The breakdown: Class of 2023 stats
The most diverse class in U.S. Air Force Academy history, the Class of 2023, graduates June 1, 2023 at Falcon Stadium. Cadets wearing a silver sash are commissioned into the U.S. Space Force and those wearing a gold sash are commissioned into the U.S. Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley)
By Randy Roughton
U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – More than 900 Air Force and Space Force cadets graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in a ceremony at Falcon Stadium June 1.
In all, 806 Class of 2023 cadets were commissioned into the Air Force and 93 were commissioned into the Space Force as second lieutenants. Twelve international cadets graduated with their U.S. classmates.
The Breakdown
This information is based on data from the Academy’s operations and analysis offices, released May 31.
— 1,430 men and women received appointments into the Class of 2023 and 1,155 were inducted
— 71% of the graduating class are men and 29% are women
— 31% are racial and ethnic minorities
— 63.6% are potentially qualified to become pilots
— The average high school GPA for the class of 2023 was 3.149; the average SAT score was 671 evidence-based reading and writing and 696 mathematics; the average ACT score was 31.5 English, 31.6 reading, 30.3 mathematics and 30.7 science reasoning
Graduate totals
Graduated June 1 were 921 cadets: 651 men and 270 women and 12 international cadets from Cambodia, Jordan, Malaysia, Peru, Poland, Republic of Korea, Romania, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Tunisia.
The Class of 2023 includes 285 minorities: 106 Hispanic/Latino, 105 Asian, 70 African American, 17 Pacific Islander and five Native American, with some cadets listed as minorities counted in more than one racial category.
— 636 cadets in the Class of 2023 are not minorities
— 122 Class of 2023 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 the Prep School, they must reapply for admission to the Academy. The Prep School commander Col. Michael Cornelius can recommend them to the Academy board, the final appointment authority.
Fifty-five were prior enlisted Airmen.
— The attrition rate for the graduating class was 19%.
— 49 cadets have one parent who graduated from the Academy and 6 cadets have two parents who graduated. 54 cadets are the second child in their family to graduate and four are the third child in their family to graduate. The Class of 2023 contains three sets of twins.
Service commitment
Scheduled to attend pilot training are 398 graduates; 12 are scheduled to be remotely piloted aircraft officers; five are scheduled for combat systems operator training and four are scheduled for air battle manager training. In all, 419 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.
With the Class of 2023, 54,018 men and women have been commissioned into the Air Force and 391 men and women have been commissioned into the Space Force since the first class was commissioned in 1959.
Read about this year’s commencement and see graduation photos for the Class of 2023 on Flickr.