Top military schools report applicant rise

ANNAPOLIS, Md., June 18 (UPI) -- Officials at three of the top U.S. military academies say they are enjoying a boost in applications thanks in part to the economic downturn.

Officials at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, along with the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., have confirmed application increases for the incoming Class of 2013, The New York Times said Thursday.

The military academy officials also credited the application increases to the declining number of casualties in Iraq and aggressive marketing efforts.

The Naval Academy has enjoyed the most significant increase in applications with 15,342 individuals applying for the chance to be among the nearly 1,240 Class of 2013 cadets. The application tally was the highest for the Maryland academy since 1988.

Meanwhile, West Point in Orange County, N.Y., received 11,106 applications for its nearly 1,320 open places in the incoming class. The Air Force Academy has nearly 1,350 class places available and received 9,890 applications.

The Times said the West Point and Air Force academy tallies marked a 9.6 percent and 10 percent increase, respectively, compared with last year's application totals.