Ill definitly be applying to embry riddle but for fincancial and academic reasons, it definetly not in my top choices. However, given my situation and aspirations, if Embry Riddle is the school that is best when it comes time, the I can’t be picky about it
I mean don’t most pilots start regional and then as they gain seniority, expand. That’s my intention and salary isn’t my biggest of worries as long as I get to fly commercial
My daughter went to Florida Tech (not aviation). It does give a lot of money in merit, and there are other grants the school has for things like hs robotics, eagle scout/GS gold award, siblings in school. You will also get the Florida EASE grant (resident of FL) and any Bright Futures award you earn. She got a lot of these, but she also had an athletic scholarship and we couldn’t have afforded it without that extra money.
It is expensive and doing aviation also adds a lot to the cost. The pilots usually live on campus but they aren’t as fully involved as other students. They just don’t have the time. A number of them live in campus housing in the Greek village (which is a townhouse complex the school took over and it’s a fun place with a clubhouse and pool, volleyball pits, bbq area), but it’s about 4 miles from campus.
There is ROTC and many do participate in it (I think it is Army).
One of my friends who was a commercial pilot (United) went to the USAFA, did his 6 years in the air force (do you like living in Oklahoma? He did), and loved his career. Another (American) went to college in North Dakota (not sure what he majored in, but went there to be a pilot). He also loved his career but spent his early years overseas trying to build up senority. Both recently retired.
Other friend spent his life working for the small airlines, flying for UPS or FedEX, piecing things together. Never made much money, never was very happy because he just wanted to fly and could never get anything steady. He regretted not going the military route.
3 Likes
Ill definitly be applying to embry riddle but for fincancial and academic reasons, it definetly not in my top choices. However, given my situation and aspirations, if Embry Riddle is the school that is best when it comes time, the I can’t be picky about it
Embry Riddle costs ~$50k/year for non-flight students. You can’t borrow $200,000, so if your parents can’t/won’t pay how will you cover the costs?
1 Like
Long ago, I went to an engineering college in upstate NY on an AFROTC scholarship. At that time I kind of scoffed at Embry-Riddle as not a real college, but just a way to get your civilian ratings and a diploma. However, I’ve since encountered (and hired) numerous ERAU grads who have done well working in tech - both aviation and non-aviation fields. I have not seen that with the other aviation colleges except Purdue.
You’re invincible when young but keep in mind that medical issues can kill your Class 1 so have a backup game plan. Also, they’re not a factor now, but occasional airline furloughs are a thing. With that, ERAU or Purdue are the best choices.
I think you said military (at least USAF) is not what you want. That used to always blow me away; if you like planes, why wouldn’t you want to fly the most advanced aircraft in the world (inside joke, BTW). Seriously, though, you’ll do some incredible flying like approaches to no-s#!t minimums at Keflavik or watching cumulonimbus (at a safe distance) boiling up past 50,000 ft in the Andes. Airdrops in the sandbox, NVGs in mountains. Probably not going to get that instructing in a 152 or at the regionals (not that there’s anything wrong with that - it’s honest work)
On that note, ROTC can be a great option, if you can get a pilot slot. College essentially free and at the end of SUPT you can do a quick written test for Commercial Multiengine Land and Instrument (centerline restriction if you go T-38s). That is a huge step forward. Even better, you can now go directly to a Guard unit where most of the guys/gals fly for the majors. Generally you don’t have to go through regional airline purgatory; you “Guard bum” to build time, get your ATP, leverage unit connections and interview for the majors. That’s (almost) what I did: AFROTC - UPT - Herks at Little Rock - ANG. Loved it. Unfortunately, lost my medical due to health issues. Having an engineering degree made the pivot much easier. (see note above about a backup plan).
Food for thought - your mileage may vary.
6 Likes
The truth is - affordability of aviation colleges - as you total - doesn’t exist. There are some that might give merit - LeTourneau, Lewis…definitely ERAU and Florida Tech. Yes, most haven’t heard of Florida Tech but it’s got a great rep. Then there’s Purdue and UND. Ohio U and Ohio State are others.
It’s the flight costs that are expensive.
Someone showed the United program yesterday. Other airlines may be starting similar.
The good news is regional airlines salaries are up from the $18K of years ago…but it’s a long path…but a great path for one who dreams of flying.
You’ll need parental help including loan co-signs. You’ll need cheap tuition and the ability to work as a flight instructor.
One thing that is never good is too much debt - so no matter what, try not to take on more than the federal allowance of loans - which is in the high 20s.
The stress of too much debt on anyone is not good.
Don’t forget if you borrow 100K, you are paying back so much more due to interest - and rates are set to rise.
Good luck.
3 Likes
Definitely agree about a backup plan. The military option has this built in; the problem is that you could get stuck in your backup plan just because you didn’t get selected for flight training, not only because of a true medical-or-other disqualification. That and the small matter of actually being in the military for all those years!
Some of the schools you mentioned offer a Professional Aviation minor as an additional option, so that you can major in something else and still become a pilot as part of your undergrad program. I know Auburn and UND have this, not sure how many others. From the way you describe your academic record, you should get merit at these schools as well - probably about the equivalent of an OOS waiver at each (which of course still leaves the question of how you’d cover in-state costs). You could major in anything you wanted, minor in Aviation, and come out with your goal met and a broader education for backup.
However, you’re still giving up a lot financially by leaving Florida, so that’s the rub.
The other thing to maybe look at is the National Student Exchange: https://www.nse.org/exchange/colleges-universities/alpha-location/ If you attend one of the eligible schools in Florida (FIU, NCF, or A&M), you could potentially spend a full year at a partner school that has flight training. I honestly don’t know if this could work or not (you’d have to make sure the aviation program would be available to you as an exchange student, and doable in the time you’d have, perhaps supplemented by additional summer or other training), and the only school on the list that I see offhand is Minnesota State Professional Flight Minor | Minnesota State University, Mankato (there may be others - I didn’t go through the list with a fine tooth comb)… but if you could make it work, your costs for that year would be covered by your Florida aid.
2 Likes
Have you considered the Civil Air Patrol cadet program?
I had a friend in college who joined and earned his PPL that way. During college he was able to get his instrument rating and later went to work as a commercial pilot.
Although CAP is affiliated with the Air Force, joining the CAP or its cadet program doesn’t incur any military obligation.
4 Likes
For instate including ERAU and Florida Tech, Ill have bright futures. For every other college, I ll try to apply to as many because of alot of schools coming close to meeting or actually meeting financial demonstrated need, and merit scholarships, hopefully somewhere out of the dozen-ish places I apply to gives me enough. Saying this, it relies on hope rather than reality and there is the possiblity where no school gives me enough in grants.
One of my main problems with USAF is that I won’t get to pursue my other interests in such a way Ill otherwise be able to. Even before I decided on Flight, my main focus was to try to get into a really competitive top school. My choice WAS Brown. This is because they allow you to try and take specific courses and allow you to explore your interests good in a still academically competitive environment. That’s why right now in high school, I’m trying to take as many AP courses from basically every subject. I hope, in college, to continue to excel and keep trying things from every subject. For example, this year I’m doing calc 1+2 and next year calc 3 + linear algebra. In this way, I’m already super ahead in math. I don’t know if being in the air force will allow me to continue to try subjects and continue exploring. If it does, it may not do it in a competitive, rigorous environment. Or maybe it will. These are my assumptions after very little research and it’s highly likely these assumptions are dead wrong
Yep, dead wrong, but you admit you haven’t done much research. If you are truly interested, you might want to peruse the academy’s curriculum and range of majors and minors:
And, perhaps, head over to serviceacademyforums.com to ask your questions directly of current cadets and Air Force officers who will be happy to help you if this path intrigues you.
But, really, the long and probing process of earning an appointment and then enduring the grueling relentlessness of academy/military life is a very, very tough way to get through college and takes a commitment to something more than flying.
5 Likes
I think that most schools that meet need require the financial information from both parents. You said your mom is low income. Is your dad low income too? Each school should have a net price calculator on their website. You can run it to get an estimate of what your cost might be. If your parents are divorced you need to run them twice: once with your mom’s income and once with your dad’s. Then subtract duplicate aid (the $5500 federal student loan, Pell Grant, and grants from your home state can only be counted once). If the net price isn’t affordable for your family don’t bother applying. If a school requires PLUS loans to attend and your parents are low income, it’s not affordable.
I understand wanting to get started in aviation early, but if it’s not affordable then your backup plan has to be to wait until you can pay on your own. As a former Pell student I can tell you that the road for us can be longer and less direct than for students from middle- and upper-income families. Choosing a major that requires grad school or specialized training to be self-supporting isn’t always possible. If you can find colleges that offer what you want that will come in under budget then apply, but make sure you have an affordable backup plan too. It might be that the aviation training has to come after your bachelor’s degree.
Joining the military should only be considered if you actively want a career in the air force. It’s not a scholarship service. A better option is to look for affordable flight training opportunities. One of my son’s high school classmates graduated from a community college with an aviation degree. He worked full-time at whatever job he could and paid for flight time. Once he had enough hours he was able to pick up part-time gigs (offering flight lessons) at a small airport. He now has a full-time job where he flies every day. When he gets enough hours he’s going to apply to larger carriers. It’s taken longer than 4 years, but he has no debt and he’s flying.
If your state community colleges offer similar programs that might be a good backup option for you. If you take the electives (physics, calculus, etc) at whatever 4 year school you attend then those courses could transfer back to the cc. Just check their transfer plans carefully and talk to advisors of the programs that interest you to make sure you’re on track.
3 Likes
Florida has Miami-Dade, which is a huge community college that has expanded to include quite a few 4-year programs as well, including Aviation. If the only goal were an affordable aviation degree, this would be the no-brainer option for a Florida student. But for a strong and well-rounded student who would otherwise be targeting top-tier universities, it’s a lot to give up, to take a more vocationally-focused route like this.
OP, have you run the Net Price Calculators for full-need-met private universities outside of Florida, to see how your aid package would compare to an in-state Bright Futures-funded option?
One possibility is to secure admission to a competitive school with a good aid package, and then defer a year, and grind out the initial flight certifications during a gap year, at a non-credit-bearing program. That would make it easier to pursue continuing to get flight hours, etc., while in a non-specialized undergrad program. Some schools have flying clubs that secure group pricing for their members, but it’s harder to start from ground zero in that kind of structure, while also doing school - a gap year head start could help make it work.
Or Navy, which also uses a lot of fixed-wing aircraft. Some Navy pilots also get to fly from small runways that move (aircraft carriers).
2 Likes
Or Army if you want to fly helicopters or C-series fixed wing aircraft that are primarily used for worldwide personnel and executive transport.
2 Likes
I really dislike the idea of going to community college. I know it’s really affordable and even this year dual enrolling in one, I don’t know if community college is right for me. And it is, given my situation, not in my position to be picky about my preferences, everything about the idea of going to a community college is just not it. I have run net price calculators and been as accurate as possible and even stretching my household(s) income and it’s always been on the low side. This gave me reason not to trust them because they just seem innacurate compared to what actual people have told me. The gap year idea is a good one and one I’ll be taking into consideration next year
When you run the Net Price Calculators is the EFC you get for your dad a lot higher than the one you get for your mom? If your dad’s income is a lot higher the need based aid would be on the low side. Is your dad planning to contribute to your education?
You have to take aviation classes where you can afford them. If you get into an affordable residential college that doesn’t offer them then you can take them after you graduate. It wouldn’t have to be at a cc if you can afford to pay more.
You can take a broad range of challenging courses while in ROTC; I double-majored in MechE and Physics, including a substantial research project involving travel to various astronomical sites.
In any case, I did not mention the obvious in my previous post: The first and foremost reason you join USAF/USA/USN/USCG is to serve your country. If you don’t feel that calling, go the civilian route. It is by far the best flight training in the world without question, but you are there to be a leader, get the mission accomplished no matter what at the far reaches of the world based on the needs of the service and the country.
2 Likes
Not sure your state. U of Illinois used to have aviation but it’s now at Parkland Community…you might check it out (near U of Illinois) - see fees or scholarships for OOS.
Miami Date College in Miami Florida 2 year program has a very good aviation program