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2025 Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools

70 Colleges in the United States
8,671 Aerospace Engineering Degrees Awarded
$80,614 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #94 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual looked at 70 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 8,671 degrees in aerospace & aeronautical engineering to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering School

Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools The aerospace engineering program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering rankings. For our Best Overall Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Aerospace Engineering
Bachelor's Degrees in Aerospace Engineering
Master's Degrees in Aerospace Engineering
Doctor's Degrees in Aerospace Engineering

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 Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools list to help you make the college decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering in the United States

The schools below may not offer all types of aerospace engineering degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

14 Top Schools in Aerospace Engineering

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MA
137 Aerospace Engineering Degrees Awarded

Massachusetts Institute of Technology is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering. MIT is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge. A Best Colleges rank of #1 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means MIT is a great school overall.

There were about 137 aerospace & aeronautical engineering students who graduated with this degree at MIT in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In MD
91 Aerospace Engineering Degrees Awarded

Johns Hopkins University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering. Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #6 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Johns Hopkins is a great university overall.

There were roughly 91 aerospace & aeronautical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Johns Hopkins in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering from Johns Hopkins University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
83 Aerospace Engineering Degrees Awarded
$111,760 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat Stanford University if you wish to pursue a degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #10 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were about 83 aerospace & aeronautical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the aerospace & aeronautical engineering program at Stanford University make $31,146 more than the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering from Stanford University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
170 Aerospace Engineering Degrees Awarded
1.8% Growth in Graduates

University of Southern California is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 170 aerospace & aeronautical engineering students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the aerospace & aeronautical engineering program at University of Southern California get $23,898 above the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering from University of Southern California

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
403 Aerospace Engineering Degrees Awarded
16.1% Growth in Graduates

Georgia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Atlanta. A Best Colleges rank of #19 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Georgia Tech is a great school overall.

There were roughly 403 aerospace & aeronautical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Georgia Tech in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the aerospace & aeronautical engineering program at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus make $5,103 more than the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus

6
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
265 Aerospace Engineering Degrees Awarded
16.2% Growth in Graduates

Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the city of Blacksburg. This school ranks 2nd out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were roughly 265 aerospace & aeronautical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the aerospace engineering program state that they receive average early career income of $76,856.

More information about a degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering from Virginia Tech

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
294 Aerospace Engineering Degrees Awarded
10.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #22 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were roughly 294 aerospace & aeronautical engineering students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent year we have data available. Those aerospace & aeronautical engineering students who get their degree from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor make $8,182 more than the standard aerospace engineering student.

More information about a degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
539 Aerospace Engineering Degrees Awarded
21.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 41 colleges for overall quality in the state of Indiana.

There were about 539 aerospace & aeronautical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Purdue in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the aerospace engineering program make about $82,482 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering from Purdue University - Main Campus

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
168 Aerospace Engineering Degrees Awarded
8.3% Growth in Graduates

UIUC is a very large public university located in the city of Champaign. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were about 168 aerospace & aeronautical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the aerospace & aeronautical engineering degree program at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign make $2,559 more than the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
129 Aerospace Engineering Degrees Awarded
$81,022 Median Starting Salary

UT Austin is a very large public university located in the large city of Austin. This university ranks 2nd out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were roughly 129 aerospace & aeronautical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the aerospace engineering program earn about $81,022 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering from The University of Texas at Austin

11
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
165 Aerospace Engineering Degrees Awarded
$78,631 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #37 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UMCP is a great university overall.

There were about 165 aerospace & aeronautical engineering students who graduated with this degree at UMCP in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the aerospace engineering program state that they receive average early career wages of $78,631.

More information about a degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering from University of Maryland - College Park

12
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
253 Aerospace Engineering Degrees Awarded
15.4% Growth in Graduates

Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of College Station. This university ranks 1st out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were approximately 253 aerospace & aeronautical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M College Station in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the aerospace engineering program report average early career income of $74,524.

More information about a degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering from Texas A&M University - College Station

13
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
146 Aerospace Engineering Degrees Awarded
5.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of Troy, RPI is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population. This school ranks 6th out of 136 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were approximately 146 aerospace & aeronautical engineering students who graduated with this degree at RPI in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the aerospace engineering program report average early career income of $73,213.

More information about a degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

14
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
180 Aerospace Engineering Degrees Awarded
$75,036 Median Starting Salary

Iowa State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Ames. This university ranks 2nd out of 37 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were roughly 180 aerospace & aeronautical engineering students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the aerospace engineering program make an average of $75,036 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in aerospace & aeronautical engineering from Iowa State University

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 Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools award.

RankCollegeLocation
15Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY
16University of California - San DiegoLa Jolla, CA
17University of California - Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA

Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering by Region

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

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

One of 41 majors within the Engineering area of study, Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.

Aerospace Engineering Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering8,668
Astronautical Engineering3

View All Aerospace Engineering Concentrations >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering44,794
Electrical Engineering26,528
Civil Engineering20,655
Computer Engineering16,954
Biomedical Engineering13,222
Chemical Engineering12,248
General Engineering11,534
Industrial Engineering8,087
Systems Engineering3,802
Materials Engineering3,476

View All Aerospace Engineering Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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