Which are the best schools
US Air Force Academy and US Navel Academy
Embry Riddle, Bowling Green State
Coast Guard Academy too for aviation!
Honestly when my DD came to me in seventh grade with a dream to fly my immediate response what “Great! Which branch?” She was confused for a while and then went off to research.
You need a pile of cash above and beyond tuition to get all the way to a useful commercial pilots license, like many tens of thousands of dollars more. Think of it as $40-60k in lab fees. And from that perspective take a look at the desperation of the airlines driving a bit of flexibility in their search criteria and then start thinking about U of North Dakota or some of the other less expensive programs in (ahem) fly-over country. UND has a very good program, no mistake, but you can get a degree from a Western Michigan that costs less than Embry Riddle and also gets you a good job. I was talking to a guy a couple weeks ago who does pilot hiring for Delta and he knows one person who went from high school to a decent flying job in five years by attending a midwestern school and taking on the debt. It’s not for everyone, but the days of paying your dues in Wichita for five years at $28500 are gone (at least for now.)
Also, aerospace is different, in that they pay you for gradual school and a good job. But take a hard look at the academies if you want to fly.
Purdue has great programs in both.
The Ohio State University
Purdue, the “Cradle of Astronauts”, has a top 5 Aero program a top aviation program ( https://www.thebestcolleges.org/rankings/the-top-10-colleges-for-aviation-degrees/) and an airport on campus.