2026 Best Airline/Commercial/Professional Pilot & Flight Crew Schools in Illinois

Airline/Commercial/Professional Pilot & Flight Crew is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. A focused field like this rewards careful comparison of the schools that offer it.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 5 schools to find the best for airline/commercial/professional pilot & flight crew students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Airline/Commercial/Professional Pilot & Flight Crew Schools in Illinois

Best Schools for Airline/Commercial/Professional Pilot & Flight Crew in Illinois

If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the airline/commercial/professional pilot & flight crew degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Schools in Airline/Commercial/Professional Pilot & Flight Crew

1

Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Carbondale, IL

Doctoral Degree Highest Degree Type

52 Airline/Commercial/Professional Pilot & Flight Crew Degrees Awarded

$42,010 Median Starting Salary

Southern Illinois University Carbondale tops our 2026 ranking of the best airline/commercial/professional pilot & flight crew schools. Located in the town of Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a large public university. Roughly 60% of students complete a degree within six years here. Southern Illinois University Carbondale awarded about 52 airline/commercial/professional pilot & flight crew degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their airline/commercial/professional pilot & flight crew degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale earn around $42,010 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $20,750. Read more about the airline/commercial/professional pilot & flight crew program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

2

Parkland College
Champaign, IL

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

53 Airline/Commercial/Professional Pilot & Flight Crew Degrees Awarded

$40,409 Median Starting Salary

A rank of #2 makes Parkland College one of the top schools for airline/commercial/professional pilot & flight crew. This moderately-sized public university is located in the city of Champaign. About 53 airline/commercial/professional pilot & flight crew degrees were awarded at Parkland College in the most recent year. Students who receive their airline/commercial/professional pilot & flight crew degree from Parkland College earn around $40,409 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $10,168 to complete this degree. Read more about the airline/commercial/professional pilot & flight crew program at Parkland College

Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 5 schools evaluated.

• 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 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.