So I’ve been looking into colleges since I’ve decided to become a pilot. I’ve heard that two of the best are Purdue and Embrye Riddle. Which one should I select and what degree should I take in that school to become a commercial pilot?
The cheapest one. Pilots make very little money.
US BLS
“The median annual wage for airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers was $140,340 in May 2018.
The median annual wage for commercial pilots was $82,240 in May 2018.“
But a starting First Officer on a regional airline will make about $35k/year
I’d start by learning the correct name of Embry-Riddle. Once is a typo, twice means you need to learn it. Details matter.
My daughter is a senior in high school. She has been flying since the age of 14. I am happy to share her scenario as she applied to many colleges with intent to become a Professional Pilot. She did not apply to Embry-Riddle because she was looking for traditional four year college experience (with football!). Another factor was the rumored cost of attendance (I did not look into what aid or scholarships they offer). As a 25 year United flight attendant I have met enough E-R graduates that groan over their $250,000 debt. My daughter applied to :Utah State (offered full ride for tuition based on merit but Aviation portion would be separate), Univ of OK (offered Ambassador Scholarship) but received email a couple weeks later saying Aviation slots were already filled by the time her application was received, Auburn (offered hefty merit scholarship based strictly on GPA and ACT score), The Ohio State (offered merit scholarship) but might be too big for her and Aviation curriculum does not start in your first year- not certain on this; we still need to visit, and finally, Purdue (Trustees Scholarship and Honors College invite)- we toured yesterday and it was a solid fit. I would like to point out that there was a 45% increase in Professional Flight applicants- only 200 spots were offered to 850 hoping to be selected. One young man on the tour had 4.8 GPA and could not believe he didn’t get in; he will be attending with his second choice major, Aerospace Engineering. There were also prospective students that were accepted into Honors College but not Professional Flight.I mention this because I assumed my daughter would get into the Aviation portion and anxious and hopeful about Honors. We left with completely new insight. My advice it to apply early wherever you end up applying. She did not apply to UND due to extreme weather. The pilots I have “interviewed” have overwhelming respect for Purdue- five of the youngest female pilots are Purdue graduates. My daughter briefly considered military but we found out that even attending Air Force Academy Is not a guarantee of a pilot slot, and she would like to go on the line (commercially) as soon as possible. In closing, we are in San Diego and I predict she will choose Purdue (Drew Brees is an alum).
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