Difficulty ranking for military schools: More than just Annapolis and West Point?

I've been looking into attending a military school after graduating, and was wondering which ones are the hardest to gain admission to? I'm aware that the Naval Academy and West Point are highly competitive, but what about others? I'd love some insights on this overall. Thanks in advance!

Certainly, admission into any of the U.S. service academies is quite competitive due to the rigorous academic expectations, leadership potential assessments, and physical fitness requirements combined with a relatively small pool of available appointee slots. Below is a brief overview of the major U.S. military academies in terms of selectivity:

1. U.S. Military Academy (West Point): Known for being challenging, with an acceptance rate often below 10%.

2. U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis): Similar to West Point in its competitiveness, also often seeing acceptance rates below 10%.

3. U.S. Air Force Academy: Comparable to West Point and Annapolis, although its acceptance rate can occasionally be slightly higher, falling somewhere in the 10-15% range.

4. U.S. Coast Guard Academy: This academy often admits fewer than 200 cadets per incoming class, which can make it highly competitive even though it's oftentimes not as well-known. Acceptance rates vary each year but have been known to fall below 20%.

5. U.S. Merchant Marine Academy: Generally considered slightly less competitive than the above four, but still maintains a fairly low acceptance rate around 15% to 30% due to its unique mission and smaller size.

6. The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina: This is a public military college, not a federal service academy, but it's still known for having rigorous academic and physical requirements. Its acceptance rate can vary significantly depending on the applicant pool but generally falls between 70-80%.

Remember that despite similar goals, each academy has a unique culture, training focus, and mission. It can be beneficial to research further into which branch's mission and career paths align best with your personal goals and interest. Additionally, these figures are estimates and fluctuate each year based on the number of applicants, appointee slots, and other factors, so it would be a good idea to do some research on current and past acceptance rates.