How to Make a Solid Financial Choice for Your Aviation Education

Learn how you can use a new study to get the best return on your investment.

Thursday, February 03, 2022 at 09:40 AM ET

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You should consider a variety of other factors if considering a collegiate aviation program, but value and return on investment are very important things to think about. [File Photo: Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

A new research project by Preston Cooper provides data to compare the return on investment (ROI) of various college aviation programs, focusing on costs and graduate earnings for "air transportation" degrees.
The analysis highlights specific universities offering strong ROI, often with four-year education-related spending under $100,000, despite the high cost of flight training.
While collegiate aviation programs are expensive, the significant lifetime earning potential of professional pilots (e.g., regional pilots starting at $50k-$75k, major airline captains over $350k) generally makes the investment worthwhile.
Aspiring pilots should prioritize programs with lower upfront costs and efficient completion, as actual flight ratings and experience are more crucial for employment than a school's perceived prestige.

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Of the many paths to professional piloting, college aviation programs are straightforward and efficient. However, many of these programs come with astronomical price tags. How can an aspiring aviator get the most bang for their buck when choosing an aviation university?

Powerful Data

Until recently, it would have been very difficult to compare our options. Thankfully though, an intrepid researcher named Preston Cooper just completed a project for the The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, and we now have an incredibly powerful tool for comparing aviation universities.