Kind of odd question about admissions

Ann
Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:23:02 +0000

It is my understanding that every candidate must be triple qualified to be eligible to compete for an appointment. That means that they meet predefined minimum admission standards. The academy involved decides what those standards are and waivers can be given depending on the circumstances. For the most part, the nomination system determines who is offered an appointment. However, alternates are also selected off the National Waiting List. I’m not sure if other academies have the same process, but for USMA, the first 150 candidates selected off the NWL must be selected by rank order (Whole Candidate Score/WCS). The rest of the class can then be filled without regard to WCS. It is at this point that diversity quotas can be considered i.e. one candidate that meets a desired diversity profile may be offered admission over another candidate even though he/she has a lower WCS.

This seems consistent with the info in the link that USNA69 posted:
“Air Force: The Academy compiles a list of
candidates who meet minimum admission standards and then determines which eligible candidates will receive an offer.”