverse (index 0.64 vs. 0.57)

    Diversity index
  2. 2

    United States Naval Academy is 1.5× more selective than United States Air Force Academy

    Acceptance rate
  3. 3

    United States Naval Academy's yield is 6 pts higher than United States Air Force Academy's

    Yield rate
  4. 4

    United States Air Force Academy's SAT midpoint is 25 points higher than United States Naval Academy's

    SAT midpoint
  5. 5

    United States Naval Academy graduates 1 pts more of its students than United States Air Force Academy (94% vs. 92%)

    Graduation rate
  6. 6

    United States Naval Academy is a bit larger (4,474 vs. 4,114)

    Undergrads

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

United States Naval Academy admits 9.3%, United States Air Force Academy 14%; United States Naval Academy's yield is higher, at 84%.

Acceptance rate
United States Air Force Academy14%
United States Naval Academy9.3%
Quad's selectivity
  • United States Air Force AcademyHighly selective
  • United States Naval AcademyHighly selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
United States Air Force Academy
1230–1440
United States Naval Academy
1210–1410
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • United States Air Force AcademyRigor, GPA, rank, and tests very important85%
  • United States Naval AcademyGPA and rank required

Who's on each campus

United States Air Force Academy and United States Naval Academy are about the same size.

Undergrads
United States Air Force Academy4.1K
United States Naval Academy4.5K

Majors and faculty

Business Administration and Management leads at United States Air Force Academy, and Econometrics and Quantitative Economics at United States Naval Academy.

Students per faculty member
United States Air Force Academy7 to 1
United States Naval Academy8 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • United States Air Force AcademyBusiness Administration and Management, General14%
  • United States Naval AcademyEconometrics and Quantitative Economics9%

What each pays off

Both graduate more than 90% within six years.

Graduation rate
United States Air Force Academy92%
United States Naval Academy94%

How each has changed

Applications grew at United States Air Force Academy but fell at United States Naval Academy; selectivity held steady at both.

Applications, 10-year change
  • United States Air Force AcademyGrowing+13%
  • United States Naval AcademyShrinking−14%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;United States Air Force Academy Common Data Set 2020–21, Fall 2020;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why