United States Naval Academy

Campus Environment

The Naval Academy's 338-acre campus, referred to as "The Yard," is located at the mouth of the Severn River in Annapolis, Maryland. Established in 1834, the campus is a beautiful landmark that was designated a National Historic Site in 1963, and it receives more than a million visitors each year. Pathways paved in brick and lined with trees connect the building, whose stately appearance reflects French Renaissance and contemporary architecture.

All midshipmen reside in Bancroft Hall, a huge dorm complex where they are assigned to a room with one or more midshipmen. Each class is divided into groups of 130 midshipmen of both sexes: Each group forms a company (according to the military definition), and each company has its "wardroom," or common area, for the purposes of meeting and recreation.

Campus facilities are top-of-the-line, but be careful how you use them: In November 2002, the computers of 92 midshipmen were seized in a raid after they were caught downloading copyrighted movies, music, and computer games onto their computer using the school's T3 Internet connection. (The midshipmen involved were disciplined, but none were court-martialed or expelled since the matter was treated as a "conduct offense," which is less serious than an "honor offense" would be.)

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