By the Numbers
Graduation and Employment from U.S. Maritime Academies
Marine News examines graduation and employment statistics from the United States maritime academies.
Midshipmen throw their covers in the air after the farewell cheer at their graduation commencement ceremony at U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
Credit: Bethany L. Huff / U.S. Army ReserveUnder requirements outlined in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2021, The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) publishes information about students and recent graduates of the nation’s Maritime Academies. The information includes the number of individuals who graduated and have become employed in the maritime industry from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) in Kings Point, N.Y. as well as each state maritime academy: California Maritime Academy (CMA) in Vallejo, Calif.; Great Lakes Maritime Academy (GLMA) in Traverse City, Mich.; Maine Maritime Academy (ME MA) in Castine, Maine; Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MA MA) in Buzzards Bay, Mass.; State University of New York (SUNY) Maritime College (NYMC) in the Bronx, N.Y.; and Texas A&M Maritime Academy (TAMMA) in Galveston, Texas.
In general, numbers students enrolled in and graduating from the United States’ maritime academies have been declining in recent years. Both have fallen nearly 14% from 2017 to 2022.
MARAD’s Student Incentive Payments Program (SIP) is a federally funded initiative providing financial support to cadets enrolled in the Strategic Sealift Midshipmen Program (SSMP) at one of six state maritime academies (SMA) becoming licensed officers in the U.S Merchant Marine. Upon graduating, officers become part of the Navy's Strategic Sealift Officer Force. The number of students enrolled in the program has fallen sharply.
The number of maritime academy graduates employed at sea has risen slightly, up about 10% in 2022 from 2017. The number of graduates employed in non-maritime careers has fallen significantly, nearly 84%.
Of all of the maritime academies, SUNY Maritime College graduated the most students in 2022 (375), while Great Lakes Maritime Academy graduated the fewest (32). But the highest number of Unlimited License graduates came from USMMA (224). For 2021-2022, the two academies in New York state produce about half of the Unlimited License graduates.