Kyle Rittenhouse now says he’s going to Blinn College, after Texas A&M said he’s not a student

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Days after he told a conservative podcast that he was going to Texas A&M University, Kyle Rittenhouse corrected himself on Twitter to say that he is planning to attend Blinn College, a two-year public college, this year.

His announcement comes one day after a Texas A&M spokesperson told The Texas Tribune on Sunday that Rittenhouse had not in fact been accepted at the Tier One research university for this summer or fall, despite his claims about his plans to attend. The university would not say whether Rittenhouse had applied to the school.

“Unfortunately, the end of my high school career was robbed from me,” Rittenhouse wrote Monday afternoon on Twitter. “I didn’t have the time other students get to properly prepare for the future. I look forward to attending Blinn College District this year, a feeder school for Texas A&M. I’m excited to join Texas A&M in 2023!”

A Blinn College spokesperson said Rittenhouse submitted his application on April 28, but he has not enrolled for a current or upcoming term at Blinn. The junior college is open enrollment, meaning all students are welcome.

In a subsequent tweet, Rittenhouse said he plans to move to Texas at the end of June.

When Rittenhouse was 17 years old he drove from his home in Antioch, Illinois, to Kenosha, Wisconsin, in response to protests for the shooting of a Black man by a white officer. Rittenhouse had said he wanted to help law enforcement protect property amid civil unrest. He was accused of fatally shooting two men and injuring another with his rifle. He was acquitted of multiple felony charges during his high-profile trial in which he argued he acted in self-defense.

Blinn College is a community college based in Brenham with a location near Texas A&M in Bryan that has strong transfer partnerships with Texas A&M, but it is not part of the Texas A&M system. In 2020, the college said 53% of its transfer students continue their studies at Texas A&M.

Transfer to Texas A&M is not guaranteed. Students must at least have a 2.5 grade point average and 24 hours of coursework that is transferable to be considered.

Last Friday, Rittenhouse appeared on “The Charlie Kirk Show,” where he said he was going to Texas A&M, making a big reveal by swapping out his baseball cap for a Texas A&M hat.

“I’m going to be going there, and it’s going to be awesome,” Rittenhouse told Kirk. “Beautiful campus, amazing people, amazing food.”

Rittenhouse previously claimed he was studying nursing at Arizona State University, before a school spokesperson clarified he was not enrolled and had not gone through the admissions process.

Disclosure: Texas A&M University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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