U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 2024 graduates display their diplomas after their graduation ceremony in Falcon Stadium May 30, 2024. In all, 974 second lieutenants were commissioned into the U.S. Air Force or U.S. Space Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor co*kley)
By Randy Roughton
U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – More than 970 cadets graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in a ceremony at Falcon Stadium May 30.
In all, 974 Class of 2024 cadets were commissioned into the Air Force and 93 were commissioned into the Space Force as second lieutenants. Additionally, 15 international cadets graduated with their U.S. classmates.
The Breakdown
The following information is based on data from the Academy’s operations and analysis offices, released May 29.
- 1,416 men and women received appointments into the Class of 2024, and 1,164 were inducted
- 69% of the graduating class are men, and 31% are women
- 23% are racial and ethnic minorities
- 36.6% were selected to attend undergraduate pilot training
- The average high school GPA for the Class of 2024 was 3.68; the average SAT score was 672 evidence-based reading and writing and 692 mathematics; the average ACT score was 31.3 English, 32.0 reading, 30.3 mathematics and 31.0 science reasoning
U.S. Air Force Academy celebrate during their graduation ceremony in Falcon Stadium May 30, 2024. The class is among the Academy’s most diverse with more than 30 percent women almost 25 percent identifying as racial minorities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Dylan Smith)
Graduate totals
Of the 974 cadets who graduated 669 were men and 305 women. The class included 15 international cadets from Cambodia, Cameroon, Jordan, Kosovo, Moldova, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Rwanda, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, and Vietnam.
The Class of 2024 includes 358 minorities: 127 Hispanic/Latino, 136 Asian, 65 African American, 23 Pacific Islander and seven Native American, with some cadets listed as minorities counted in more than one racial category.
- 616 cadets in the Class of 2024 are not minorities
- 132 graduates attended the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School. The Prep School offers a select group of cadet candidates a pathway to be admitted into the Academy. After cadets graduate from, they must reapply for admission to the Academy, and Prep School commander Col. Michael Cornelius can recommend them to the Academy board, the final appointment authority.
- 48 were prior-enlisted Airmen.
- The attrition rate for the graduating class was 17.2%.
- 51 cadets have one parent who graduated from the Academy and 10 cadets have two parents who graduated. Seventy-one cadets are the second child in their family to graduate, and three are the third child in their family to graduate. The Class of 2024 contains two sets of twins.
U.S. Air Force Academy embrace during their graduation ceremony in Falcon Stadium May 30, 2024. Graduates assume a five-year service commitment and an additional obligation depending on the type of training or scholarships they receive. (U.S. Air Force photo by Adalyn Greene)
Service commitment
Scheduled to attend pilot training are 357 graduates; 12 are scheduled to be remotely piloted aircraft officers; 12 are scheduled for combat systems operator training, and 6 are scheduled for air battle manager training. In all, 387 will enter rated career fields and 502 non-rated career fields.
Graduates incur a five-year service commitment and an additional concurrent service commitment, depending on the training, schooling, or scholarships they receive. Graduates attending pilot training have an active-duty service commitment of 10 years after receiving their pilot’s wings.
Combat systems operators, remotely piloted aircraft sensor operators and airborne battle managers incur a six-year commitment. Graduates completing airborne battle manager training incur two concurrent service commitments, a five-year service academy graduate commitment and a six-year airborne battle manager commitment.
Since the first class commissioned in 1959, 54,883 Academy graduates have commissioned into the Air Force, and 485 have commissioned into the Space Force.
U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 2024 cadets salute during their graduation ceremony in Falcon Stadium May 30, 2024. In all, 974 new second lieutenants were commissioned into the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor co*kley)
Read about this year’s commencement and see more graduation ceremony photos for the Class of 2024 on Flickr.
