2021 Highest Paid Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Graduates
Finding the Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering School for You
Out of the 338 majors we analyze each year, aerospace and aeronautical engineering was ranked #78. In fact, 4,887 bachelor's degrees were handed out in 2018-2019.
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Highest Paid Aerospace Engineering list to help you make the college decision.
This year's Highest Paid Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Graduates ranking analyzed 51 colleges that offered a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering.
In this ranking, we use early career salaries - salaries 10 years from when a student started college. This is the salary typically earned 4-6 years after graduation, but may be different depending on how long a person takes to complete their degree.
Comparing Average Salaries of Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Majors
After graduating, aerospace and aeronautical engineering majors that go to school in the United States go on to jobs making an average of $61,669 per year. This is 55% higher than the average college graduate, who only makes around $39,802 a year.
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2021 Highest Paid Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Grads in the United States
Learn more about the colleges and universities that produce the highest paid aerospace engineering graduates.
Top 11 Best Schools for Highly Paid Aerospace Engineering Graduates
Our rankings recognize Massachusetts Institute of Technology as the #1 school in this year's rankings. Located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge, MIT is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population. The average salary for a student who gets a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from the school is $80,100.
On average, aerospace engineering graduates from MIT take out $13,947 in student loans while working on their bachelor's degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $145, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Report
United States Naval Academy landed the #1 spot in our 2021 rankings for highest paid aerospace and aeronautical engineering school. Annapolis is a small public school located in the suburb of Annapolis.
Full Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at United States Naval Academy Report
University of Notre Dame landed the #2 spot in our 2021 rankings for highest paid aerospace and aeronautical engineering school. Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.
Aerospace Engineering majors at Notre Dame take out an average of $17,015 in student loans while working on their bachelor's degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $182.
Read full report on Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at University of Notre Dame
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo comes in at #2 in this year's ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo. Students who receive their bachelor's in aerospace engineering from the school go on to jobs that make an average salary of $71,600.
The average amount in student loans that aerospace engineering majors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo take out while working on their bachelor's is $20,658. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $223.
The #3 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of Southern California. 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 who obtain their bachelor's from the school make an average salary of $70,500.
Aerospace Engineering majors at USC take out an average of $22,818 in student loans while working on their bachelor's degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $270.
The #3 spot in this year's ranking belongs to United States Air Force Academy. USAFA is a small public school located in the fringe town of USAF Academy.
Full Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at United States Air Force Academy Report
The #4 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus. Located in the large city of Atlanta, Georgia Tech is a public college with a very large student population. Upon graduating with a bachelor's degree, aerospace engineering majors make an average salary of $69,500.
Aerospace Engineering majors at Georgia Tech take out an average of $26,179 in student loans while working on their bachelor's degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $280.
Our rankings recognize University of California - Los Angeles as the #5 school in this year's rankings. UCLA is a very large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.
The average amount in student loans that aerospace engineering majors at UCLA take out while working on their bachelor's is $16,314. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $162.
University of Virginia - Main Campus earned the #5 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public school with a fairly large student population. Students who receive their bachelor's in aerospace engineering from the school go on to jobs that make an average salary of $69,300.
While working on their bachelor's, aerospace engineering majors at University of Virginia accumulate an average of around $21,678 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $274.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute comes in at #6 in this year's ranking. Located in the small city of Troy, RPI is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population. Aerospace Engineering majors who obtain their bachelor's from the school make an average salary of $69,000.
Aerospace Engineering majors at RPI take out an average of $22,601 in student loans while working on their bachelor's degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $276.
Full Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Report
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor earned the #7 spot in our 2021 rankings. U-M is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor. Aerospace Engineering majors who obtain their bachelor's from the school make an average salary of $68,500.
Aerospace Engineering majors at U-M take out an average of $18,247 in student loans while working on their bachelor's degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $193, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Highest Paid Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Graduates award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Worcester, MA |
| 9 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, CO |
| 9 | San Jose State University | San Jose, CA |
| 10 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Champaign, IL |
| 11 | Saint Louis University | Saint Louis, MO |
| 12 | Pennsylvania State University - University Park | University Park, PA |
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering by Region
View the Highest Paid Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Graduates for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Related Rankings by Major
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering is one of 38 different types of Engineering programs to choose from.
Most Popular Majors Related to Aerospace Engineering
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering | 37,343 |
| Electrical Engineering | 17,946 |
| Civil Engineering | 14,832 |
| Chemical Engineering | 11,423 |
| Computer Engineering | 10,704 |
View All Aerospace Engineering Related Majors >
Notes and References
- 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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