FAA Expands Collegiate Air Traffic Controller Training Pipeline

The Federal Aviation Administration has partnered with Angelo State University in Texas to implement the Enhanced Air Traffic – Collegiate Training Initiative (E-CTI), making it the 12th school certified under the programme and the first in Texas.

E-CTI students who pass final performance and written assessments receive an official FAA endorsement certificate, allowing them to apply directly for controller positions at FAA facilities — bypassing the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City and moving straight to on-site facility training. Placement is subject to passing the Air Traffic Skills Assessment, along with medical and security requirements. The Angelo State agreement covers its control tower programme, with successful students eligible for placement in an FAA air traffic control tower.

This differs from the Standard AT-CTI pathway, where graduates still attend the FAA Academy but bypass the introductory Air Traffic Basics Course.

The FAA hired 2,028 air traffic controllers in 2025 and has reached over 67 percent of its Fiscal Year 2026 hiring goal of 2,200 new hires. The agency also offers hiring pathways for experienced controllers from the military and private industry, and continues to expand its use of modernised simulators for facility training.