I’m planning on attending a community college for 2 years and transferring to a 4year after, b/c of financial issues. The tuition and material fee required for pilot training at a 4year university is way too expensive to afford, and that is why i decided to start out at a community college, but the material fee required for pilot training is still very expensive($10,000+ per semester), and they said that you can’t get federal aid for that, so i have to pay it all. I’m still 17, my mom has bad credit, and my dad is living outside the country. Is there any way to get a loan by myself? please help
Most commercial pilots I know did it for FREE in the military. And the military pilots tend to get snapped up by the major airlines while the ones who paid for it themselves tend to have to work their way up from regional airlines where the pay & work hours are terrible.
Are you a US resident?
yes and a us citizen
There’s no bank that will lend you the money. As mentioned, you can join the military and have them pay.
Yes, because the military services are begging people to join and go through their pilot training programs. Not.
The reality is that OP is more likely to find a way to pay for civilian pilot training than to be qualified for, selected to and actually get winged after military aviation training.
Okay, @babyangel, you’re 17 years old and you want something you can’t afford . . . what do you do?
It doesn’t matter if it’s pilot training or a fancy car . . . unless you have a rich relative who’s going to give you the money, then you’re going to have to do what everyone else does when they need money: GET A JOB!!!
If you’d be willing to go to community college for two years, and postpone the pilot training, that’s one option. Otherwise, what you need to do is get a job, stay at home if possible, so you can save as much money as you can . . . and put off going to college until you can afford to pay those expensive fees.
I know it’s not the answer you want to hear, but it may be the only way. Some schools are just expensive - art school is one, and pilot training is apparently another. If this is what you really want to do, then you’re going to need to save up the money to be able to pay for it.
OP if you’re from a group traditionally underrepresented (minority, woman, etc) in the aviation industry then look for scholarships specifically for diversity in aviation - they exist and can be significant. If you’re looking to get a pilot’s license then talk to flight clubs and make some pilot connections. It’s very possible you can get a license for less than a college sticker price.
I would second the military option. Talk to some recruiters, make sure you meet their restrictions as well (you can be both too short and too tall) and see what it would take on your end to be able to pursue aviation with the military.
Suggest u ask @busdriver11 for advice. She’s a commercial pilot.
“Most commercial pilots I know did it for FREE in the military. And the military pilots tend to get snapped up by the major airlines while the ones who paid for it themselves tend to have to work their way up from regional airlines where the pay & work hours are terrible.”
This. I had a friend who graduated from Embry-Riddle and had been a pilot for 10 years when I met him. He flew for Mesaba, which was a regional carrier for Northwest at the time. He made less than I did and was on the road more than a long-haul trucker. I drove a garbage truck and was home before my kids got out of school. His knees are presumably in better shape than mine, now, though…so there’s that.
How can you be both too short and too tall?
Military aviation training programs are extremely competitive, and most of them require the applicant to have a college degree. OP is 17 years old. Joining the military at this point to learn how to fly is not a viable option.
Aviation slots in the military are very competitive and pilots have an 8-10 year commitment after winging. It can easilty take a couple of years training before winging. Count on serving around 12 years, after getting a degree and getting a pilot slot.
Another option is to get your BA/BS degree (doesn’t really matter what the degree is in), and then obtain private training through an FBO or local flight instructor to the CFI (preferably CFI-I) level. Once you obtain that certification, you can build hours by becoming a flight instructor yourself.
It can be a slow process, but it is often cheaper than attending a formal flight school, and less risky than taking your chances getting accepted into one of the military flight programs.
“OP if you’re from a group traditionally underrepresented (minority, woman, etc) in the aviation industry then look for scholarships specifically for diversity in aviation - they exist and can be significant.”
They exist but are typically not significant. I say this as a current Embry-Riddle student, who’s familiar with both the scholarships here and the scholarships offered by Women in Aviation/Whirly Girls/SWE/etc. The outside scholarships tend to top out at around 5k-10k, and are often only one-time.
But flying Navy is never a bad option if you get it! 
In all seriousness, for military you would got the ROTC scholarship route which may require a gap year. For civilian, pay close attention to the advice you have been given about low salaries at commuters. You can spend a fortune on training and take years to get to where you have a living wage even without the debt. It’s probably more viable to get your CFL and be an instructor on the side. This still won’t make a lot of money but it would defray some of the cost of flying as a hobby.