The 50 colleges that score highest for Aviation on public federal data: selectivity, graduate earnings, program size, academic strength and graduate depth. It is a starting point for your research, not a judgment of quality.
50 colleges · each name links to its page, with sources · data snapshot October 2, 2026 · Updated October 2, 2026
How we rank programs · showing the top 50 of 50 core colleges ranked, those with enough graduates and earnings data · All top-programs lists
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| Rank | College | State | What we measured | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purdue University-Main Campus | IN | Median earnings $86,161 · 173 graduates last year · 2% of the school's degrees | |
| 2 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | OH | Median earnings $79,114 · 97 graduates last year · under 1% of the school's degrees | |
| 3 | Auburn University | AL | Median earnings $65,337 (college-wide) · 153 graduates last year · 3% of the school's degrees | |
| 4 | University of North Dakota | ND | Median earnings $104,472 · 413 graduates last year · 22% of the school's degrees | |
| 5 | Baylor University | TX | Median earnings $65,793 (college-wide) · 20 graduates last year · under 1% of the school's degrees | |
| 6 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach | FL | Median earnings $90,495 · 564 graduates last year · 40% of the school's degrees | |
| 7 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | OK | Median earnings $75,469 · 98 graduates last year · 2% of the school's degrees | |
| 8 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide | FL | Median earnings $84,131 (college-wide) · 901 graduates last year · 58% of the school's degrees | |
| 9 | Florida Institute of Technology | FL | Median earnings $83,243 · 110 graduates last year · 17% of the school's degrees | |
| 10 | Utah State University | UT | Median earnings $103,989 · 61 graduates last year · 1% of the school's degrees | |
| 11 | Saint Louis University | MO | Median earnings $83,903 · 41 graduates last year · 2% of the school's degrees | |
| 12 | Kansas State University | KS | Median earnings $85,147 · 87 graduates last year · 2% of the school's degrees | |
| 13 | Middle Tennessee State University | TN | Median earnings $80,424 · 388 graduates last year · 8% of the school's degrees | |
| 14 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | OK | Median earnings $91,081 · 62 graduates last year · 1% of the school's degrees | |
| 15 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott | AZ | Median earnings $84,131 (college-wide) · 231 graduates last year · 35% of the school's degrees | |
| 16 | Western Michigan University | MI | Median earnings $89,564 · 266 graduates last year · 8% of the school's degrees | |
| 17 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | Median earnings $79,821 · 92 graduates last year · under 1% of the school's degrees | |
| 18 | Jacksonville University | FL | Median earnings $68,010 (college-wide) · 60 graduates last year · 9% of the school's degrees | |
| 19 | Lewis University | IL | Median earnings $87,197 · 112 graduates last year · 12% of the school's degrees | |
| 20 | Liberty University | VA | Median earnings $102,096 · 505 graduates last year · 5% of the school's degrees | |
| 21 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | IL | Median earnings $81,394 · 154 graduates last year · 8% of the school's degrees | |
| 22 | Ohio University-Main Campus | OH | Median earnings $99,701 · 33 graduates last year · under 1% of the school's degrees | |
| 23 | LeTourneau University | TX | Median earnings $79,277 · 56 graduates last year · 14% of the school's degrees | |
| 24 | Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Bayamon | PR | Median earnings $49,222 · 38 graduates last year · 8% of the school's degrees | |
| 25 | Minnesota State University-Mankato | MN | Median earnings $103,858 · 93 graduates last year · 4% of the school's degrees | |
| 26 | Hallmark University | TX | Median earnings $40,183 (college-wide) · 14 graduates last year · 9% of the school's degrees | |
| 27 | Westminster University | UT | Median earnings $83,574 · 19 graduates last year · 7% of the school's degrees | |
| 28 | Delaware State University | DE | Median earnings $49,307 (college-wide) · 13 graduates last year · 2% of the school's degrees | |
| 29 | San Jose State University | CA | Median earnings $78,988 (college-wide) · 54 graduates last year · under 1% of the school's degrees | |
| 30 | University of North Texas | TX | Median earnings $78,166 · 20 graduates last year · under 1% of the school's degrees | |
| 31 | Kent State University at Kent | OH | Median earnings $76,501 · 88 graduates last year · 2% of the school's degrees | |
| 32 | Everglades University | FL | Median earnings $86,730 · 66 graduates last year · 18% of the school's degrees | |
| 33 | Louisiana Tech University | LA | Median earnings $83,323 · 60 graduates last year · 4% of the school's degrees | |
| 34 | Utah Valley University | UT | Median earnings $106,001 · 148 graduates last year · 3% of the school's degrees | |
| 35 | University of Memphis | TN | Median earnings $48,458 (college-wide) · 13 graduates last year · under 1% of the school's degrees | |
| 36 | Averett University | VA | Median earnings $51,516 (college-wide) · 23 graduates last year · 8% of the school's degrees | |
| 37 | South Dakota State University | SD | Median earnings $55,070 (college-wide) · 30 graduates last year · 1% of the school's degrees | |
| 38 | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus | OH | Median earnings $75,845 · 59 graduates last year · 2% of the school's degrees | |
| 39 | Farmingdale State College | NY | Median earnings $72,195 · 57 graduates last year · 3% of the school's degrees | |
| 40 | Middle Georgia State University | GA | Median earnings $93,627 · 119 graduates last year · 12% of the school's degrees | |
| 41 | Eastern Michigan University | MI | Median earnings $91,648 · 35 graduates last year · 1% of the school's degrees | |
| 42 | University of Central Missouri | MO | Median earnings $49,560 (college-wide) · 40 graduates last year · 3% of the school's degrees | |
| 43 | Indiana State University | IN | Median earnings $71,254 · 75 graduates last year · 5% of the school's degrees | |
| 44 | Southeastern Oklahoma State University | OK | Median earnings $45,079 (college-wide) · 45 graduates last year · 7% of the school's degrees | |
| 45 | University of Dubuque | IA | Median earnings $86,081 · 66 graduates last year · 18% of the school's degrees | |
| 46 | Lynn University | FL | Median earnings $49,006 (college-wide) · 36 graduates last year · 6% of the school's degrees | |
| 47 | University of Nebraska at Omaha | NE | Median earnings $75,314 · 38 graduates last year · 2% of the school's degrees | |
| 48 | Central Washington University | WA | Median earnings $74,997 · 71 graduates last year · 3% of the school's degrees | |
| 49 | Eastern Kentucky University | KY | Median earnings $66,943 · 45 graduates last year · 2% of the school's degrees | |
| 50 | Southern Utah University | UT | Median earnings $50,296 (college-wide) · 49 graduates last year · 3% of the school's degrees |
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