Far be it from me to perpetuate a stereotype :: sarcasm ::, but most of the studs I saw wash out for academics were ex-football players, international students & guard dudes.
The standing policy from the wing king at CBM (which I imagine had backing from 19AF) was: "If you can't hack UPT academics, either through un/underdeveloped study skills or a lack of motivation, you have no business being a technical leader at any level in the Air Force."
Basically, AC washouts were automatically non-recommended for retention. If you just didn't have the hands, that's another story entirely, and I rarely saw those types be non-retained