If you’re searching for “Texas A&M cheerleading tryouts,” here’s the short answer: Texas A&M doesn’t have an official cheerleading squad. The university says it plainly: “Aggies don’t cheer, they yell.” There are still three real paths, depending on what you want to do.
| If you want to… | The option | How you join |
|---|---|---|
| Lead the crowd at football games | Yell Leaders | Elected by the student body |
| Do competitive cheerleading | Texas A&M Cheer Squad (all-girl sport club) | Tryouts each fall: open first round, then callbacks |
| Perform at athletics events as a dancer | Texas Aggie Dance Team | Auditions through Texas A&M Athletics |
1. Yell Leaders: Texas A&M’s Gameday Spirit Tradition
The Yell Leaders are Texas A&M’s official crowd leaders, and there are five of them: three seniors and two juniors, elected by the student body each year. They lead Aggie yells at games using hand signals called “pass-backs.” The tradition dates back to the early 1900s.
You don’t try out to be a Yell Leader — you run in a campus election. If this is what you’re after, look into the student election process once you’re enrolled. See the Yell Leaders tradition page for background.
2. Texas A&M Cheer Squad: The Tryout Option
If you want to cheer competitively at Texas A&M, the Texas A&M Cheer Squad is the team to look at. A few things to know up front:
- It’s all-girl. The squad describes itself as “an all-girl intermediate competitive cheerleading team.” There isn’t a coed option.
- It’s a student sport club, not an athletics team. It was founded in 2001 and competes in the Collegiate Division at state and national competitions. As a sport club, it doesn’t cheer at athletic department events or represent itself as an official university spirit group.
- It’s a real commitment. The squad practices Sunday, Monday and Wednesday nights, and members pay dues.
How Cheer Squad tryouts work
Tryouts are held each fall, shortly after classes start. For fall 2026 the squad posted this schedule on its tryout information page:
- Open gyms the week before tryouts ($15 per open gym).
- Tryout #1 — open to all eligible applicants.
- Tryouts #2 and #3 — by invitation, based on how you did in the first round.
To be eligible you must be a Texas A&M student enrolled in at least 6 credit hours, and you must complete the club’s AOR/Standard of Conduct form before attending. The squad looks at running tumbling, standing tumbling, jumps and stunting in every position (base, backspot and flyer).
The fall 2026 tryouts (August 30 – September 2) have now passed. If you’re planning for fall 2027, expect a similar early-semester timeline, and check the squad’s page or Instagram (@tamu_cheer) over the summer for dates. You can also email tamucheersquad@gmail.com with questions.
You may see Texas A&M’s student organization directory list the squad’s intake as “invitation only.” That matches how the later rounds work, but the first tryout is open, so you don’t need an invitation to get started.
3. Texas Aggie Dance Team: The Athletics Option
The Texas Aggie Dance Team is run by Texas A&M Athletics and performs at athletics events. It’s a dance team, so auditions test dance technique rather than cheer skills. The team runs clinics and recruiting events for prospective dancers. You can register interest by emailing aggiedanceteam@athletics.tamu.edu — details are on the recruiting page.
Preparing for Cheer Squad Tryouts
Because tryouts come only a week or two into the fall semester, most of your preparation has to happen over the summer. Focus on:
- Standing and running tumbling. Start with a clean back handspring and build toward connected standing passes and running layouts.
- Jumps. See how to improve your jump height.
- Stunting in more than one position. All-girl teams use multi-base groups, so being useful as both a base and a backspot, or as a solid flyer, helps. Our guides on flying and basing cover the fundamentals.
- The open gyms. They’re your best chance to meet the team and see the level before tryout #1.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Texas A&M have cheerleaders? Not official ones. Crowd leading is done by the elected Yell Leaders. The Texas A&M Cheer Squad is a competitive all-girl sport club that doesn’t cheer at athletics events.
Is the Texas A&M Cheer Squad invitation-only? Only partly. The first round of tryouts is open to any eligible student, and the later rounds are by invitation.
Can guys join the Texas A&M Cheer Squad? The squad is an all-girl team. Men interested in spirit roles at Texas A&M should look into the Yell Leaders.
When are Texas A&M Cheer Squad tryouts? In the fall, at the start of the semester. The 2026 tryouts ran August 30 – September 2. Check the squad’s tryout page for 2027 dates.
How do I become a Yell Leader? Through a student body election, not a tryout.
Related Resources
- SEC Cheer Tryout Guides
- Cheerleading Tryout Tips: How to Stand Out and Make the Team
- Cheer Stunts and Tumbling Hub
- Cheerleading for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know
Sources: Texas A&M University, Yell Leaders; Texas A&M Cheer Squad, About and Tryout Information; Texas A&M Get Involved, Cheer Squad; 12thMan.com, Texas Aggie Dance Team. Last checked September 23, 2026.
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