The Army Air Forces College Training Program operated at 153 colleges and universities across the United States. At its peak in May of 1943, it enrolled 66,322 men. Although it was nominally founded to give air cadets a solid foundation for the training they would later receive at air bases, the Army was also concerned to address the approximately 93,000 men in the Air Corps Enlisted Reserve who had volunteered for aircrew training but had not been called to active duty. Employers were reluctant to hire them because they could be called to active duty at any time, which in turn caused deterioration in morale.

The Army planned to send 35,000 prospective air crew to College Training Programs on March 1 and April 1, 1942 followed by 14,000 per month thereafter. Most of the enlistees arrived before preparations were complete, including the 600 who came to the University of Tennessee a week in advance of the March 1 deadline. Most of the detachments were under the command of a first lieutenant or captain, although larger units generally had higher ranking officers. The curriculum (developed without consulting the colleges, the preflight schools that the men would attend after graduation, or those responsible for ground training) consisted of academics, military customs and courtesies, hygiene and sanitation, military drill, physical training, ceremonies, and supervised guard duty. Because some trainees had already completed most of these classes and others lacked the academic preparation to succeed, the curriculum was revised in November of 1943.