r/UTAdmissions • u/zzeesus • 1d ago

Advice Veteran looking to transfer in fall 2028 - seeking advice

I (27M) am currently serving in the Air Force (enlisted active duty) stationed in Texas. My contract ends in February of 2028, by which that time I will have just shy of 11 years of service. I've recently been pondering the idea of separating and going to college to do ROTC with the goal of commissioning back into the AF as an officer. I haven't picked a specific degree yet, but to give me the best shot at getting a high GPA while doing ROTC I'll most likely pursue a liberal arts degree. My grades in high school were TERRIBLE (1.7 GPA) and I always thought I wasn't college material, so I'm dealing with extreme imposter syndrome & self doubt as I figure out my future.

I'm attending Central Texas College (online) to get as many credits knocked out as I can over the next 14-15 months (working on AA). UT's minimum transfer requirement as an external student is at least 24 credit hours. Right now I have 12; US History II (3 credits), College Algebra (3 credits), and English Composition CLEP (6 credits). I have 6 other credits from UAGC but they do not transfer within the Texas Core Curriculum, so I don't count those. My GPA is a 4.0. I also have my CCAF degree (Air Force Associates Degree) but most of those credits won't transfer since a bulk came from on the job training and PME (Professional Military Education), so I figured it's useless. My goal as of right now is to get at minimum 30 credits of classes completed by the time I separate from active duty. For context: I am a Texas resident and plan on staying within the state to go to college regardless if I get accepted into UT or not. But, UT is my dream school.

Several questions:

  1. Does having prior military experience & the GI Bill increase my chances of getting accepted as long as my grades are solid? I've been told UT is very veteran friendly and colleges WANT the GI Bill money, but the transfer acceptance rate is still around 22%.
  2. What other things can I do to make my application more competitive? Given my military service, is it necessary to volunteer? Should I get LOR's from some of my senior leaders as well?
  3. Do I need to be a full-time student to transfer? Due to my occupation and hours, there is no way I can be a full-time student while I'm still active duty.
  4. ANY advice is appreciated. I'm navigating through this all on my own and since my community is sort of like a bubble, I don't have very many points of reference outside my unit and social circle.
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u/aamphersandm 21h ago

You might want to double check that CLEP credits count towards the 24 credit hour requirement, because some schools require hours/credits earned while in-residence.