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2023 Best Aeronautical Engineering Schools

77 Colleges
$70,535 Avg Salary
$24,126 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering School for You

In 2020-2021, 8,001 people earned a degree or certificate in aerospace and aeronautical engineering, making the major the #95 most popular in the United States.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

The Best Aeronautical Engineering Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 77 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in the United States

The colleges and universities below are the best for aerospace engineering majors pursuing a .

Top 15% Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Massachusetts Institute of Technology the best school in the United States for aerospace and aeronautical engineering students. Located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge, MIT is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

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#2

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

The excellent programs at Stanford University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best aerospace and aeronautical engineering schools in the United States. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at Stanford University

#3

Duke University

Durham, NC

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Duke University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Aeronautical Engineering Schools list. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Durham.

Read full report on Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at Duke University

#4

Rice University

Houston, TX

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Rice University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Aeronautical Engineering Schools list. Rice is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Houston.

Full Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at Rice University Report

#5

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Notre Dame is a great place for aerospace and aeronautical engineering students. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Notre Dame.

The average amount in student loans that aerospace engineering majors at Notre Dame take out is $21,000.

Read full report on Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at University of Notre Dame

University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for aerospace and aeronautical engineering students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public college with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that aerospace engineering majors at University of Virginia take out is $15,000.

Full Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at University of Virginia - Main Campus Report

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Aeronautical Engineering Schools ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.

Aerospace Engineering majors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo take out an average of $22,408 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $540.

Read full report on Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

University of Southern California landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best aerospace and aeronautical engineering programs. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

Aerospace Engineering majors at USC take out an average of $20,030 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at University of Southern California Report

Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Best Aeronautical Engineering Schools list. Located in the city of Atlanta, Georgia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that aerospace engineering majors at Georgia Tech take out is $27,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $550.

Full Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Report

#10

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA

With a ranking of #10, Santa Clara University did quite well on this year’s best schools for aerospace and aeronautical engineering students. Located in the medium-sized city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

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With a ranking of #11, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on this year’s best schools for aerospace and aeronautical engineering students. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the large city of Austin.

After completing their degree, aerospace engineering graduates from UT Austin carry an average student debtload of $22,943. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $324.

Read full report on Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Aeronautical Engineering students that almost earned our Best Aeronautical Engineering Schools award.

Rank College Location
12 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI
13 Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO
14 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
15 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD

Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering by Region

View the Best Aeronautical Engineering Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

One of 40 majors within the area of study, aerospace and aeronautical engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering 46,178
Electrical Engineering 28,844
Civil Engineering 21,388
Computer Engineering 17,987
Chemical Engineering 12,917

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Ian3055.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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