Hey everyone! Does anyone know if international applicants are allowed to retake USAFA’s Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA) if they don’t perform well on their first attempt? Would really appreciate any insight. Thanks!

Can anyone help with information about changes to the gen ed requirements that would affect C31? I know C30 isn't allowed to declare majors, and they are saying there will be huge changes coming. Maybe fewer or different majors?

Title, just curious. The candidate info book says they start giving them out in October but I haven’t heard of anyone receiving one yet. 🤷‍♀️

I'm currently 16 as an 11th grader in NYC, and USAFA is my dream school. All I've ever wanted to be is a pilot. I'm trying to figure out how competitive I could be as an applicant and what I should prioritize before applying. My biggest concern is a serious spleen injury that has affected my ability to play sports and work on my physical fitness.

ACADEMICS

- 4.0 GPA

- Top 5 in my class

- Scholars program

- NHS member since 10th grade

- 90+ on all my NYS Regents exams: Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, English, U.S. History, Global History, Living Environment, and Chemistry

- Scored a 3 on AP European History

- Currently taking AP Composition and Literature, with additional AP classes expected to become available senior year

- Haven't taken an official SAT or ACT yet, but I'm preparing for both

LEADERSHIP, EXTRACURRICULARS, AND VOLUNTEERING

- JROTC Cadet Commander

- Recently joined Civil Air Patrol as a Cadet Airman Basic

- President of my school's Military Club

- Co-president of the Pickleball Club (don't make fun of me)

- NASP Archery team captain for two years, competing again junior and senior year

- Competed at NASP Nationals

- Volunteer at local food pantries

AVIATION GOALS

I'm also working toward my Private Pilot License through Part 61 and plan to take the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate exam in two weeks.

MY BIGGEST CONCERN: MEDICAL QUALIFICATION AND FITNESS

I played JV lacrosse in ninth grade and moved up to varsity midway through my sophomore season. During a game, I suffered a Stage 3 splenic rupture, and further evaluation revealed a congenital cyst in my spleen. Because of this, I had to stop playing lacrosse and won't be able to return to contact sports until I have a splenectomy at 18.

The injury also prevented me from working on my physical fitness for around five months. I'm only now able to start making progress again.

I also wear glasses for astigmatism.

My current fitness numbers are:

- Mile run: 8:31

- Pull-ups: 10

- Push-ups: 42

- Sit-ups: 60

- Haven't attempted the shuttle run or basketball throw yet

I know I have a lot of room to improve physically, but I'm concerned about how much the injury will affect my preparation for the Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA), as well as whether my medical history could prevent me from attending USAFA in the first place.

QUESTIONS I HAVE

1. Has anyone gone through USAFA's medical qualification process with a history of a splenic rupture, a congenital spleen cyst, or a splenectomy? How was the situation evaluated, and is a medical waiver something I could potentially pursue?
2. How should I approach the CFA after losing five months of fitness training? Are my current numbers a reasonable starting point, and which events should I focus on once I'm medically cleared to train?
3. Academically, am I on the right track? What SAT or ACT score should I aim for to be a competitive applicant?
4. Do my leadership roles in JROTC and school clubs, along with CAP, archery, and volunteering, give me a solid extracurricular foundation? Is there anything more I can do outside of school?
5. Would pursuing my PPL and Part 107 certificate meaningfully strengthen my application, or would my time and money be better spent elsewhere?
6. What should I prioritize between now and the end of junior year, including the summer before senior year?
7. If USAFA doesn't work out, what would be the best alternative path toward becoming an Air Force pilot? How does this compare to AFROTC in college?

I know a 4.0 GPA and extracurriculars don't guarantee admission, and I'm not expecting anyone here to predict my chances exactly. I just want to understand whether this goal is still worth pursuing and what I can realistically do to improve my application.

Thanks for any advice.

Im currently in usafa prep and I have to do another interview for congress nomination. Do you guys know what questions they would ask or will it be the same as last time?
Thank you!

Does everyone get scheduled for an interview with their representative/senators, what questions should I expect to be asked, any advice or tips that I should know, how many people are going to be interviewing me? I’m in middle TN.

I’m planning to wear a navy blue pantsuit, white undershirt (slightly v-neck and kind of silky material), and nude heels - is this appropriate?

What's up motivators,

I'm currently making my way through the LEAD application and need some opinions on submitting extracurriculars as an E. This has by far been my biggest hold up on the app so far due to me not using almost anything from HS. I got some pretty decent stuff on there so far:

* ITEC PC

* Squadron UAC Secretary

* PFRAA/PFL

* Some fire volunteer bullets

* A foreign award from the Danish Air Force

* Teal Rope Squad Lead back at tech school

* Base Honor Guard

But that's kind of where I'm held up with (I know you should fill out all 10 for your best chance), as I am struggling to think of actual quality extracurriculars. A big one is that I just got moved to honor guard last week, so its kind of difficult to write a bullet about it with such little time in it so far. Would it be smarter to not submit it until I have gone on actual details to put into it?

From the E's who have been accepted, what kind of stuff did you put in your extracurriculars section? And, would it be smarter to just submit what I have so far rather than try scraping some random crap to put on it instead?

At this point I just want to finish my # items due to my interview being like the only thing I have left on my check list.

Also I wouldn't mind an opinion on my odds of competing for direct (I'd be ok with the P as well, but I would def prefer direct):

SAT: 1280

College GPA: 3.85 (Got like 2 classes left on that CCAF)

CFA: Haven't done my official but from my mocks I got:

Pull-Ups: 10

Push-Ups: 76

Sit-Ups: 75

Basketball: 82'

Shuttle: 8.5

1-Mile: 5:46

Thanks in advance.

i took (and passed) my cfa this morning and i was very nervous about if my scores were passing. i know a lot of others probably are too, so i thought i would post my stats for those who might be in the same boat :)

bball throw: 35ft
shuttle run: 9.3
pull ups: 2
pushups: 41
sit-ups: 95
mile run: 8:09

my mile and bball throw are below average which was what made me nervous but it ended up being ok! my biggest tip for pull ups (i couldn’t do a single one a few weeks ago when i started training) is to just attempt to do them every single day and you will start to notice you can pull yourself more and more. 2 isn’t anything extravagant but it was a long road of training and i am very proud of myself!

Junior cadet here. My girlfriend is a civilian and I’m trying to make Ring Dance weekend special for her.

Are the mini/sweetheart rings a thing at USAFA? (I’ve seen them online and at other service academies before) If so, can I order one through Jostens to match my class ring and at the same time?

Are there any Ring Dance traditions specifically for a non-military civilian girlfriend that I should know about? I already know about the whole thing with the date putting the cadet’s ring in the champagne glass, the cadet catching it in their teeth after the toast, then passing it to their date during the kiss so the date can put it on their finger. Just wondering if there are any other traditions or little things I might not know about.

I was going to get her flowers anyway but is getting your date a corsage/bouquet a thing for Ring Dance? I know it’s a formal event, but I wasn’t sure if USAFA has any traditions around flowers for your date.

After Ring Dance, I imagine we'll have an Airbnb lined up in Colorado Springs and spend the rest of the weekend together, exploring the Springs, getting food, etc.

I’m planning to propose that weekend, so any advice from other cadets would be very appreciated.

What are the chances to try out and walk-in to the USAFA soccer team.
Are all players recruited?
Are there any examples of walk-in players?

There’s no other message or pdf going with it, this photo is all that showed up on my portal. I know it says letter of interest but like why is there no info or anything about what it means lol

I’m applying for the c/o 2031 but my stats are lacking quite a bit compared to other apps I’ve seen, for reference:
3.8 uw gpa (no chem nor calc/precalc)
26 superscore act(26 math, 23 English, 28 reading)
Var track and field 3 years
Job at px
Volunteer at commissary

I don’t intend for this to be a “chance me” post but my question is what type of stats would an applicant need to get into the prep as a non recruited/non prior?

I’m currently working on my application, and I was wondering if I should write a paragraph describing my extracurricular or just do concise bullet points.

What kind of questions can I expect from my interview in a couple days? Are there any curveballs I can expect?

I’m a filam who’s planning to join the usaf late 2027 or early 2028. If there are other filipinas who are joining hmu so we can all make a gc and get to know each other bago tayo magbmt!

I was wondering what it would take to be a fighter pilot in the air force. I have done lots of research and looked at the paths it would take to become one. My plane is to continue going to my local soaring club and learning to fly gliders at the moment i am 14 years old. After this i want to go to the military and join the Air force Academy i do not know which major i should go with but my main problem is that in math i am not the best and i feel as it would be a huge problem and in other subjects i am pretty ok in i was looking and saw a post saying the Air force leans towards more on STEM. And i am constantly getting told that you need to be a very smart person to have a chance if anyone could help with idea's or give any tips i would really appreciate it. This is my life's dream so i wanna make sure i get it.

“The Department of War continues to reform our educational institutions to ensure they remain laser-focused on lethality and readiness.
 
To that end, the Secretary of War directed the Military Departments to immediately terminate the practice of appointing civilian faculty to tenured positions at the U.S. Military Service Academies. This directly addresses the critical issues of academic stagnation and complacency that are often associated with tenure, and which threaten to dilute the academies' primary focus on warfighting and tactical dominance.
 
In place of tenure, the Military Departments will implement new hiring plans to prioritize flexibility and faculty contribution to the warfighting mission, ensuring future officers are unequivocally prepared to lead our Service members and win on the modern battlefield.”

For the last 4 years I’ve been really only been focused on USAFA and working towards that. During this I haven’t really learned much about summer seminar other than to apply.

If I’ve been doing everything I should for USAFA, is there anything else I should know for SS? I would appreciate any tips or advice on how this works.

(I heard from a ALO that SS isn’t even by application but instead based off a lottery with people who qualify for each state/region— Is this true?)

Hi, I'm a 16 YO Sophomore and I want to go to USAFA for Aeronautical Engineering. I currently participate in multiple sports (Football, Basketball, Track, and Tennis) and finished my Freshman year with letters in band, choir, academics, and track. I score highly advanced on my state tests and have an 1850 Lexile as of 8th grade (I haven't been tested since). I have so many accomplishments it's rather boring to list them all out, but I do keep them organized on a spreadsheet, so I'll select the most notable ones bearing in mind I just started Sophomore year so the newest of these will be the start of this school year)

• Division 1 Trumpet solo (9th grade)
• NICL Honor Band Selection (9th grade)
• Band Letter (9th Grade)
• Choir Letter (9th Grade)
• Academic Letter (9th grade)
• Track Letter (9th grade)
• FTC (Our team made state as all Freshman, 10069 NOVAS)
• 1850 Lexile
• Advanced math trajectory
• 3.84 GPA

In Addition to these, I am a choir and band section leader this year and am also serving on the student senate.

Over the Summer I was invited by Senator Ernst to attend her U.S. Service Academies Open House Night. I attended it and was able to meet with representatives from the Air Force Academy. I've since also had a meeting with the commander for the ROTC program between UNI and Iowa.

I also work with the American Legion where I play TAPS for them for funerals and Veterans day.

All this set aside, I was wondering if anybody had any advice as to what I need to do to further improve my resume for the Air Force Academy.

Senior, 3.92 GPA, 27 Pre-ACT (I'm taking an ACT prep course before I take the test this winter), 91 ASVAB (took it last year), skipped a year in school, mostly dual enrollment classes

Perfect record, no drugs or alcohol whatsoever, no disciplinary action since middle school

I've had two jobs with good reputation at both and I'm a SMSgt in the Civil Air Patrol (promoting as fast as possible)

7:30 mile, 41 push ups, 47 sit ups, 16 pulls ups (working on the first three, we're gettin there)

No disabilities, perfect vision, no allergies, no vaccines (at all. None of em. Healthy as an ox)

I love to fly more than anything else I've ever done and I'm halfway to a sport pilot's license

Already finished my PCQ for class of 2031, should I bother continuing with the process?

I am a 13 year old and my dream is to attend the USAFA. I do CAP and I volunteer and I would just like to know what I can do to help me with the application process in 4 years or so.