South Carolina's two Upstate congressman and two senators follow starkly different approaches in deciding which high-school students to nominate to the nation's service academies.
The four lawmakers also vary in how much they disclose about the nominations.
Those differences are typical of Congress as a whole, according to a USA TODAY analysis. Members of the House and Senate have wide latitude in deciding which students should be admitted to one of the nation's prestigious service academies, where tuition is covered by taxpayers.
Nomination by a member of Congress is required for high-school students interested in attending the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy or the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. The requirement is designed to ensure broad geographic representation for the next generation of officers. Nominations also can come from other sources, including the president and vice president.
Generally, no more than five students nominated by an individual member of Congress may attend a service academy at one time, with the exception of the Merchant Marine Academy. Nominations to that academy are subject to state quotas that lawmakers can vie to fill.
Lawmakers may nominate up to 10 students for each open slot each year. Not all nominees are accepted, and the academies, for the most part, have the final say on who gets in and who doesn't.
The nomination process is one of the most significant and least-known duties of a member of Congress.
Republican Lindsey Graham, South Carolina's senior senator, hosts an Academy Day each year where students can meet representatives from the academies. Last year, 350 students in grades eight through 12 attended. This year's event will be held in Columbia on Sept. 27 .
Graham has one staffer with primary responsibility for handling applications. This this year's deadline is Oct. 31 for students hoping to attend a service academy in 2015. A group of career military officials and academy graduates interviews potential candidates before Graham's office chooses its nominees.
Members of Congress can opt to express a preference for a particular nominee when they submit their lists to the academies. Academies must admit such "principal" nominees if they meet all basic qualifications, without considering other nominees on the list.
Most lawmakers don't select principal nominees and instead send academies lists of unranked nominees, letting the academies decide which ones to admit. Graham's office uses that approach most often.
An academy education is worth close to $500,000. In exchange, graduates must serve at least five years active military duty.
Graham does not disclose which high-school students he nominates or which ultimately receive appointments.
Sen. Tim Scott, also a Republican, in March released the names of the 59 students he nominated in 2014. His office held nine workshops around the state last year to give students a chance to ask questions about the academies and the nomination process.
Scott uses an outside panel of advisers, many of them service academy graduates, to interview applicants in person before he decides whom to nominate. Like other lawmakers, he considers test scores, grades, leadership ability and community service.
Scott is among the minority of lawmakers who name a principal nominee.